No Memory of Previous Lessons
Mr. D's concern:
The next day students don't remember what we discussed...
"I create beautiful lessons that cover required content, but I am so frustrated when students come back the next day and don’t remember anything we discussed. I find that I spend too much time reviewing previous learning and then don’t have time to do the lesson justice. I also notice that even when students know some of the facts, they still have difficulty explaining the ideas or supporting their answers with evidence. I feel like every lesson starts us back at the beginning."
Why is this happening?
It is likely that students are not connecting new learning with prior learning. Students do not always see a unit as having a central goal and a gradual process of building knowledge; instead, they often only see today’s lesson as the focus. Though teachers often include a brief review at the beginning of each class, they may not focus enough on unit-level knowledge building carried out in a thoughtful sequence throughout a unit.
This can be particularly challenging for ELs, who are simultaneously learning new social studies content and developing the language needed to discuss, read, and write about that content. Briefly reviewing information from the previous lesson may help students remember facts, but students also need repeated opportunities to encounter important concepts and vocabulary and to use disciplinary literacy skills across lessons.
Addressing Mr. D's concern:
How might teachers workshop this dilemma?
Mr. D describes the scenario in more detail to his colleagues:
We just finished a unit on ancient Egypt. I thought they would really get into the whole pyramid idea since they know about them from movies and video games. The unit includes the theocratic government, an overview of the Egyptian gods and goddesses, and the reading mainly covers the building of the pyramids and how the pharaohs wanted to be immortalized. I started with a timeline and looking at a map to see how the Nile was a big part of Egyptian life. Then we went into what the Egyptian civilization contributed, like papyrus and writing, geometry and stuff. The unit then goes into the class structure and the building of the pyramids. It is a lot of information and it seemed like I had to review what we already learned over and over.
Ideas offered by colleagues:
Create a Visual
I always try to have a visual of the unit displayed in the classroom, like an anchor chart and maybe also a timeline. As we go through a unit, I add to the chart but the students can see where we have been and how it is all connected. So, for your unit, you might have a chart with headings like Government, Beliefs, Social Structure and Pyramids.
Keep Coming Back to the Unit Theme
When you described your unit, I was wondering what the overall goal of the unit is. It might be helpful to have a statement of the unit theme or purpose, or maybe a guiding question that you keep coming back to. Students' answers may be pretty simple at first, but as they learn more, you can ask them to revise or add to their thinking using new information and vocabulary, and evidence from the texts.
Build the Language Along with the Content
That also helps me think about what students will need to be able to say and do as their understanding grows. If I eventually want them to make a claim and support it with evidence, I try to build toward that across the unit instead of waiting until the end. Early on, I might model how I choose evidence from a text, then we do one together, students practice with partners, and eventually they are doing it more independently.
I do the same thing with vocabulary. If words like pharaoh and social hierarchy are important, I want students hearing them, saying them, and writing with them across several lessons.
Which teacher move would you try?
A Coach's Comments:
These are all great ideas. You all have identified an important part of strategic sequencing. It starts with knowing the big understanding you want students to develop and then organizing lessons so that each one builds toward that goal. You can start with the overarching goal that represents the “big picture.” From there, I would suggest mapping out your unit into a logical sequence of key ideas that lead up to getting that “big picture.” When you map out your unit, try to focus on building knowledge “brick by brick” so that your students see how it all fits together.
But we also want to think about what students will be able to do with that knowledge. Across the unit, students should have repeated opportunities to use key vocabulary, discuss ideas, identify perspectives, make claims, and support those claims with evidence. At first, you may need to model the language and disciplinary thinking you want students to use. Then students can practice with partners or in small groups before using those skills more independently. The goal is that students are not only learning more content from lesson to lesson, but are also becoming better able to talk, read, and write about what they know.
Getting your students talking and writing about the key ideas helps them to learn the content because using language solidifies their learning. When they have to explain something to their peers or write about it, they develop a deeper understanding. You can think of these oral and written activities as checkpoints or formative assessment that helps you to know what they are and are not getting.