The document discusses implementing a "metacurriculum" to promote deeper levels of understanding in middle years students through thinking moves, routines, and professional learning for teachers on developing critical thinking skills while engaging parents through information forums. Context is provided on the school's early, middle, and later years as well as examples of thinking routines and moves to cultivate intellectual passions and transfer of learning.

1. Slide title here
Thinking Deeply
Slide title here
Metacurriculum-
Building Deeper
Levels of
Understanding
Slide title here
Thinking Deeply
Slide title here
Middle Years Parent
Information
Evening
Thinking Deeply: Shifting from
Content to Deep Understanding

2. Context
Early Years
•Early Learning Centre (3-4y/o)
•Prep-Year 4
Middle Years
•Years 5 -8
Later Years
•Year 9- Making Connections Program
•Years 10-12

3. Metacurriculum
• Metacurriculum
• Thinking Moves
• Thinking Routines
Metacurriculum
Deeper Levels
of
Understanding
Learning to
Learn
Strategies
Integrative
Mental
Images
Language of
Thinking
Encompass
Intellectual
Passions
Teaching for
Transfer

4. How do you know when you
understand something?

6. Thinking Moves
Observing closely
and describing
what's there
Reasoning with
evidence
Building
explanations and
interpretations
Considering
different points of
view
Capturing the heart
and forming
conclusions
Making
connections
Wondering and
asking questions
Uncovering
complexity and
going below the
surface of things

7. Evaluating Source
The trouble with social networking
By Michelle Crawley
I doubt I am the first person to notice the crazed hype
surrounding; 'Facebook', ''Twitter' and other online
social networks that are allegedly; “taking over our
lives”.
I realise that people swear by it, but people also swear
by nail polish to fix ladders in tights – it does not mean
it is a guarantee. I can see the addictive charm. As
much as I love being able to keep up with family
abroad and friends who live far away, I loathe being
bombarded by invitations to events, that I have no
interest in attending or from people who have not had
an actual conversation with me in years.
I view social networking sites as essentially a platform,
to show off to people; where you have been, what
you’re up to and how popular you are. A copious
number of the 'friends' are people you know, not
people you would call close friends. They say you can
count your close friends on one hand; well, according
to these sites, you would need 5 pairs of hands, if not
more to list out your best buds.

8. Answering Questions
What was the ‘Book of the
Dead’? 1 Mark
• Write a paragraph, giving four
reasons why the Nile River
was so important to the
Ancient Egyptians. 4 Marks

9. Did women have the same status as
men in Ancient Egyptian society?
Explain your answer.

10. Headlines
A routine for capturing the essence
• 1. If you were to write a headline
for this topic or issue right now
that captured the most
important aspect that should be
remembered, what would that
headline be?
• 2. How has your headline
changed based on today's
discussion? How does it differ
from what you would have said
yesterday?

12. Step Inside
A routine for getting inside viewpoints
• What can the person
or thing perceive?
• What might the
person or thing know
about?
• What might the
person or thing care
about?

13. I am the setting sun. As I say goodbye to another day, I hear the chirps,
grunts and roars of the jungle life as they call out farewell. I long to stay,
illuminating the tropical forest as the animals circle the depths of the
jungle. Toucans and lorikeets fly by stretching their wings and touching
the tips of the treetops. Sometimes I wish I was one of the apes huddled
in the mangroves, the whole night ahead of them. The children sit and
play, while the mothers pick fleas out of their head, helping themselves to
the closely hanging orange groves. But I think as I disappear for another
night, the moon smiling as he takes my place high in the sky, maybe I am
lucky. Without me, the wildlife wouldn’t be able to live their lives. I wink
and whisper “See you soon.” as the last part of the sunlight fades and the
jungle is black once again.

14. Headlines
A routine for capturing the essence
• 1. If you were to write a headline
for this topic or issue right now
that captured the most
important aspect that should be
remembered, what would that
headline be?
• 2. How has your headline
changed based on today's
discussion? How does it differ
from what you would have said
yesterday?

15. Headlines
A routine for capturing the essence
• Forming Conclusions:
– Narratives
– Persuasive texts
– debates
• Titles:
– Poems
– Narratives
• Language Devices:
– Metaphor
– Analogy
– Comparisons
– Imagery & Symbolism

16. Pedagogy of Space

17. Implementation
Teachers
StudentsParents
• Teachers:
– Professional Learning
Teams
– Classroom
Observation
– Links with Harvard
• Online courses
• PLT with Mark Church
• Parents:
– Parent Forums

18. Dear Wayne,
A conversation after the Thinking Deeply @ Gen Parent Forum,
• Steph: Mum, when are you picking me up to go to the orthodontist
tomorrow?
• Mum: I’m not. The appointment is on Friday.
• Steph: But it is in my diary for tomorrow.
• Mum: No sweetie, it’s on Friday.
• Steph: It’s in my diary for tomorrow. Mum, where’s your evidence?
Now we know where she is getting her ideas from!