3.+Pacing+Guide

=UNIT PACING=

The Flexibility of Teaching a Blended Course



Each Unit of Study will evolve in 3 rotations. Each rotation will evolve in 3 activity stations. The following is a description of the activity expected in each session: STATION 1
 * The Big Picture** (Face 2 Face)



The Big Picture Station is a face to face platform. It is similar to the traditional classroom model in that it allows the teacher, the flexibility to create and teach interesting lessons. The difference is that all the activity that occurs in STATION 1 must be closely related to the activities that will occur in STATIONS 2 and 3. It is very important that the teacher interact with the Moodle online lessons in advance. In the Big Picture Station, the teacher is tasked with creating a clear connection between the content that the students are about to learn and real life. At the end of every STATION 1 session, students should have a clear idea of the content they are about to explore and the reasons why the content is relevant to them.

The following activities will take place during The Big Picture sessions:

The teacher can include Demos in the lesson by using
 * Demonstrations (Demos).** Demonstration is the simple act of pointing to an object, area or place during a face to face lesson and then naming and defining it. It is a method of teaching by example rather than simple explanation. Demos allows the teacher ways in which to communicate, plan, bring to life and showcase a lesson so the students can visualize and interact with the course content.
 * Films and videos
 * Physical artifacts and/or experiments
 * Special speaker
 * Student Presentations
 * Exhibits
 * Field Trips
 * Games
 * Reenactments

Because of the limited time, it is important that each lecture be concise and provide guiding information knowing that students will delve deeper during the research and collaboration time in STATIONS 2 AND 3
 * Lectures.** In Blended Instruction, the lecture is an important and crucial opportunity to present the course information or teach students about a particular subject. Lectures should be used to convey critical information, history, background, theories and content standards.

A lecture can be in the form of,
 * Power Point Presentations
 * Special Speakers
 * Documentaries
 * Traditional Oral Presentations
 * Student Presentations
 * Technology Instructionals

In discussion form, the teacher can present **conversations about subjective ideas**, which often serve to extend understanding and awareness and/or **conversations about objective facts**, which may serve to consolidate a widely-held view. Discussions can also serve as a way to debrief students and assess content retention as well as provide real time Q&A opportunities
 * Discussion.** Class discussion is a social skill that is not difficult for most students. A well prepared and conducted discussion is the ideal form of communication in many respects, since it allows students with different views on a topic to learn from each other.

STATION 2
 * Research** (Assign, Review and Research Online)



In the Research Station provides each student with the ability to increase understanding of the fundamental principles introduced in the Big Picture Station or STATION 1. The purpose of this added individualized research time is to arise curiosity and to encourage the student to explain how their world operates, what makes things happen, why social relations are a certain way, and why society changes. Research is the source of most new ideas and ways of thinking about the world. Field research or an online guided research activity can be **exploratory, descriptive or explanatory.** STATION 2 research time is essential for nourishing the expansion of knowledge and it should be considered and prepared as an opportunity for students to establish and/or support facts.

Students will usually do research online following guided research activities online and links from the Moodle course website. On the Moodle course website, the student is presented with opportunities to review the content presented in STATION 1 and then is assigned research activities and use a variety of web 2.0 tools to gather and display their research.

STATION 3 Assignments (Debrief, Collaborate, Complete Assignment and Assessments Online)

In the final station of every rotation, students will begin class with a short debriefing period. Students will briefly tell to the facilitator or group leader about the work they accomplished in station 2, any problems that might have arisen and obtain guidance where needed. Students are also encouraged to collaborate and begin to put their final projects and assignments together. In this rotation, students that have completed their assignment can either,
 * present their assignment to group leader for peer review
 * present the assignment to facilitator for guidance
 * choose an additional assignment for the Honors or AP program
 * take the required course assessments.