multigrade sample brochures - aacs
TRANSCRIPT
The Ministry of Education has m
any tools
to help both teachers and parents.
Visit w
ww
.edu
.go
v.on
.caand discover
how you can help your child succeed in school.
Printed on recycled paper06-377
ISBN 978-1-4249-3388-4 (Print)
ISBN 978-1-4249-3390-7 (PD
F)
© Q
ueen’s Printer for Ontario, 2007
Cette publication est disponible en français.
This publication is available on the Ministry of Education’s
website at http://w
ww
.edu.gov.on.ca
AN
INTR
OD
UC
TION
TO
CO
MB
INED
GR
AD
ES
HO
W C
AN
I HELP M
YC
HILD
SUC
CEED
?
Get involved in your child’s school life
Ask about their day – school work,friends,
their teacher.Let them tell you about the best
part of their day,and about what w
as not sogood.This w
ill help you share their successesand uncover any problem
s.
Stay connected with the school
Talk to your child’s teacher.Ask questions.Thiscan be as sim
ple as sending a note to schoolw
ith your child.Or check w
ith the school tosee if you can volunteer to help.
Make learning fun
Learning is not limited to the classroom
.Sim
ple activities can build your child’s skillsand confidence.Talk about prices on a trip tothe grocery store to help older kids w
ithm
ath.Make reading fun for younger ones by
pointing out the words all around you – on
street signs,posters,even cereal boxes!
123
WILL M
Y C
HILD
GET
ENO
UG
H IN
DIV
IDU
AL
ATTEN
TION
?
Every day,in both single-grade classes and com
bined grades,teachers work w
ith large groups,sm
all groups,and individual students.But students in com
bined classrooms also benefit
from a broader support structure.
Younger children can ask students from the higher
grade for help.Older students learn by explaining
problems to their younger peers.In fact,peer
tutoring can help higher achieving and older students reinforce their know
ledge and positivesocial behaviours.
HO
W C
AN
THE TEA
CH
ERTEA
CH
MO
RE TH
AN
ON
EG
RA
DE A
T A TIM
E?
Teachers use many different strategies to teach
students in combined grades.They m
ay:
Introduce a comm
on topic then give eachgrade a different task or problem
.
Break students into groups to study differentproblem
s and report back to the class.Thesegroups can be flexible,including students w
ithvaried interests and skills.
Bring students together for activities likehealth,physical education,and the arts.
The Ministry of Education has developed strategies
that help teachers reach a range of learners.Forexam
ple,teams from
every school in Ontario have
been trained in differentiating instruction.This is astrategy that looks at the individual learning needsand progress of each student.The teacher canthen identify the range of needs in the classroomand plan a program
that meets the needs of all
the students.
> > >
HO
W W
ILL A C
OM
BIN
EDC
LASS A
FFECT M
Y C
HILD
?
ACAD
EMIC ACH
IEVEMEN
T
Several studies have found that students in com
bined classes do just as well as students
in single-grade classes.In fact,some students
actually do better in language and reading.
IMPRO
VED SO
CIAL D
EVELOPM
ENT
Canadian studies show that children in com
binedclasses have m
ore opportunities for emotional
and social growth.The rich social environm
enthelps students:
Learn how to w
ork on their own and as part
of a team
Build leadership abilities as they work
together and help each other
Develop decision-making skills,and becom
em
ore self-motivated and responsible
Learn in an environment that reflects the
real world.The diverse ideas and opinions of
classmates help expand students’ perspectives.
> > > >
WH
AT IS A
CO
MB
INED
CLA
SSRO
OM
?
Combined classes group children from
two or
more consecutive grades in one classroom
.Schoolscom
bine classes for a variety of reasons.Thisincludes organizing classes to m
eet student learningneeds and com
bining grades to balance class size.
All classrooms include students w
ith a range ofskills and abilities.Com
bined classes are neitherbetter nor w
orse than single-grade classes.Theyare sim
ply one of the many w
ays schools meet
students’ academic and social developm
ent needs.
HO
W A
RE STU
DEN
TS C
HO
SEN FO
R C
OM
BIN
EDC
LASSES?
Principals and staff consider a variety of factorsw
hen grouping children into classes,including:
Learning styles
Social skills
Academic needs
And many other factors
All classrooms,w
hether single-grade or combined,
include students performing at a range of achieve-
ment levels.In every case,schools strive to create
a classroom environm
ent that will support the
needs of all students.
> > > >
How
Can the T
eacher T
each More than O
ne G
rade at a Tim
e? T
eachers use many different
strategies to teach students in com
bined grades. They m
ay:
• Introduce a com
mon topic
then give each grade a different task or problem
.
• B
reak students into groups to study different problem
s and report back to the class. T
hese groups can be flexible, including students w
ith varied interests and skills.
• B
ring students together for activities like health, physical education, and the arts.
How
Can I H
elp My
Child Succeed?
1. G
et involved in your child’s school life. A
sk about their day-school w
ork, friends, and their teacher.
2. Stay connected w
ith the school. T
alk to your child’s teacher. A
sk questions.
3. M
ake Learning fun. L
earning is not lim
ited to the classroom
. Simple activities
can build your child’s skills and confidence. M
ake reading fun for younger ones by pointing out the w
ords all around you.
Com
bined
Grades
1504 Cardinal A
ve, Dem
opolis, AL
36732
ww
w.w
acschool.com
West A
labama C
hristian School
An Introduction
To
How
Will A
Com
bined C
lass Affect M
y Child?
Every day, both single-grade
classes and combined grades,
teachers work w
ith large groups, sm
all groups, and individual students. B
ut students in com
bined classrooms also benefit
from a broader support structure.
Younger children can ask
students from the higher grade for
help. Older students learn by
explaining problems to their
younger peers. In fact, peer tutoring can help higher achieving and older students reinforce their know
ledge and positive social behaviors.
WH
AT
IS A C
OM
BIN
ED
C
LA
SSRO
OM
? C
ombined classes group children
from tw
o or more consecutive grades
in one classroom. Schools com
bine classes for a variety of reasons. T
his includes organizing classes to m
eet student learning needs and com
bining grades to balance class size.
All classroom
s include students with a
range of skills and abilities. C
ombined classes are neither better
nor worse than single-grade classes.
They are sim
ply one of many w
ays schools m
eet student’s academic and
social development needs.
AC
AD
EM
IC A
CH
IEV
EM
EN
T
Several studies have found that students in com
bined classes do just as well as students
in single-grade classes. In fact, some students
actually do better in language and reading.
Since teachers are usually required to teach the sam
e class for two years, they becom
e m
ore familiar w
ith the student and their fam
ilies. This results in a strong sense of
continuity. Research also show
s that on the first day of school, both students and teachers felt m
ore relaxed and calm than the students
in single-age classrooms.
Research done w
ith a Kentucky P
ublic School m
ulti-grade classroom show
s that over tim
e students’ academic achievem
ent and teacher’s preparation tim
e increased.
IMP
RO
VE
D SO
CIA
L D
EV
EL
OP
ME
NT
Studies show that children in com
bined classes have m
ore opportunities for
emotion
al and social grow
th. T
he rich social environm
ent helps students:
• L
earn how to w
ork on their own
and as part of a team
• B
uild leadership abilities as they w
ork together and help each other
• D
evelop decision-making skills,
and become m
ore self-motivated
and responsible
• L
earn in an environment that
reflects the real world. T
he diverse ideas and opinions of classm
ates help expand students’ perspectives.
WIL
L M
Y C
HIL
D G
ET
E
NO
UG
H IN
DIV
IDU
AL
A
TT
EN
TIO
N?
How
Your School System
Works
Com
bined C
lasses(often referred to as
Split Classes)
Van
couver Sch
ool Board
September 2
01
0
processes and
skills requiring
continuous developm
ent.
This requires
a sophisticated
approach to
integrating know
ledge and
skills but it can be done in ways that do not
repeat or “miss out” prescribed curriculum
.
I am concerned that m
y child w
ill not do well in a
combined class and w
ill not be ready to m
ove onto the next grade.Detailed studies like John Goodlad’s in 1987 (The non-graded Elem
entary school) have shown
that on average a five year span of development
is typically found in a single grade group and six years in a com
bined class. Additionally, the results of a study published in 1999 by Dr. Joel Gajadharsingh
(University of
Saskatchewan)
found that, using standardized tests, students did as w
ell or better in combined classroom
s in M
ath, Language, Science and Social Studies. H
e also found that students in combined classes
performed better than students in single grade
classrooms in the follow
ing areas: independence, responsibility, study habits and attitude tow
ards school. This is one of the com
pelling reasons that
some
schools such
as Charles
Dickens Elem
entary have gone to multi-age groupings.
How
Can I support m
y child in a com
bined class?Parents can support their children in the sam
e w
ays they would if they w
ere in a single grade class. Staying interested and concerned about school w
ork and activities, monitoring a child’s
homew
ork and keeping in touch with the teacher
and attending the school whenever possible are
ways the parents can support the child’s learning.
If you have concerns about your child’s learning, you
should speak
to the
classroom teacher.
A survey
of literature
on com
bined classes,
published in
2001 and
available on
the internet
(ERIC Identifier
ED 448935)
states:
“Advantages for multi-age students have been
shown to increase the longer students rem
ain in m
ulti-age classrooms. Students in m
ulti-age classroom
s demonstrate m
ore positive attitudes tow
ard school,
greater leadership
skills, greater self-esteem
, and increased pro-social and
fewer
aggressive behaviours,
compared
to peers
in traditional
graded classroom
s. Statistical analysis dem
onstrated that students from
m
ulti-age classroom
s achieved
greater academ
ic outcom
es in
relation to
their abilities
and dem
onstrated greater
increases in
academic
achievement
than students
of the
same
and higher
abilities from
single-
age classrooms w
hen all classrooms em
ployed developm
entally appropriate teaching practices.”
https://ww
w.vsb.bc.ca/sites/default/files/school-files/R
esources/Com
bined%20C
lasses%202010.pdf
What is a com
bined class?A com
bined or split class refers to a class that is m
ade up of students from tw
o or more grades.
Combined
classes occur
most
frequently in
elementary schools and are the com
bination of students in tw
o different grades with one teacher
teaching both curricula. For example, a school
might have a grade 2/grade 3 class com
bination or a grade 6/grade 7 class com
bination. At the secondary schools, com
bined classes may
occur, for example a Spanish 9/10 com
bination or
a Ceram
ics 10/11/12
combination.
It is
important
to know
that
students in
combined
classes are
not held
back to
the level
of the
younger children
nor are
the children in the low
er grade expected to do work
beyond their abilities. The prescribed learning outcom
es are grade appropriate for all students, w
hether or not they are in a combined class.
Why do Schools create
combined classes?
There are several reasons why schools create
these classes. When school staff look to organize
their students, that is to place the students in their classes w
ith teachers, they have to balance the educational needs of their students w
ith the staffing they receive from
Hum
an Resources as w
ell as with legislated contractual considerations.
A school calculates enrolment. This is then
verified by the Hum
an Resources division of the Vancouver Board of Education. Based on this figure, teaching staff (both enrolling and non-enrolling) is allocated. The Principal, w
orking w
ith the Staff Comm
ittee of the school, then constructs classes based on these factors and the educational interests of each student. In m
any instances,
combined
classes result.
How
do Schools decide w
hich students to place in com
bined classes?In
an effort
to ensure
all students
are placed in appropriately balanced classroom
s, school
staff (teachers,
Principals and
Vice-Principals) use such criteria as age, range of ability, special learning needs, gender, social groupings, and support staff recom
mendation.
Also, just as they do when allocating students
to non-com
bined classes,
the Principal
and Vice-Principal w
ork together with the classroom
teachers to best m
atch the learning styles and needs of the student. In m
any schools parents are given the opportunity in June to subm
it their preference for a learning situation for their child
for the next school year. All these factors are considered before allocating classes for students.
Will the teacher teach the
entire curriculum to both
grades?The School Act, w
hich governs British Columbia
schools, stipulates that all teachers, including teachers
of split
classes, m
ust teach
the prescribed curriculum
. Therefore the teacher is
obligated to
teach the
entire curriculum
to
both grades.
Teaching strategies
that address diversity, m
eet individual needs, and satisfy M
inistry requirements w
ith respect to content and processes of learning w
ork well in
both combined and single grade classroom
s.
What are the challenges for
teachers?Teachers need to be fam
iliar with the curriculum
for both grades and the variety of resources available
in the
school and
in the
district. Teachers of students in com
bined classes, like those
in single-grade
classes, em
ploy their
skills and
strategies so
that each
student is
challenged at
the level
at w
hich he/she
can succeed. For example, a teacher m
ight use
a them
atic approach
to teach
a unit.
This approach enables the teacher to address https://w
ww
.vsb.bc.ca/sites/default/files/school-files/Resources/C
ombined%
20Classes%
202010.pdf
A p
aren
t’s gu
ide to
a co
mb
ined
gra
de cla
ssroom
Y
our ch
ild is learn
ing in
a com
bin
ed g
rade classro
om
. This fact sh
eet is desig
ned
to h
elp y
ou u
nderstan
d
how
this ty
pe o
f classroo
m w
ork
s and
answ
er questio
ns y
ou m
ay h
ave.
Sch
ools g
rou
p stu
den
ts from
two
grad
es in o
ne classro
om
to b
alance class size acro
ss the sch
ool an
d to
keep
the n
um
ber o
f stud
ents in
prim
ary classes (k
inderg
arten to
grad
e 3) at o
r belo
w 2
0. C
om
bin
ed g
rade
classes are not n
ew—
they
hav
e alway
s been
a com
mon
part o
f the sch
ool ex
perien
ce. T
each
ers are h
igh
ly tra
ined
to b
ala
nce in
div
idu
al lea
rnin
g n
eeds
Walk
into
any classro
om
, and
yo
u w
ill find ch
ildren
at vario
us stag
es of so
cial, physical an
d in
tellectual
dev
elopm
ent. N
o tw
o ch
ildren
are exactly
the sam
e, even
if they
’re the sam
e age. E
ach ch
ild h
as uniq
ue
learnin
g n
eeds—
strength
s and
areas that n
eed im
pro
vem
ent. L
earnin
g sty
les and p
references are u
niq
ue to
each stu
den
t. Th
at’s true o
f same-g
rade classro
om
s, just lik
e com
bin
ed g
rade g
roups.
Teach
ers are hig
hly
trained
to ad
just th
e learn
ing p
rogram
in th
e classroom
to th
e need
s of each
studen
t’s
indiv
idual learn
ing n
eeds. In
com
bin
ed g
rade classes, teach
ers use th
ese same strateg
ies to teach
the
curricu
lum
for b
oth
grad
es. T
each
ers use a
varie
ty o
f strateg
ies to b
ala
nce th
e need
s of b
oth
gra
des
Stu
den
ts in a co
mb
ined
grad
e class follo
w ex
pectatio
ns fo
r their sp
ecific grad
e. Ju
st as in sam
e-grad
e
classes, teachers in
com
bin
ed g
rades u
se a wid
e range o
f teachin
g strateg
ies to m
ake su
re they
cover all o
f
the cu
rriculu
m ex
pectatio
ns. C
hild
ren in
com
bin
ed g
rade classes w
ill spen
d tim
e learnin
g as a w
hole
class, in sm
all gro
ups an
d in
div
idu
ally. S
om
etimes th
ey w
ill be g
rouped
based
on a sp
ecific task an
d o
ther
times th
e teacher w
ill gro
up th
em b
ased o
n th
eir learnin
g n
eeds.
In m
any areas o
f the O
ntario
curricu
lum
, the o
verall ex
pectatio
ns d
o n
ot ch
ange fro
m o
ne g
rade to
the
nex
t, but stu
den
ts learn th
e skill w
ith a g
reater level o
f com
plex
ity as th
ey p
rogress fro
m g
rade to
grad
e.
In a co
mbin
ed g
rade 3
/4 class, all o
f the stu
den
ts would
spen
d tim
e readin
g to
impro
ve th
eir
com
preh
ensio
n. T
he g
rade 3
studen
ts wo
uld
be learn
ing to
restate importan
t ideas fro
m a tex
t, while th
e
grad
e 4 stu
den
ts wo
uld
be learn
ing to
mak
e an o
utlin
e of a sectio
n o
f readin
g. T
he sam
e studen
ts mig
ht
then
do a w
riting assig
nm
en
t. Th
e grad
e 3s w
ould
be ex
pected
to u
se join
ing w
ord
s to co
mbin
e simple
senten
ces, while th
e grad
e 4s w
ou
ld b
e required
to u
se senten
ces of d
ifferent len
gth
s and co
mplex
ity.
The teach
er may
hav
e the w
ho
le class particip
ate in a co
mm
on activ
ity, fo
llow
ed b
y sm
all gro
up o
r
indiv
idual w
ork
on
grad
e-specific cu
rriculu
m ex
pectatio
ns. F
or ex
ample, in
a grad
e 1/2
com
bin
ed g
rade
class, when
teachin
g th
e life system
s strand o
f science, th
e teacher m
ight start b
y sh
ow
ing a v
ideo
abo
ut a
specific an
imal. T
he g
rade 1
studen
ts wo
uld
do a fo
llow
-up activ
ity to
iden
tify th
e characteristics an
d
need
s of liv
ing th
ings, w
hile th
e grad
e 2 stu
den
ts would
focu
s on g
row
th an
d ch
ange in
anim
als. S
tuden
ts are no
t alway
s learnin
g n
ew in
form
ation o
r concep
ts—th
ey also
need
to rev
iew, co
nso
lidate an
d
refine th
eir learnin
g an
d b
uild
on
prev
iou
s learnin
g to
do a m
ore co
mplex
task. In
a g
rade 5
/6 co
mbin
ed
grad
e math
class, for ex
amp
le, the teach
er mig
ht rev
iew th
e concep
t of p
lace valu
e with
the w
hole class.
Then
the stu
den
ts wou
ld w
ork
on
the g
rade-sp
ecific expectatio
ns. G
rade 5
studen
ts would
be p
racticing
math
pro
blem
s with
place v
alues u
p to
10
0,0
00 an
d d
ecimals to
hundred
ths, w
hile g
rade 6
studen
ts wo
uld
work
on p
roblem
s with
place v
alues u
p to
1,0
00,0
00 an
d d
ecimals to
thousan
dth
s. Or if w
ork
ing o
n
measu
remen
t, the w
ho
le class mig
ht w
ork
on an
activity
requirin
g th
em to
estimate, m
easure an
d reco
rd
perim
eter and
area of v
ariou
s items. T
he g
rade 6
s would
need
to d
emonstrate a g
reater level o
f accuracy
,
based
on th
e curricu
lum
exp
ectation
s, than
the g
rade 5
s. E
ven
in su
bjects, su
ch as so
cial stud
ies and scien
ce, that h
ave d
ifferent to
pics to
cover in
differen
t grad
es,
the cu
rriculu
m ex
pectatio
ns in
each g
rade are n
ot ju
st about th
e facts studen
ts are expected
to learn
. Th
ere
are man
y co
mm
on
skills fo
r stud
ents to
learn, su
ch as research
, scientific in
quiry
, experim
entatio
n an
d
West B
ayfield Public S
chool (Ontario)
http://westbayfield.edublogs.org/files/2013/09/A
-parents-guide-to-a-combined-grade-classroom
-1xc1dk6.pdf
pro
blem
solv
ing. T
he teach
er mig
ht p
resent research
skills to
the w
hole class, an
d th
en assig
n g
rade-
specific research
pro
jects. A
t oth
er times, th
e teacher w
ill presen
t two d
ifferent lesso
ns to
the stu
den
ts, based
on th
e differen
t
curricu
lum
for th
e two
grad
es. While w
ork
ing w
ith o
ne g
rade lev
el of stu
den
ts, the teach
er will h
ave th
e
oth
er studen
ts do
ind
ivid
ual o
r gro
up
pro
jects or w
ork
in learn
ing cen
tres in th
e classroom
. S
tud
ies show
that stu
den
ts in co
mb
ined
gra
de c
lasses lea
rn a
s well a
s oth
er stud
ents
You m
ay b
e con
cerned
abou
t ho
w w
ell yo
ur ch
ild w
ill learn in
a com
bin
ed g
rade class. Y
ears of research
show
that stu
den
ts in co
mb
ined
grad
es do
just as w
ell academ
ically as stu
den
ts in sin
gle-g
rade classes. In
fact, som
e stud
ents actu
ally d
o b
etter in lan
guag
e and read
ing.
You m
ay also
wo
nd
er abo
ut th
e emo
tional im
pact o
n y
our ch
ild—
will y
our ch
ild receiv
e the sam
e
amount o
f ind
ivid
ual atten
tion
from
the teach
er in a co
mbin
ed g
rade as in
a single-g
rade class. It’s
importan
t to u
nd
erstand
that th
e nu
mb
er of stu
den
ts in th
e class, not th
e grad
e structu
re, determ
ines th
e
amount o
f time th
e teacher h
as to sp
end
with
each in
div
idual stu
den
t. S
tuden
ts in co
mb
ined
classes often
do
better em
otio
nally
and so
cially. C
om
bin
ed g
rade classes h
ave b
een
found to
foster g
reater ind
epen
den
ce, better so
cial skills an
d in
creased m
otiv
ation to
learn.
In o
ur ex
perien
ce, paren
ts may b
e con
cerned
when
their ch
ild is first p
laced in
a com
bin
ed g
rade class,
but o
nce th
ey b
ecom
e familiar w
ith th
e concep
t, they
feel more co
mfo
rtable, an
d th
ey’re p
leased w
ith
their ch
ild’s p
rogress an
d sch
oo
l exp
erience as th
e year p
rogresses.
Help
you
r child
succeed
in a
com
bin
ed g
rad
e cla
ss Y
ou’re im
po
rtant to
yo
ur ch
ild's su
ccess—in
a com
bin
ed g
rade, th
e same as a sam
e-g
rade class. T
he m
ore
you k
now
abo
ut y
ou
r child
’s edu
cation
, the m
ore y
ou w
ill be ab
le to h
elp y
our ch
ild learn
and su
cceed.
Here are so
me w
ays y
ou
can su
pp
ort y
ou
r child
’s learnin
g.
B
ecom
e familiar w
ith th
e curricu
lum
for y
our ch
ild’s g
rade. Y
ou can
find it o
n th
e Min
istry o
f
Educatio
n w
ebsite at w
ww
.edu
.go
v.o
n.ca o
r in y
our sch
ool lib
rary.
R
ead in
form
ation
from
yo
ur ch
ild’s teach
er and sch
ool. A
sk y
our ch
ild to
tell yo
u ab
out sch
oolw
ork
that is b
rou
gh
t ho
me. T
alk w
ith y
ou
r child
about h
er school ex
perien
ce.
C
om
mun
icate with
yo
ur ch
ild’s teach
er about h
is indiv
idual learn
ing n
eeds. If y
ou
hav
e questio
ns,
talk to
the teach
er abo
ut th
e strategies th
at are bein
g u
sed to
cov
er the co
mbin
ed g
rade cu
rriculu
m.
C
onnect w
ith th
e scho
ol. A
ttend
paren
t info
rmatio
n n
ights an
d o
ther sch
ool ev
ents. V
olu
nteer at th
e
school if y
ou
hav
e the tim
e. Atten
d a sch
ool co
uncil m
eeting.