Appendix A

To use a wide range of language experiences for developing students' knowledge of a subject area

Students will develop their abilities to:

• Discuss or write about the ideas presented using their own language in order to better understand the unit under study.
• Explore and express the purpose for and the meaning of what they are doing.
• Show their understanding of ideas presented by providing an alternate rephrasing, drawing a diagram, making a model, etc.
• Summarizing important understandings from oral presentations, films, text material, dance performances, discussions, etc.
• Identify the message and its purpose in a variety of media (e.g. television, radio, print material).
• Compose questions related to the unit under study and discuss multiple responses (e.g., developing prior questions)

To enable students to use language (listening, speaking, reading, writing) for differing audiences and purposes which are relevant to the students and to the subject area

Students will develop their abilities to:

• Appreciate and enjoy experiences with literature, picture books, puppet shows, etc.
• Listen for various purposes.
• Share in their own words, ideas which are heard, read, viewed or discussed.
• Discuss the meaning of a message and the appropriateness of the medium used.
• Use printing and writing as a means of recording their thoughts.
• Use their own words to make notes.
• Use language, vocabulary, structures, pronunciations and volume appropriate to audience and purpose.

To enable students to understand and use the vocabulary, structures and forms of expression which characterize each area of study

Students will develop their abilities to:

• Gradually incorporate the vocabulary of a subject area into their talk and writing.
• Use text aids (e.g., diagrams, graphs, tables of contents, headings).
• Recognize common visual symbols particular to a subject area.
• Use a variety of strategies to interpret or understand the meaning of words (e.g., interpret pictures/charts/diagrams; use contextual cues and other systems such as syntactic and graphophonics).

Numeracy

To strengthen students' understanding within subject areas through applying knowledge of numbers and their interrelationships.

Students will develop their abilities to:

• Read and interpret graphs, charts, tables, and other common visual representations (questioning or assignments can help students to understand what the numbers mean, the relationship among the numbers and the significance of any number patterns).
• Collect and organize quantitative information into a list, table, graph or chart and analyze this information to determine a conclusion.
• Develop and share their understanding of quantitative information through the use of graphs, tables, charts or timelines).
• Determine the size of quantities by using some form of a counting procedure (e.g., grouping by twos or tens).
• Use fractions and decimals in order to better understand the unit under study. Read commonly seen dials, meters and scales and understand how to interpret these readings.
• Use benchmarks (non-standard units that are familiar objects or events) in order to estimate (e.g., the library is about as far as the park).

To strengthen students' knowledge and understanding of:

• how to compute, measure, estimate and interpret numerical data,
• when to apply these skills and techniques, and
• why these processes and skills apply within the particular framework of the subject under study.

Students will develop their abilities to:

• Choose the most appropriate means of calculation for particular tasks.
• Use the language of estimation (e.g., about, close to, just about, a little less than, somewhere between).
• Recogluze whether a computed answer is sensible.
• Recognize situations where measurement is necessary and select the appropriate measuring tools (including non-standard units).
• Use, in conjunction with other methods and understanding, quantitative problem solving tools such as calculators or computers.
• Understand the nature of the quantitative problem/issue and work toward a suitable solution.

To develop students' understanding of the uses and abuses of mathematical concepts in everyday life.

Students will develop their abilities to:

• Know when and how to make decisions based on visual observation and interpretation in place of measurement (e.g., the length of a shadow outdoors at noon is shorter than at 4:00 p.m.).

To contribute to the development of "strong sense" critical and creative thinkers.

Note: "Strong sense" critical and creative thinkers are committed to using their abilities to seek out the most accurate and fair positions regardless of or in spite of their own particular interests or desires. See Understanding the Common Essential Learnings (1988), p. 31 for further discussion related to this issue.

Students will:

• Develop empathy through:
  • Expressing their feelings.
  • Exploring their own feelings and what caused them.
  • Inferring the feelings of others through observation, reading, etc.
  • Exploring the relationships between feelings, motives and actions.
• Develop understanding of one's own needs in relation to the needs of others.
• Explore the implications or consequences of actions.
• Participate in decisions around classroom management, appropriate behaviour on field trips, etc.

To develop an understanding of how knowledge is created, evaluated, refined and changed within subject areas.

Students will develop their abilities to:

• Make careful observations during active involvement in constructing knowledge and discuss their observations with others.
• Strengthen their perceptual abilities through concrete experiences or situations.
• Focus their attention on their knowledge and gaps in their knowledge relate to a specific topic (What do I know? What don't I know?)

To promote both intuitive, imaginative thought and the ability to evaluate ideas, processes, experiences and objects in meaningful contexts.

Students will develop their abilities to:

• Visualize objects, people or places.
• Participate in brainstorming and classification activities where they are encouraged to:
• Develop the categories (blue objects) or the criteria for categories ("blueness").
• Generate a number of alternative classification systems (e.g., How many ways could you group this button collection?).
• Explore the possibilities for placing objects or ideas into more than one category (e.g., red things, small things, small red things).
• Develop understanding that some categories (e.g., food I like) will contain different elements for different people while other categories will not (e.g., plants).
• Seek alternative ways of responding to activities, projects, or assignments.
• Evaluate creative processes, assignments, projects.
• Summarize information in a variety of ways.
• Use metaphoric and analogical thinking to create insights and build understanding in areas of study.
• Compare similarities and differences in objects, ideas or events.
• Design and construct objects.
• Understand that real life problems often have more than one solution.
• Generate and evaluate alternative solutions to problems.
• Discover relationships and patterns.
• Analyze data to create hypotheses, predictions, estimates and educated guesses.

To enable students to think for themselves, to recognize the links of individual reflection and the need to contribute to and build upon mutual understandings.

Students will develop their abilities to:

• Describe various views concerning a controversial issue.
• Recognize and accept well-supported differences of opinions and ideas.
• Develop their own perspectives and give reasons for their positions.
• Anticipate and develop questions.

Technological Literacy

To develop a contemporary view of technology.

Students will develop their abilities to:

• To provide opportunities for students' active involvement in decision-making related to technological developments.