At king we strive to create a culture of excellence and support and celebrate students in creating high quality work
"At King you learn a lot. What I like the most about this school is how challenging it is. It makes me a better student."
~KMS Student |
At King each learner is treated as an individual. Students at all levels are pushed and supported to do more than they think they can. Excellence is expected in the quality of their work and participation in their learning. Teachers guide all students to challenge themselves, not just in academics, but also in character development and as active members of the King community. To achieve this, teachers must know and understand each student’s challenges and strengths.
High quality student work is at the core of what we value and strive for at King. We hold all students to high expectations and endeavor to create a culture of quality. With the adoption of rigorous Common Core standards, we reexamined what we had previously been asking of our students in terms of products. We now work diligently to ensure that the product aligns with the standards and attributes of high quality work in expeditionary learning schools. It is essential to present them with models and engage them in a learning process that also includes critique and revision.
Students At King Achieve High Quality Work That Demonstrates Complexity And Craftsmanship Through Common Instructional Practices Which Include The Use Of Models, Critique And Revision, And Descriptive Feedback.
"King taught me how to think!"
~KMS Student
At King we develop rigorous yet engaging learning expeditions and projects that compel students to produce high quality work. Our school-wide structures and practices are centered around our belief that all students:
- Will thrive in a culture of excellence and achieve more than they think they are capable of
- Will be held to high expectations
- Can produce high-quality work
In order to elicit high quality work from all students in an equitable environment, it is imperative for our teachers to provide a carefully planned and highly structured sequence of instruction that supports all students in demonstrating mastery of the standards, while guiding them through the process of creating high-quality work. Our teachers name and prioritize a set of instructional practices that create a clear path to quality for students. Through this set of practices teachers partner with students, with the ultimate goal of our students becoming leaders of their own learning. These practices are not limited to, but consistently include:
- Teachers creating strong exemplars, not only as models for the students, but to plan for and experience what the students will encounter
- Evaluating strong models and charting the aspects of quality with students- Models are used to help students uncover elements of quality and develop conceptual evidence of rubric criteria
- Making instructional decisions- based on students interaction with the models
- Developing criteria for rubrics to assess the work, often with students
- Partnering with students and using specific structures that allow for ongoing, genuine, and descriptive feedback
- Whole class and peer critiquing to spotlight important concepts and look at work carefully
"Our goal in this expedition was to really externalize the writing process and scaffold and structure the writing so it became very clear to students-nothing was hidden."
~Bobby Shaddox
KMS Teacher
~Bobby Shaddox
KMS Teacher
Case Study
Rules to Live By
A sixth-grade introductory expedition inspired by EL's Curriculum
Rules to Live By
A sixth-grade introductory expedition inspired by EL's Curriculum
What are “rules to live by”? How do people formulate and use “rules” to improve their lives? How do people communicate these “rules” to others?
In this expedition, students considered these questions as they read the novel Bud, Not Buddy, Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, President Barack Obama’s Back-to-School Speech, “If” by Rudyard Kipling, and informational research texts. At the start of the expedition, students launched their study of Bud, Not Buddy, by establishing a set of routines for thinking, writing, and talking about Bud’s rules to live by. They read the novel closely for its figurative language and word choice, analyzing how these affect the tone and meaning of the text. In the second half of the expedition, students engaged in a close reading of the Steve Jobs speech, focusing on how Jobs developed his ideas at the paragraph, sentence, and word level. Students used details from the speech to develop claims about a larger theme. Students continued to explore the theme of “rules to live by” in the novel as well as through close reading of the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling. Students wrote a literary argument essay in which they established a claim about how Bud uses his “rules”: to survive or to thrive.
Students then shifted their focus to their own rules to live by and conducted a short research project. Students worked in expert groups (research teams) to use multiple informational sources to research that topic. As a final performance task, students used their research to write an essay to inform about one important “rule to live by” supported with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and examples. Students designed posters communicating their rule to live by and that of the leader they researched. The expedition culminated with the presentation of their posters to an audience of parents and guests.
In this expedition, students considered these questions as they read the novel Bud, Not Buddy, Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, President Barack Obama’s Back-to-School Speech, “If” by Rudyard Kipling, and informational research texts. At the start of the expedition, students launched their study of Bud, Not Buddy, by establishing a set of routines for thinking, writing, and talking about Bud’s rules to live by. They read the novel closely for its figurative language and word choice, analyzing how these affect the tone and meaning of the text. In the second half of the expedition, students engaged in a close reading of the Steve Jobs speech, focusing on how Jobs developed his ideas at the paragraph, sentence, and word level. Students used details from the speech to develop claims about a larger theme. Students continued to explore the theme of “rules to live by” in the novel as well as through close reading of the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling. Students wrote a literary argument essay in which they established a claim about how Bud uses his “rules”: to survive or to thrive.
Students then shifted their focus to their own rules to live by and conducted a short research project. Students worked in expert groups (research teams) to use multiple informational sources to research that topic. As a final performance task, students used their research to write an essay to inform about one important “rule to live by” supported with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, and examples. Students designed posters communicating their rule to live by and that of the leader they researched. The expedition culminated with the presentation of their posters to an audience of parents and guests.
Scaffolding Research Based Writing
In this two-part video, Bobby Shaddox's and Karen MacDonald's sixth-graders at King Middle School in Portland, Maine, engage in a highly structured sequence of writing lessons in order to create the final product of their Rules to Live By learning expedition. The final product is a Rules to Live By Poster, which includes their personal rules to live by as well as the story of a major world leader. The story includes a claim related to their rules to live by supported by textual evidence from their research.
Students Create Original Work Modeled After Real-World Formats Because Teachers Provide A Consistent Format, Explicit Criteria, And A Community Audience.
In EL we love to develop relationships between students and the community members because the excitement it generates in the students deepens their learning and lengthens their retention."
~Ruth MacLean
KMS Teacher
~Ruth MacLean
KMS Teacher
A real strength of our implementation of Expeditionary Learning is the authentic ways in which we partner with our community. Our students enter into learning experiences with a clear sense of the professional role that they will assume, inspired to produce high-quality work that has a connection and purpose to our community, and compelled by the authentic relationships we build with the experts we partner with. It is these components, that when working together in concert, are the magical ingredients that inspire students to embark on the "learning journey" we guide them on. The results include rich learning experiences and the production of high-quality work.
There is an abundance of "behind-the-scenes" work to make this possible, and it is an absolute priority for our teachers. An authentic product created for an authentic audience compels our students to produce high quality work, present that work, and reach heights that may have previously seemed impossible. Our students take their work through multiple drafts and a complex revision process that involves feedback form peers, teachers, and experts. In the 2014-15 school year we partnered with nearly 100 community partners including:
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Fieldwork and Experts: The Branching Out Expedition at King Middle School
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So How Do We Do It?
When teachers at King plan expeditions, which are first and foremost rooted in the standards, they ask the tough questions, "What is the compelling topic, what is the professional role that students will assume, what is the product they will create and who are the experts that they will work with? If we can't address these questions in a authentic way, then we do not travel down that road. Years ago we realized that pockets of great things were happening throughout the school, but there was a lack of a common vision of what EL looked like at King. It was determined that we needed to adopt a set of core universal values and practices for planning and delivering great learning expeditions. We created a six step planning document that guides us and serves as the compass for what we value most in quality learning expeditions at King. We soon discovered that one of the most valuable outcomes of our "agreed practices" document is the way it supports how we debrief expeditions and provide collegial feedback to one another. It has been a powerful and transformational document. |
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Preparing Students for the Ultimate Experience
Sharing the work that is real and important
Sharing the work that is real and important
Students at King have multiple opportunities to be in the spotlight in front of their community through school plays, talent shows, and sporting events. While these opportunities encompass a high percentage of our population, they do not include everyone. Celebrations of learning however, are special moments that all students experience in a meaningful and authentic way. Celebrations of learning showcase high-quality work and products which reflect content and skills that were taught, and are meant for audiences far beyond the school walls. Every student at King has work showcased at our celebrations of learning. Students communicate their learning and are empowered to complete high-quality products that reflect mastery of standards.
Having the opportunity to present their work and articulate their learning to an authentic audience is a paramount experience for our students. We place extreme value on making sure that all students have that chance and that they are prepared. Just as professionals in the real world thoroughly prepare to present work, we take our students through multiple steps to ensure that all students are set up for success. To do that we make several intentional moves, some of which include:
- Guide students in producing high-quality work that goes through multiple revisions and feedback to help them improve their work.
- Teach speaking and listening standards and prepare students to be effective communicators of their learning.
- Teach presentation skills and provide multiple opportunities for students to practice and receive feedback
- Partner with students to prepare for the celebration of learning and make sure they understand the format
- Plan for opportunities for rehearsals and for students to practice their roles
- Communicate with the audience so that they understand their role and logistics of the events
Case Study
Small Acts of Courage
Small Acts of Courage
In "Small Acts of Courage", a seventh-grade learning expedition students studied the history of the Civil Rights Era from multiple perspectives:
Students were involved in a case study of the Civil Rights Movement specifically from 1954-65. Using primary and secondary sources they learned about important people and events in the movement and built a strong foundation of knowledge about the movement at a national level. Students spent weeks preparing to interview a local community member that played a role in the movement.In teams of four, students interviewed these courageous local citizens and recorded their interviews. Following the interviews students spent weeks engaged in the writing the narrative of their interviewee. Their work went through many drafts- often 10-15- with critique and feedback from peers, teachers and the interviewees themselves. Finally, a five volume oral history was published which includes writing from all of the students along with original artwork. At the culminating event the books were presented to the interviewees and their families, school members, the press and were then ultimately donated to the African American Special Collection Of Maine. All students presented on stage and the formal presentation was followed by a reception for guests and students. |
Textbooks are often behind the times. They do not reflect who we are, where we have come from, and where we have come to. This kind of presentation by these young people would be an absolutely wonderful experience for everyone to have."
~Ida Marie Gammon Civil Rights Activist and Interviewee |
"The experience students had with their interviewees created an emotional connection to the content that they cannot get in the classroom or from books and research. It motivates them to work hard and write the stories of their interviewees." ~Caitlin LeClair KMS Teacher |
Students, teachers, family members, and community members celebrate learning at the culminating event for the seventh-grade "Small Acts of Courage" learning expedition at King Middle School in Portland, ME. Teachers Caitlin LeClair and Karen MacDonald describe how they design celebrations to ensure that all students experience success.
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"It's pretty exciting to see kids get engaged in the work
that they are doing, taking ownership of the work they are
doing, feel responsible for it, and then be able to talk about
the things they are learning."
~David Ruff
Executive Director
Great Schools Partnership
that they are doing, taking ownership of the work they are
doing, feel responsible for it, and then be able to talk about
the things they are learning."
~David Ruff
Executive Director
Great Schools Partnership
The Overall Quality Of Students' Work -- Its Complexity, Authenticity, And Craftsmanship -- Improves Over The Three Years.
Students at King experience a diverse set of learning experiences and learning expeditions. We do not always think of our students as "sixth, seventh or eighth" grade students, but we think of them as "King" students. It is in that vein that we sequence and plan our learning adventures and expeditions so that during their three years at King, a student's experience evolves in content, complexity and skill. We look at is as a three year voyage and using the standards that were adopted schoolwide, we build upon each expedition. By the end of their King experience, students are conducting in-depth investigations with heavy research and complex reading and writing. At all grade levels, regardless of the content, topic, or expedition there are certain aspects of high-quality work that we value and incorporate. These include:
When students arrive in sixth grade we place top priority on our first expedition as a tool to introduce students to the phases and language of learning expeditions at King. There is also a strong emphasis on community building and character development. Despite the house students are in or what the expedition is, the experience and outcomes are uniform. Often times the culminating event is an introductory experience for students to present their work in public. For many students, it is the first time that they, not only present their work in public, but also articulate the narrative of their learning experience.
Moving forward teachers build upon that introductory experience. The content taught and the complexity of projects and products increases over the three years. Teachers plan and collaborate to assure that:
- Alignment with rigorous standards and includes higher-order thinking skills
- Complex text and evidence based writing
- Evidence based speaking
- Exceptional craftsmanship
- Models real world professional products
- Connections to real world issues and our community are evident
- Student voice and creativity
When students arrive in sixth grade we place top priority on our first expedition as a tool to introduce students to the phases and language of learning expeditions at King. There is also a strong emphasis on community building and character development. Despite the house students are in or what the expedition is, the experience and outcomes are uniform. Often times the culminating event is an introductory experience for students to present their work in public. For many students, it is the first time that they, not only present their work in public, but also articulate the narrative of their learning experience.
Moving forward teachers build upon that introductory experience. The content taught and the complexity of projects and products increases over the three years. Teachers plan and collaborate to assure that:
- The content of projects and expeditions is compelling and increases in rigor over three years.
- Higher order thinking skills increase each year.
- Students are exposed to multiple perspectives and we strive for opportunities for students to "see themselves" in the work.
- The types of products students create vary.
- The ways in which students present their work varies and the stakes become progressively higher throughout the three years.
- There is a balance between humanities and science and math expeditions
Sophia's Work
Below are examples of a student's high-quality work over three years which show how content, complexity and skill increase over a student's career at King.
Artifact 1: Product form a sixth-grade expedition Lead On. Students addressed the questions; "Who am I? and "What do I bring to the King community?" They researched leaders to identify strong qualities that leaders possess. They also thought about themselves and what they hope to bring to the community. They wrote about themselves and a leader and presented their work in a museum-style culminating event where they presented their work to their families.
Artifact 2: Product form the Small Acts of Courage expedition. Students explored the questions of "What makes a movement successful? and "What role do religion, political power, leadership, communication, and economics play in a movement?" They learned about significant events in the Civil Rights Movement. Finally, they interviewed local citizens and wrote a narrative based on the interview. At the culminating event students presented their work to their interviewees and parents.
Artifact 3: Product from Truth or Consequences. Students explore the questions, "What is the truth?" and "Why and how do people manipulate the truth?" They examine media literacy, advertising, and, on a broader scale, propaganda to see how people are targeted and persuaded. As a final product, students will choose a current issue and create a truth poster to uncover and communicate the truth behind their topic. Students to the public in an open forum.
Below are examples of a student's high-quality work over three years which show how content, complexity and skill increase over a student's career at King.
Artifact 1: Product form a sixth-grade expedition Lead On. Students addressed the questions; "Who am I? and "What do I bring to the King community?" They researched leaders to identify strong qualities that leaders possess. They also thought about themselves and what they hope to bring to the community. They wrote about themselves and a leader and presented their work in a museum-style culminating event where they presented their work to their families.
Artifact 2: Product form the Small Acts of Courage expedition. Students explored the questions of "What makes a movement successful? and "What role do religion, political power, leadership, communication, and economics play in a movement?" They learned about significant events in the Civil Rights Movement. Finally, they interviewed local citizens and wrote a narrative based on the interview. At the culminating event students presented their work to their interviewees and parents.
Artifact 3: Product from Truth or Consequences. Students explore the questions, "What is the truth?" and "Why and how do people manipulate the truth?" They examine media literacy, advertising, and, on a broader scale, propaganda to see how people are targeted and persuaded. As a final product, students will choose a current issue and create a truth poster to uncover and communicate the truth behind their topic. Students to the public in an open forum.
Ways in which the content, skill, and complexity evolved:
Content:
- Students have gone from writing about themselves, to writing about one person synthesized with historical content, to incorporating and evaluating multiple sources.
- Students engage with increasingly complex topics and issues
Skill:
- There is an obvious deepening of writing skill
- The artistic skill has improved through focused art instruction
- The craftsmanship has evolved from a self portrait to a formal publication layout and finally to an original piece of informative art
Complexity:
- The sixth grade example is a single dimension - reflecting on themselves and their actions
-The seventh grade version evolves to a synthesis of one person’s experience in a historical context
- By eighth grade, the student is identifying, analyzing, but, more importantly, critiquing arguments and persuading the audience.
The audience and accountability:
- Sixth grade students presented to their families
- Seventh grade students presented to their interviewee
- Eighth grade students presented to the public in an open forum
Content:
- Students have gone from writing about themselves, to writing about one person synthesized with historical content, to incorporating and evaluating multiple sources.
- Students engage with increasingly complex topics and issues
Skill:
- There is an obvious deepening of writing skill
- The artistic skill has improved through focused art instruction
- The craftsmanship has evolved from a self portrait to a formal publication layout and finally to an original piece of informative art
Complexity:
- The sixth grade example is a single dimension - reflecting on themselves and their actions
-The seventh grade version evolves to a synthesis of one person’s experience in a historical context
- By eighth grade, the student is identifying, analyzing, but, more importantly, critiquing arguments and persuading the audience.
The audience and accountability:
- Sixth grade students presented to their families
- Seventh grade students presented to their interviewee
- Eighth grade students presented to the public in an open forum
The Windgineering Challenge-
Why does wind energy matter? Eighth grade students at King take a related arts class, Technology Education, a hands-on/minds-on class where students are immersed in the design and engineering process through research, invention, experimentation and problem solving, and troubleshooting. Students don’t just learn about engineering, they become engineers as they create three-dimensional models making connections between science, technology, engineering and real-life, while also coming up with practical solutions to problems that arise. In this semester long course students become smart consumers and sophisticated users of technology. |
High-Quality Product that demonstrates craftsmanship and authenticity
All students made a video that features what they learned and the wind turbine they created.
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In the Windgieering Challenge, students explore the parts and complexities of wind turbines and learn how energy flows and transfers through the turbine. The ultimate goal is to build a wind turbine that meets the following criteria:
The windgineers present and test their wind turbines to peers, teachers, and guests. Students describe the parts of the turbine and how it works, problems they ran into while building the turbine and how they solved them, and the changes they made from their initial design. They also present a photo journal that describes what they learned and details the design process (see video).
- The turbine exhibits high quality craftsmanship with a framework and structure that is sturdy and stable. All parts are cut accurately and fit well together and there are no screws, nails or other sharp objects sticking out.
- The hub is connected to the generator with a pulley or gear system. The hub assembly must be made by you, be well balanced and spin freely.
- The turbine has blades that are designed and made by you. generates at least 2 volts of electricity.
- It is creative, outrageous, ingenious and inspirational!
The windgineers present and test their wind turbines to peers, teachers, and guests. Students describe the parts of the turbine and how it works, problems they ran into while building the turbine and how they solved them, and the changes they made from their initial design. They also present a photo journal that describes what they learned and details the design process (see video).
The Evolution of a learning expedition:
The Four Freedoms
Four Freedoms, is an eighth grade learning expedition that has been perfected at King for 16 years. It has evolved over this time, with many changes that have improved the learning and final product tremendously. It has most definitely withstood the test of time, and to this day the compelling topics that students explore engage them and impel them to create high-quality work.
In Four Freedoms, students explore concepts of freedom by first looking at Norman Rockwell’s famous paintings of the four freedoms, printed in the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. These paintings -- Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom from Worship -- were inspired by Franklin Roosevelt’s State of the Union speech in 1941. As students examine these images and their historical context, they study the concepts and meanings of the same freedoms today through a variety of reading assignments, discussions with guest lecturers, the viewing of relevant movies and through additional guided research. Students then express their personal experiences and reflections on the ideas of freedom through a lengthy, in-depth reflective essay as well as a professionally adapted digital collage, culminating with the Freedom Collages exhibited at a local art gallery. Based on imagery gathered from a variety of contemporary media and commercial sources, the Freedom Collages are striking commentaries about how students view the nature of freedom in the world today.
The Four Freedoms
Four Freedoms, is an eighth grade learning expedition that has been perfected at King for 16 years. It has evolved over this time, with many changes that have improved the learning and final product tremendously. It has most definitely withstood the test of time, and to this day the compelling topics that students explore engage them and impel them to create high-quality work.
In Four Freedoms, students explore concepts of freedom by first looking at Norman Rockwell’s famous paintings of the four freedoms, printed in the Saturday Evening Post in 1943. These paintings -- Freedom from Want, Freedom from Fear, Freedom of Speech, and Freedom from Worship -- were inspired by Franklin Roosevelt’s State of the Union speech in 1941. As students examine these images and their historical context, they study the concepts and meanings of the same freedoms today through a variety of reading assignments, discussions with guest lecturers, the viewing of relevant movies and through additional guided research. Students then express their personal experiences and reflections on the ideas of freedom through a lengthy, in-depth reflective essay as well as a professionally adapted digital collage, culminating with the Freedom Collages exhibited at a local art gallery. Based on imagery gathered from a variety of contemporary media and commercial sources, the Freedom Collages are striking commentaries about how students view the nature of freedom in the world today.
In 2014, the teachers added a completely new facet to the expedition. They decided to tackle a common standard in all classes. The team chose the Common Core standard, "Write a claim and support it with evidence (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.1)” and in science, math, social studies and language arts the standard was taught and assessed. Teachers developed systems for students to track their progress in each class and deepened their ability to write powerfully with evidence. |
Below is an excerpt form then book of essays and collages in 2004.
Below is an excerpt from the book of essays and collages from 2014.
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Evidence of Revision:
- The complexity of the most recent product clearly reflects the emphasis on the Common Core standard, "Write a claim and support it with evidence (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.1)” There is specific text evidence and elaboration throughout the essay.
- The craftsmanship of the collage has evolved from a poster made with magazine cut-outs to a digital collage made using graphic design skills. Students went from collecting random images and developing a political message... to the reverse - having a message and finding appropriate images to communicate it.
- The authenticity of the product evolves to reflect a deepening of original and creative thinking from students.
- The collage and essay are linked to standards, learning targets, and rubrics.
Examining High-Quality Work
An important part of what we do as teachers is to reflect on student work and examine it for characteristics of quality. Although a difficult process for teachers, and one we ask students to do all of the time, it is crucial to analyze student work and to define certain attributes of quality. As part of our mid-year review we conducted a High-Quality work protocol. This process allowed us to engage in discussions and begin to create a vision for what quality work looked like in terms of complexity, authenticity, and craftsmanship. This opened the door for us to identify patterns we noticed across work representing all grades and content areas. From there we set goals and discussed our next steps. We will repeat this process more than once in the coming school year. |