Should Elementary School Students Switch Classes?



Write an article for the school newspaper in which you give your
opinion about whether students in your school should switch classes for
different subjects. Use information from the passages in your article.
Manage your time carefully so that you can:


• read the passages;
• plan your response;
• write your response; and
• revise and edit your response.


Be sure to include


  • • an introduction; with a hook, a thesis statement, and preview of the essay
  • a clear statement of your opinion.
  • • support for your opinion using information from the passages; and cite the text in each of the body paragraphs
  • • a conclusion that is related to your opinion.Your response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay.

Write an article for the school newspaper in which you give your
opinion about whether students in your school should switch classes for
different subjects. Use information from the passages in your article.
Manage your time carefully so that you can:


• read the passages;
• plan your response;
• write your response; and
• revise and edit your response.


Be sure to include


• an introduction;
• support for your opinion using information from the
passages; and
• a conclusion that is related to your opinion.Your response should be in the form of a multi-paragraph essay.

Source 1: Difficult Decisions for Schools
by Lillian James


   If your school is like most elementary schools, you stay with the same teacher to learn subjects like math, reading, science, and social studies. You might switch classes for gym, music, or art. But when you get to middle school, you’ll likely have a different teacher for each subject. Some people wonder whether students should switch classes earlier than in middle school.


   Schools all over the country are changing to this model to see whether it improves student learning. Some schools are happy with the new system. Kathleen Marchetti is a fifth-grade teacher at a school in Salem, Massachusetts. She feels that switching classes allows her the time to be more creative than she could when she taught all subjects.  Marchetti also points out there are some difficult parts of switching classes—for example, having more students than she did before. Other schools have had less success with switching classes. The teachers don’t have enough extra time to plan together. They prefer
a single classroom where they can plan at their own pace.


Brian Roberts is the assistant principal at Liberty Elementary School in Azle, Texas. He notes that parents have had mixed reactions. Some parents love how their children are learning more about each subject from teachers who are experts in that subject. Other parents find it hard to communicate with teachers. They feel it is easier to talk to one teacher who teaches their child all day, rather than try to talk with many teachers.While switching classes at a young age can work for some kids,parents, and teachers, others will continue to find it hard. Schools will have to weigh the benefits and the drawbacks of each model to figure out what is best for their students. 

“Difficult Decisions for Schools” by Lillian James. Written for educational purposes.

Source 2: Deeper Learning Through Specialization
by Leon Samuels



Nearly every high school in the country has different departments for each subject. The math teacher has a math background. The science teacher has a deep understanding of earth science or physics. These teachers get to teach what they know and take pride in knowing it well.


If this is good for high school students, it would help younger students as well. Younger children should move between different classes during the day so that they can learn more from teachers who are masters of their subject matter. 


Some schools have already started switching classes in elementary school. Education consultant Steve Peha has seen the percent of his schools that switch classes increase from 5% to 20% in the past 15 years.


When a teacher teaches the same lesson throughout the day, he or she can ensure that students fully understand the material. The lesson may be of higher quality since the teacher only has to prepare one outstanding lesson to teach several times each day.


Teachers can take classes to deepen their knowledge of their subjects. Susana Cordova, the chief academic officer of elementary schools in Denver, Colorado, elementary schools, has seen increased interest in teacher training in single subject areas. According to Cordova, teachers feel that they learn more quickly when they only teach one subject area.


Ian Yale is the principal at Columbia Elementary School in Burbank, Washington. He says that even though he pays more for teacher training, he saves on school materials. Yale points out that he needed 90 books when each teacher taught math. But when one teacher teaches math to 30 students at a time, he only needs 30 books that
can be used over and over again.


Students, teachers, and school leaders can all benefit from switching classes. With careful planning and good communication, students learn the most when they switch classes, even in elementary
school.
“Deeper Learning Through Specialization” by Leon Samuels. Written for educational purposes.