After-School Curriculum Planning

Resource Toolkit
 Overview

The curriculum planning resource toolkit is a compilation of tools and strategies for supporting after-
school planning. This toolkit bridges best practices in school curriculum planning with the
components of high quality after-school programming. In other words, it brings together the ideas of
curriculum theory and practice1, which argue for a learner-centered process and the research on high
impact after-school programs2 that define curriculum quality and staffing as critical to program
impact.

The intent of this toolkit is to be a working resource for program directors, education coordinators, and
program deliverers. The toolkit focuses on instructional strategies and designs that can be adapted to
and implemented in the after-school setting. Also, the tools and strategies can be used in isolation or
combination.

Toolkit Content

Club/Activity Profile: This form is to assist deliverers to do intentional curriculum planning

using core features for creating highly dynamic programs/activities.

Instructional Framework: This form is to assist deliverers to conceptualize each activity into

five realms: essential learning; assessment; content; practice activities; and why do this.

Using the Three E’s to Prepare Activities: This form is to assist deliverers identify the ways

each activity is Entered, Engages youth, and Expands.

Strategies Series: This series is to assist deliverers in using various strategies to deliver a

program or activity.

After-School Curricula Structures: This form is to assist deliverers in identifying the

instructional benefits and drawbacks of various after-school curricula.

Glossary: This glossary serves as a reference for the content and language used throughout

the resource toolkit.

1
Stenhouse, L. (1975) An Introduction to Curriculum Research and Development, London: Heinemann.; Freire, P. (1972)
Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Harmondsworth: Penguin.
2
Miller, Beth. (2003). Critical Hours: AfterSchool Programs and Educational Success. Nellie Mae Foundation.
Planning Frameworks
_____________________________Club/Program Name

Club/ Program Profile

Outcome/Goal:

Aligned w/standard:

# of sessions

# of participants

End Product(s):
 Session Plan I
Objective:

Delivery Strategy(s)

Learner Styles:

Grouping used:

Skills/competencies

Procedure:

Materials required:

Discussion Q’s
 Session Plan II
Objective:

Delivery Strategy

Learner Styles:

Grouping used:

Skills/competencies

Procedure:

Materials required:

Discussion Q’s
 Session Plan III
Objective:

Delivery Strategy

Learner Styles:

Grouping used:

Skills/competencies

Procedure:

Materials required:

Discussion Q’s
 Session Plan IV
Objective:

Delivery Strategy

Learner Styles:

Grouping used:

Skills/competencies

Procedure:

Materials required:

Discussion Q’s

Club Wrap –up

 Instructional Framework
Class ____________________ Unit _________________________ Teacher ____________________

Essential Learnings Assessment

What do we want students to know and be like? What will they be able to do because
of what they know?

Why Do This?
Standard
What is the life-long
learning benefit for a
student participant?
Content Practice Activities and
Benchmark Instructional
What do students need to know Strategies
and be able to do? How do I design the
learning opportunities to
allow all students to learn?

Complex Thinking Skills

Area Education Agency 7 • Educational Services

January 2000
Adapted from Nancy Lockett’s Unit/Lesson Planning Guide [http://edservices.aea7.k12.ia.us/framework/]
Delivery Strategies
 Using The Three Es To Prepare Activities

Enter

Each day’s activity needs to have a way of beginning or

entering. The strategy varies with each age group/grade
level, e.g., adolescents need to feel a sense of co-lead in
how they engage a new activity or topic while elementary
age youth engage a topic or an activity by mining what
they already know about the topic or activity (i.e., what do
you know or remember). What is common with each
age/grade group is providing youth an opportunity to tap
into their own knowledge base or mastery level. The
following are things to consider in entering an activity or
topic:

! Room set-up and structure

! Content – intro of topic, prep of topic
! Intro of topic: question (what do know about this) or declarative (we’re going to do
this today) statements.
! Prep of topic: group leader’s training and research on topic or activity.

Engage
Engaging youth in an activity or topic is not an easy feat,
thus having an intentionality to capturing their interest
takes planning. The key to engaging youth in after school
is maintaining their interest or curiosity. Youth are self-
selecting to participate in after school because they
consider that experience as different from school and an
opportunity for them to tap into their talents. Our
strategies for engaging youth and keeping their interest or
curiosity high is to draw them in through high octane
curriculum. The following are key strategies for engaging
youth:

! Learning styles - melding topic to the three learning styles and its dimensions.
! Youth – centered – emphasize youths' self-initiated engagement in activities; promote
opportunities for youth to interact with each other and positive adults
! Delivery styles – adapting topic or activity to how youth learn and how the topic can be
learned.
 Expand

The expansion of an activity or topic is a key

opportunity for youth to take ownership of
their current and future learning. Expanding
an activity or topic builds on the prior set of
experiences and activities, and asks youth
“what else is important about this topic or
activity?” It’s an opportunity for group
leaders to use their delivery/facilitation skills
to generate a new trajectory based on youth
input. The following are key points to
consider in expanding an activity or topic:

! Make room for new ideas

! Shift gears – get a new perspective (e.g., what would you do v. what do you feel)
! Tap into their personal interests (e.g., do you want to meet and talk to a professional
dancer)
 Strategies Series

Shared Inquiry

What is it?
• Shared inquiry is a distinctive method of
learning in which participants search for
answers to fundamental questions raised by a
written text. It involves taking what the author
has given us and trying to grasp its full meaning,
to interpret or reach an understanding of the text
in light of our experience and using sound
reasoning.

Benefits?
• Develop self-reliant thinkers, readers, and writers.

Group Leader’s Role?

• A shared inquiry leader, does not impart information or present your own opinions, but guide
participants in reaching their own interpretations.
• The leader asks questions and is an active listener.

What does the shared inquiry process look like?

1. OPENING/INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS (1
QUESTION): Example:
Racial Profiling Article
A general question that directs students into the text for
an answer. The question should get youth to begin 1. Opening question:
exploring the main ideas, topics, or themes. What was suspicious
about the gentleman’s
behavior?
2. CORE GUIDING QUESTIONS (2-5 QUESTIONS):
2. Core guiding
Questions that are provocative and force youth to questions: When is it
generate a list of issues that it raises for them. Also, okay and not okay to
extract a quotation and ask for interpretation. racially profile
someone? What does
3. CLOSING QUESTION (1 QUESTION): it feel like to be
racially profiled?
A question that connects with youth’s lived experience.
3. Closing question:
What would you do in
this situation?
 Anchor Activities

What is it?
• Anchor activities are ongoing activities that youth can work on independently
throughout a year. Anchor activities provide meaningful work for youth when they
finish their homework, when they first enter the classroom or when they are “stumped.”
• Provide ongoing activities that are tied to other enrichment activities.

Benefits?
• Develop individual and/or group working
skills. Meets the needs of different readiness
levels (i.e., youth that always finish early;
groups that need a transition activity prior to
working on homework).
•

How do you plan for anchor activities?

• Define academic skills activity will build; describe the anchor activity; how will it
be introduced to youth; how will the activity be managed and monitored?

Some Anchor Activities

Brain busters: large jigsaw puzzles.
Activity box:
Youth vocabulary dictionary: slang words
Magazine articles
Commercial kits: youth create ads for products

Silent reading
Listening stations
Investigations: CSI-type activities
Journals or learning logs
 Chunking an Activity

What is it?
• Chunking a lesson is an informal term
used to describe instruction taught in
segments while stopping frequently to
check for comprehension before
moving on to new concepts. Chunking
could be used in afterschool during
study hall and/or academic enrichment
when doing complex tasks/activities.

Benefits?
• Chunking helps youth retain
information and strategies for remembering information.
Examples?
American Ballet Theatre
1. Oral Directions (Slow down your speech and supply visual
At IS 218, the ABT teacher examples of the end result and the activity step by step. Instead
creates a print rich environment of saying everything at once and creating a linguistic overload,
for youth participants. A new list give shortened instructions in chunks.)
of terms is placed on the wall
every month; meanwhile, the 2. Written Directions (Avoid too many prepositional phrases
previous month’s terms are and complex word choice. Choose common words that are
continuously used. Youth are consistent with your oral directions.)
able to build their vocabulary 3. Chunk Matching Vocabulary (Simplify text in number of
through continuous use and learn choices and use wording consistent with classroom instruction.
spelling of terms. For example, if you want to expand their vocabulary by 20
words, then chunk the choices in groups of 5 and continuously
use the words and provide them an incentive to use the words
Chess in the Schools throughout a program week/month.)

At IS 90, the Chess instructor

teaches about one move and
power/influence of one chess
piece every week. Youth get an
opportunity to continuously
practice the new move along with
previous weeks moves.
Instructor also talks about each
move in mathematical terms.
 Creative Response

What is it?
• Creative response is a delivery strategy in which you focus on youth describing
their own meaning and/or interpretation of any text (e.g., reading material, a piece
of art, etc). It’s an opportunity for youth to grow in their thinking and imagination
through the expression of what is meant by a text and how do they interpret the
words.

Benefits?
! Creative response is an opportunity to practice youth
voice in the classroom setting. It encourages youth
feeling valued and their contributions as worthy.

Examples?
! Model and think aloud creative responses so students
can see the range of responses.
! Explain that thinking beyond reading material or what
they see improves their understanding and recall.
! Sharing of personal experiences as part of
the response.
 After-School
Curricula Frameworks
 COMMON CURRICULA STRUCTURES

Characteristics and Goals of Learning In After-School:

Learning should be…
1. Experiential, focused on relevant, exploratory, and hands-on experiences.
2. Centered on engaging topics that capture youth imagination.
3. Multifaceted and allow for every type of learner to have an outlet.
4. Attentive to each child’s developmental needs.
5. Concerned with basic academic skill development (i.e., literacy and numeracy) and “soft”
skills related to school and job readiness (i.e., working with others, planning and organizing
resources).

A Typology of After-School Curricular Options

High Low
Prepackaged Scaffold
• Offer structure through a set of sequenced • Offer a general framework into which
activities and content. activities can be fit.
• Contain staff manuals, lesson plans, training, • Provides a framework to organize activities,
High and materials. e.g., 3 hours of academic support and 5
• Requires a solid program infrastructure and hours of academic enrichment.
commitment. • Requires a great deal of program planning,
Benefits: formalizes and maintains program content coordinating, and reflection on practice.
consistent; allows non-teachers to feel a sense of Benefits: allows room for staff to explore topics
competence and professionalism. of interest.
Drawbacks: scripted lessons could reduce Drawbacks: without a strong program
spontaneous learning. infrastructure (training and regular
Examples: Tribal Rhythms (Cooperative Artists staff/committee meetings), implementation can
Institute); Foundations; KidzLit (Developmental be overwhelming.
Studies) Examples: Project Learn (Boys & Girls Clubs
of America);
Activity-based Project-based
• Consists primarily of materials for hands-on • An approach to teaching and learning that
activities. emphasizes collaboration and group
• Resources guides available but no sequencing of determination.
lessons. Could be an activity within a larger • Offers activities that are generated from
unit. youth interest and yields a product or
Low • Strong focus on generating products. performable skill or an exhibition.
• Generally guided by the interest and creativity • An activity that sustains youth engagement.
of youth. Benefits: allows youth to lead a project;
Benefits: allows for youth to explore their creativity emphasizes small, cooperative groups;
and build cooperative working skills. relationship building opportunities.
Drawbacks: requires staff with a great deal of Drawbacks: requires extensive planning and
knowledge or time to get trained. access to materials.
Examples: Lego; Museum kits Examples: poetry and drama groups;
humanitarian fundraisers (AIDS Walk, Cancer
Society).
Adapted from Noam, G. (2003) Afterschool Education.
Tailoring  Teaching  Style  
to  Improve  Learning  
STRATEGIES  
The Science of How We Learn

John Hattie and Gregory Yates. In their new book, Visible Learning and the Science of How We Learn
(2014), Hattie and Yates go further to debunk the learning styles myth. Hattie and Yates wrote, "We
are all visual learners, and we all are auditory learners, not just some of us. Laboratory studies reveal
that we all learn when the inputs we experience are multi-modal or conveyed through different
media."

Hattie and Yates go on to write,

"Claims such that 'some students learn from words, but others from images' are incorrect, as all
students learn most effectively through linking images with words. These effects become especially
strong when the words and images are made meaningful through accessing prior knowledge.
Differences between students in learning are determined strongly by their prior knowledge, by the
patterns they can recognise, and not by their learning style"

Other Tips3
• Novices learn better from studying examples, whereas those with more expertise learn better
by solving problems themselves.
• Learning is improved (for most everyone) by combining different activities – such as drawing
alongside more passive study.
Build learners’ metacognitive skills and use formative assessment:4
• Marzano (1998) reported on the largest meta-analysis of research on instruction ever
undertaken. He found that approaches which were directed at the metacognitive level of setting
goals, choosing appropriate strategies and monitoring progress are more effective in improving
knowledge outcomes than those which simply aim to engage learners at the level of presenting
information for understanding and use.” (p. 143)
• “Black and Wiliam (1998a) … concluded from their study of the most carefully conducted
quantitative experiments that: ‘Innovations which include strengthening the practice of
formative assessment produce significant, and often substantial, learning gains…. The
formative assessment experiments produce typical effect sizes of between 0.4 and 0.7: such
effect sizes are larger than most of those found for educational interventions.'” (p. 143)

3
http://www.wired.com/2015/01/need-know-learning-styles-myth-two-minutes/
4
http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2010/09/learning-styles-worth-our-time/
 Learner  Centered Teaching  Strategies
Specific strategies to enhance learning, here are some more practical suggestions:

Visually Appealing: seeing... .

• visual displays including: diagrams, illustrated text books, overhead transparencies, videos,
flipcharts and hand-outs. Visual materials such as pictures, charts, maps, graphs, etc.
• use colour to highlight important points in text (e.g. use a highlighter when reading a text book. The
bright colour would appeal to your artistic sense and help you concentrate on the reading).

• take notes or ask your teacher to provide handouts

• illustrate your ideas as a picture or brainstorming bubble before writing them down
• write a story and illustrate it
• use multi-media (e.g. computers, videos, and filmstrips)
• read illustrated books
• visualizations help to picture which aids memorization
Audio Appealing:

Importance of tone of voice, pitch,

speed and other nuances.

Auditory possibilities:
• encourage class discussions/debates
• vary with speeches and presentations
• use a tape recorder during lectures instead of taking notes
• read text out aloud
• create musical jingles to aid memorization
• create mnemonics to aid memorization
• dictate to someone while they write down your thoughts
• use verbal analogies, and story telling to demonstrate your point
 Tactile/Kinesthetic Appeal:

moving, doing and touching,...

Incorporate a hands-on approach, physical activities, actively exploring the
physical world around them. Don’t let them sit still for long periods. Get up
and do something physical (an energizer) or build an activity and exploration.
CAS Ada;tped from : http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm#What%20are
The Vancouver Island Invisible Disability Association (VIDA) is a registered, non-profit Association located in Victoria, British Columbia
Canada.

• doodle while listening

• taking notes to follow speaker
• take frequent study breaks , jumping jacks to stimulate brain
• move around to learn new things (e.g. read while on an exercise bike, mold a piece of
clay to learn a new concept)
• work at a standing position (schools now have standing desks)
• chew gum or listen to music while studying (has been helpful for autistic children)
• dress up your work space with posters
• skim through reading material to get a rough idea what it is about before settling down
to read it in detail.
 Glossary
Delivery Strategies:

Lecture: Teacher-led instruction in which teacher delivers to students a prepared talk about a topic in
order to transmit information to the students; limited opportunity for discussion or student interaction

Facilitation: Teacher acts as a coach, guiding student-led learning by asking questions and
paraphrasing in order to get student to think more deeply or in a different way about a topic. Students
may be working independently or in groups to explore a topic.

Scaffolding: Scaffolding instruction as a teaching strategy originates from Lev Vygotsky’s

sociocultural theory and his concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD). “The zone of
proximal development is the distance between what children can do by themselves and the next
learning that they can be helped to achieve with competent assistance” (Raymond, 2000, p.176). The
scaffolding teaching strategy provides individualized support based on the learner’s ZPD (Chang,
Sung, & Chen, 2002). In scaffolding instruction a more knowledgeable other provides scaffolds or
supports to facilitate the learner’s development. The scaffolds facilitate a student’s ability to build on
prior knowledge and internalize new information. The activities provided in scaffolding instruction are
just beyond the level of what the learner can do alone

Chunking: The process of reading a story aloud to a group of students and stopping after certain
blocks of text to ask the students specific questions about their comprehension of the story and some
key features of the text.

Group Investigation: Students work in groups to research, investigate, problem-solve and create.
Also referred to as collaborative learning, group work, etc. Group Investigation can be used to
encourage students to share alternative viewpoints, support each other's inquiry processes, and develop
critical thinking skills that include the ability to reflect and improve on their own learning. There are
some principles that are common to any group learning approach:
1. a group-learning task is designed based on shared learning goals and outcomes;
2. small-group learning takes place in groups of between 3-5 students;
3. cooperative behavior involves trust-building activities, joint planning, and an understanding of
team support conduct;
4. positive interdependence is developed through setting mutual goals; and
5. individual accountability, role fulfillment, and task commitment are expected of students.

Independent Study: Student works independently to explore, in depth, a topic of his/her choice.
Teacher helps to facilitate student learning by monitoring, asking questions, giving feedback, and
helping to identify resources, etc.

Shared Inquiry: Shared inquiry is an approach that is based on teachers (and students) asking
interpretive questions and allowing students the opportunity to discuss the question and ask follow-up
questions to construct or extend meaning. The success of Shared Inquiry depends on a special
relationship among participants. In questioning, you do not impart information or present your own
opinions, but guide participants in reaching their own interpretations. You do this by posing thought-
provoking questions and by following up purposefully on what participants say. In doing so, you help
them develop both the flexibility of mind to consider problems from many angles, and the discipline to
analyze ideas critically.

Learner:

Passive: Teacher views the learner as a recipient of information presented by the teacher usually
through a lecture, textbook, etc.

Active Learner: Student is actively involved in his/her own learning through hands-on experience,
inquiry, questioning, etc.

Experiential: Experiential education is a process through which a learner constructs knowledge, skill,
and value from direct experience.

Multiple Intelligences: Howard Gardner of Harvard has identified seven distinct intelligences. This
theory has emerged from recent cognitive research and "documents the extent to which students
possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different
ways," according to Gardner (1991).

• Visual-Spatial - think in terms of physical space, as do architects and sailors. Very aware of their environments.
They like to draw, do jigsaw puzzles, read maps, daydream. They can be taught through drawings, verbal and
physical imagery. Tools include models, graphics, charts, photographs, drawings, 3-D modeling, video,
videoconferencing, television, multimedia, texts with pictures/charts/graphs.

• Bodily-kinesthetic - use the body effectively, like a dancer or a surgeon. Keen sense of body awareness. They
like movement, making things, touching. They communicate well through body language and be taught through
physical activity, hands-on learning, acting out, role playing. Tools include equipment and real objects.

• Musical - show sensitivity to rhythm and sound. They love music, but they are also sensitive to sounds in their
environments. They may study better with music in the background. They can be taught by turning lessons into
lyrics, speaking rhythmically, tapping out time. Tools include musical instruments, music, radio, stereo, CD-
ROM, multimedia.

• Interpersonal - understanding, interacting with others. These students learn through interaction. They have many
friends, empathy for others, street smarts. They can be taught through group activities, seminars, dialogues. Tools
include the telephone, audio conferencing, time and attention from the instructor, video conferencing, writing,
computer conferencing, E-mail.

• Intrapersonal - understanding one's own interests, goals. These learners tend to shy away from others. They're in
tune with their inner feelings; they have wisdom, intuition and motivation, as well as a strong will, confidence and
opinions. They can be taught through independent study and introspection. Tools include books, creative
materials, diaries, privacy and time. They are the most independent of the learners.

• Linguistic - using words effectively. These learners have highly developed auditory skills and often think in
words. They like reading, playing word games, making up poetry or stories. They can be taught by encouraging
them to say and see words, read books together. Tools include computers, games, multimedia, books, tape
recorders, and lecture.

• Logical -Mathematical - reasoning, calculating. Think conceptually, abstractly and are able to see and explore
patterns and relationships. They like to experiment, solve puzzles, ask cosmic questions. They can be taught
through logic games, investigations, mysteries. They need to learn and form concepts before they can deal with
details.

Grouping:
Heterogeneous: Grouping together students of varying abilities, interests, or ages.
Homogeneous: A way of organizing groups of students for instruction so that each group will have
students with similar levels of achievement or ability, similar ages, similar interests, etc.

Curricular Options:

Project-based: A model for classroom activity that shifts away from the classroom practices of short,
isolated, teacher-centered lessons and instead emphasizes learning activities that are long-term,
interdisciplinary, student-centered, and integrated with real world issues and practices.

Theory Base:
Aligned with content standards: Activities support the Department of Education learning and
performance standards for various subjects such as math or English language arts.

Academic enrichment: Unlike remediation and support, enrichment may or may not be directly
linked to what children are learning during the regular school day. What makes this kind of
programming academic in its focus (as opposed to social, cultural or recreational enrichment) is that it
provides young people with an opportunity to practice their academic skills—such as reading, writing,
speaking, mathematical calculation and scientific inquiry. Academic enrichment incorporates three
major elements:

• Exposure − Introducing young people to new ideas, information, places and relationships.

• Experience − Providing opportunities for young people to apply their knowledge and skills through
hands-on activities.
• Engagement − Encouraging young people to fully activate their minds, bodies and spirits (a key
factor in genuine learning).

Academic Support: As the term implies, this category of programming is designed to support
students’ school success through such efforts as homework assistance and “test sophistication”
training sessions.