K.+Lesson+Comparison

Both lesson plans involve famous people and language. The different developmental levels and abilities of each grade mean that although the topics are similar, there are powerful differences between the expectations, inquiry processes, and final products of each group.

The third grade students are focused on the facts in their lesson; they take what they know and what they’ve learned about a chosen person and organize that information into a piece of writing. By contrast, the tenth grade students are taking the facts a step further, using them to identify and support their opinions. The younger students would find it more challenging to define and support an opinion than the older students, who have had more practice in writing about events and people, as well as more time to develop opinions that they can express and support in their writing.

That extra practice means that the tenth graders, according to the state standards, need to do more with information besides just writing it down. Standard 10.2.2 (extend - through original analysis, evaluation, and elaboration - ideas presented in primary or secondary sources) asks the students to take the information they find, analyze it, and use it to support their opinions and beliefs. By contrast, the third graders are expected to figure out the difference between facts and opinions, then take only the facts and create an informative piece of writing (Standard 3.5.5: write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person). The focus is on more basic writing skills, appropriate for that age and grade level, so that eventually they will be able to offer more content analysis in their writings.

Although the state standards differ for each grade level, there are similarities among the list of 21st Century Standards for these two units. The fact that the same standards are applied to all grade levels, although the expectations differ based on age and developmental stage, means that students are consistently developing the same skills over their entire educational experiences. Both the third grade unit and the tenth grade unit incorporate the same skills: finding and evaluating sources, thinking critically about them, and creating written work based on that information. Those concepts become skills, expected from both the third graders and the tenth graders, and consistent practice makes such skills innate so they can be used in daily life. One of the differences: the third grade students are working collaboratively, while the tenth grade students are working independently on their assignments. Since both groups can work collaboratively, it may take time to determine which learning environment actually supports the students and their work during these particular lessons.

Offering help and support is important at both grade levels, although the students need different types and amounts of support. The third grade students need simpler directions that they can easily read and understand to complete their assignments, so I used more worksheets with their lesson, to help them organize their thoughts during the process. I also simplified the feedback paper to correspond to their reading levels and comprehension skills. The tenth graders, however, are expected to work more independently, so they received fewer organizational materials and more detailed feedback forms. Both groups had the opportunity to offer ideas beyond my suggestions for presenting information; the third grade groups had to agree on a format for presenting their informational essays, and the tenth graders could choose from several writing styles for their persuasive pieces, even offering a format not included in my suggestions. Both opportunities allow students to use their personal strengths and passions to create their final products.

I am amazed at how many similarities exist between two different lesson plans and a large age difference between grade levels. Students who practice inquiry from a young age will develop strong life skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.