NET Scheme News 2024 Spring issue 45

When planning our units,we followed the GRASPS Model developed by McTighe and Wiggins as a framework for creating student-centred, inquiry-based learning experiences.The GRASPS Model sets up a Goal (what is the problemor goal?),a Role (what is the students’role?), an Audience (who is the target audience or recipient?), a Situation (what is the situation or context?), a Product (what is created to solve the problem?) and Standards to meet (what are the learning targets?). Our students were tasked with writing up a healthy meal plan for their sick grandma in the role of the character, Little Red Riding Hood.They were shown a food pyramid and sample meal plans for elderly people. For the less proficient students, this was an opportunity to learn nouns related to food groups. For the more capable students, they learnt new terms and concepts, such as proteins,which maintain and build upmuscles. Students were then informed that grandma craved cookies but was worried about Little Red Riding Hood’s safety in the forest. So in pairs, students discussed and reported on alternate ways to send cookies to grandma without having to walk through the forest.They were then tasked with creating and designing a zip line that could be used to carry a basket of cookies down to grandma. The students finished the unit by learning how a zip line works, using simple verbs like move, pull and stop, and adjectives such as fast and slow, smooth and rough. By integrating STEAM education into literacy lessons, teachers can help broaden students’ knowledge base and enhance their learning experiences. Using the GRASPS Model for project-based learning and encouraging students to visualise themselves as the main characters in a story can work wonders in terms of enhancing their interest and comprehension. By immersing themselves in the narrative, students can more easily relate to the material and subject matter. We will continue to develop units like this to engage students actively in their learning. Florence Wong, NET S. K. H. St. Michael’s Primary School 15 NET Scheme News Issue 45