In the prior blog posts we talked about the gradual release model when an individual learning target is interpretive, interpersonal and presentational and also about how to gradually release responsibility within those modes as a unit moves on. Now it's time to take all of that information and combine it into how we plan out units so that we are providing maximum support in the beginning of a unit and slowly removing that support and allowing independent production of language by the end. I Do: Early in the unit, the teacher is the one who has the bulk of the responsibilities and the students are being supported and guided. As we think about how we begin our units, this makes a lot of sense. We don't expect output right away from students as we start units. When we provide input to students, we don't expect them to grasp everything. As we introduce new vocabulary we are doing exactly that- introducing it. When new grammar is being presented it's understood at a conceptual level. Ideas:
We Do: As the unit progresses, the responsibilities of the student are now beginning to rise and you'll start to get a glimpse of what students can do independently and, based on how they're doing, you can decide which supports to provide and which ones can start to be taken away. This makes sense as we think about unit design as well. This is the messy part of the unit for many teachers. This is where students are putting together the grammar with the vocabulary along with the cultural input and using the 3 modes of communication to communicate their ideas. Ideas:
You Do (Collaboratively or Independently):
At the end of your unit, you want to be thinking about removing supports and seeing what students can do without them. It's not to say that the supports aren't going to be there or aren't going to exist, but their role is about to be a lot less. This might mean telling kids to only look at scaffolding/supports if they truly need it. If that is the case, it's also an excellent self-reflection for the student to realize how prepared they are for any upcoming assessments. Ideas:
What other ideas do you have about how to gradually release responsibilities over the course of a unit?
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