Integrated Units

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Integrated Units

• Parent Information Night
• 2 May, 2006.

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What are Integrated Units?

• An approach to delivering the curriculum using an
  inquiry question/ real life problem which
  incorporates different subject areas.
• Subjects- SOSE, Science, HPE, The Arts and
  Technology.
• Separate English, Mathematics and LOTE (Chinese)
  programs. (Optional to include as part of
  Integrated Units)

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Sample Integrated Unit Titles

• Early European Settlements- How can we influence
  life in the future?
• Living things have needs- How do we look after
  pets?
• Natural Disasters- How can we prepare for a
  Natural Disaster?
• What is a natural disaster? (SOSE- human and
  environmental impacts)
• What are the different types of natural
  disasters? (Science- weather, geology)
• How can we prepare for a natural disaster? (HPE-
  community health)
• Natural Disaster kit- (Technology- design,
  create)

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Common Features of Integrated Units

• There are two complete cycles of integrated units
  for years 1-7.
• Cycle A- even years 2006, 2008
• Cycle B- odd years 2007
• Inquiry Based All units have a Key Inquiry
  Question and Sub-inquiry questions linked to real
  life situations. Units focus the students on
  answering a question/ solving a problem. Students
  and teacher work collaboratively to write sub
  inquiry questions.
• Skill and Content-All Inquiry questions have a
  skill and content component. Example
• Content/ knowledge- What are the different types
  of dinosaurs?
• Content/ knowledge AND Skill/ application- How
  can we avoid becoming extinct like the dinosaurs?

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Common Features - part 2

• Culminating Activity Integrated units will have
  at least one culminating activity e.g.. excursion
  or a task that requires the students to bring
  together all of the taught skills, concepts and
  processes of the unit.
• Relevant- Integrated units promote deep
  understanding and knowledge through contexts that
  have relevance and connectedness to the real
  world.
• Students are encouraged to employ higher order
  thinking strategies in their everyday classroom
  activities.
• Greater emphasis is placed on distinguishing the
  connections and relationships with information as
  opposed to recall fragmented pieces of
  information.
• We see that the teaching process should empower
  students to be active citizens in the local and
  global world.

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Common Features - part 3

• Each unit is unique with its content and
  development of skills from all other units on the
  same cycle.
• Time spent on integrated units each day is no
  more than 1/3 of the school day.
• Most units will last one term.
• Literacy and Numeracy are not expected to be
  incorporated into integrated unit planning.
  Although they may overlap it is anticipated that
  they explicitly taught as separate entities.
• Students have the opportunity to apply and use
  the knowledge, skills and concepts that have been
  developed in real life contexts.

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Common Features - part 4

• Student Centered - Students are encouraged to be
  self directed and regulated and be academically
  engaged in all of the stages of the learning
  process.
• Learning opportunities are relevant to the
  students and targets their interests and needs.
• Individual integrated units usually adopt a
  constructivist approach, building upon students
  prior knowledge.

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Why Use Integrated Units?

• Efficient and effective means of delivering
  curriculum- Productive Pedagogies
• 73 outcomes to cover in each year- Not including
  English, Mathematics and LOTE.
• Real life problems usually require cross
  curriculum approaches (i.e. Need to use skills
  and knowledge from different subject areas to
  solve a problem.)
• Relevant and responsive to student needs and
  interests.
• Promotes the development of Lifelong Learning
  Skills
• Allows students to be active in the planning and
  learning process.

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Education Qld Guidelines

• 8 KLAs- Key Learning Areas (Subjects)
• English
• Mathematics
• Study of Society and Environment (SOSE)
• Health and Physical Education (HPE)
• Science
• Technology
• Language Other Than English- Chinese (LOTE)
• The Arts

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Outcome Levels

• At Toowong State School
• Level 1- Grade 1 2
• Level 2- Grade 2 3
• Level 3- Grade 4 5
• Level 4- Grade 6 7
• 93 outcomes per level
• 373 outcomes from Levels 1-4 (8 KLAs)
• Students will complete Level 6 by the end of
  Grade 10

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Each KLA has a different number of strands

• Science
• Science and Society
• Earth and Beyond
• Energy and Change
• Life and Living
• Natural and Processed Materials
• SOSE
• Time, Continuity and Change
• Culture and Identity
• Systems, Resources and Power
• Place and Space

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• The Arts
• Dance
• Drama
• Media
• Music
• Visual Arts
• Technology
• Information
• Materials
• Systems
• Technology Practice
• HPE
• Promoting Health
• Physical Activity.
• Personal Development.

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Each Strand has a different number of outcomes

• Science-
• Life and Living
• Level 1
• LL 1.1 Students discuss their thinking about
  needs of living things.
• LL 1.2 Students group living things in different
  ways based on observable features.
• LL 1.3 Students observe and describe components
  of familiar environments.

• SOSE
• Time, Continuity and Change.
• Level 3
• TCC 3.1 Students use evidence about innovations
  in media and technology to investigate how these
  have changed society.
• TCC 3.2 Students create sequences and timelines
  about specific Australian changes and
  continuities.
• TCC 3.3 Students use knowledge of peoples
  contributions in Australias past to
  cooperatively develop visions of preferred
  futures.
• TCC 3.4 Students organise information about the
  causes and effects of specific historical events.
• TCC 3.5 Students describe various perspectives
  based on the experiences of past and present
  Australians of diverse cultural backgrounds.

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Curriculum Framework

• A review of the curriculum framework was
  conducted this year.
• Outcomes of the Review
• Too much content overlap Students cover the
  same content in different year levels.
• Needed to be more relevant and up to date with
  current issues
• Tracking of outcomes needed to be improved
• Not owned by school community or understood by
  staff.

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Cycle A- 2006
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Cycle B- 2007
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What are these units?

• Overview of the content
• Vehicle for developing life long learning skills
• Owned, refined and understood by the whole school
  community.
• A snapshot of what is valued as important at the
  time of planning (2006)

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What aren't these units?

• Does not restrict how content is delivered
• Does not include LOTE, English and Mathematics
• Not set in concrete. Changes will and have be
  made in consultation with other staff members.
• Not perfect.

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Benefits of a revised Curriculum Framework

• Cost effective- can build up a resource banks
  (library, people and teaching resources)
• Makes a smooth transition for new teachers.
• Cohesive curriculum
• Have the opportunity to refine units and teaching
  process every two years.
• Reduce workload over time. Not reinventing the
  wheel.
• Spend energy improving instead of inventing.
• Students and parents know where they are going
  (reduce anxiety, feel part of the process)
• Students not revisiting the same content.
• Staff can share expertise.
• School ownership
• The choices we make, can create a unique school
  environment.

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Obstacles of a structured Curriculum Framework

• Reduces creativity
• Planning can involve the whole staff- Demanding
  on teachers time
• Monotonous
• If a unit does not work -wasted resources.
• Students may not like units.

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What can I do?

• Be part of the curriculum planning and delivery.
• Let teachers know your area of expertise.
• Keep up to date with what is happening with
  curriculum via the website and the newsletter
• Ask you child lots of questions. Encourage them
  to be an everyday real life problem solver.

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Useful Links

• Would you like more information?
• QSA- Queensland Studies Authority
• Education Queensland