Intentional Learning in the Afterschool Program
Presented by Kathleen Martinez, Ph.D.
kutie137@gmail.com
Workshop Agenda
Workshop Overview: This workshop will help participants understand their role in supporting
academic learning throughout the afterschool program including an awareness of ways to
integrate intentional learning into enrichment activities.
Participant Objectives:
By the end of this workshop, you will:
 be able explain the role of afterschool programs in supporting academic learning
 have developed
Activities:
 Icebreaker/Group Warm-up activity: Mars Rover
 Overview of the Workshop and Participant Objectives
 What’s that mean? Clarifying the language around skill building strategies
 Identifying age appropriate skills - What are your priorities?
 Integrating skills into an activities
 Next steps - how are you going to be intentional about skill development in your program
What’s in a Name?
Vocabulary Related to Skill Development Strategies
Direct Instruction (after school way): Strategy in which specific skill(s) are taught or reinforced
directly. The skills are usually practiced out of context from real life experiences/activities.
Examples:
o
o
o
o
teaching basketball dribbling by doing court dribbling drills
teaching math facts by playing Addition Bingo or using flash cards
vocabulary development using crossword puzzles
staff lectures on a topic
Intentional Integrated Hands-on Skills Development: Strategy in which staff determines skills they want to
reinforce, and develop ways to integrate those skills into enrichment activities that are hands-on and active. Can
be project based or be integrated into a shorter activity.
Examples:
o Determining the cost of supplies for a cooking activity (reinforcing money concepts, addition, subtraction etc.)
o Making and modifying paper airplanes and holding a paper plane flying contest (Practicing scientific questioning
o
o
process and collecting data)
Researching facts about animals and making a poster ( research skills, science skills)
Making a friendship bracelet and giving it away with a letter describing why the specific colors were selected ( letter
writing and following directions)
Program Structures
Tutoring/Intervention: Individualized or small group support to overcome specific identified deficiencies
of youth usually based on diagnostic information and is systematic to remediate the deficiencies
Homework Assistance: A time set aside in which staff provides General assistance in homework
completion by students in the program, motivating them complete homework if possible, and providing
fun and engaging educational activities to reinforce skills when homework is completed.
Enrichment Classes: Usually enrichment classes are focused on one type of activity with the
purpose of increasing the skill in that specific area. Often, direct instruction is a major part of
enrichment classes as well as many opportunities to practice the specific sub skills of the activity.
(Many times these types of classes are provided by outside providers.)
Examples:
o
o
o
o
o
o
Dance class
Welding class
Basketball class
Chess class
Drama class
Guitar class
Enrichment Clubs: Can be the same as enrichment clubs, but can also integrate different types of
activities related to a topic or theme. For example, an Automobile Club might involve reading stories
about cars, drawing a futuristic car, and taking apart a motor. The primary purpose of clubs is to
expose youth to new ideas and activities.
Examples:
o
o
o
o
Dinosaur club
Gardening Club
Rocks and Minerals Club
Japan club
Themes: A topic or subject that is explored using various resources and activities. In afterschool
programs, a theme can be explored in a club or can be the organizing principle for much of the
program’s activities over a period of time. The Automobile Club described above is an example of a
thematic driven club. An example of a theme that provides the organizing structure for much of the
program’s activities is the following:
o An Ocean Theme








Arts and crafts: Tissue Paper Ocean Collage, Shell Boxes, Yarn Octopuses, Jelly fish mobile, Ocean
Mural
Science: How big is a Baleen Whale? Cleaning Up the Ocean, Power of waves
Literacy/Language Arts: Ocean animal Acrostic Poem, Reading When Woman Became the Sea: A Costa
Rican Creation Myth, Researching and making a poster on a sea animal
Games: Sharks Attack, Octopus Tag, Battleship
Homework time: Ocean Crossword Puzzles, Ocean Vocabulary Dictionaries, Ocean theme math facts
Cooking: Fear Factor Taste test, Tuna sandwiches, “Sandy” Desert
Extras: Watch Finding Nemo, Scuba Diver guest speaker
Culminating Event: Visit to the Aquarium, “Beach” party
Activity Resources
Resources for Math Activities








Mixing In Math: Great resource describing activities that integrate math- http://mixinginmath.terc.edu
Making Math more Fun: Series of downloadable materials that is easily reproducible for $27.97. You can also sign up
for a weekly online newsletter for free that has a free downloadable game: www.makingmathmorefun.com
On-Line Printable worksheets divided by grade and skill- http://www.kidzone.ws/math/index.htm
Sudoku
o Click on the print for Sudoku Kids 4 x 4 and 6x6 http://1sudoku.com/print/
o MyPuzzles.org: Requires a one-time cost of $6.95 to download 110 puzzles:
o http://mypuzzle.org/sudoku/sudoku-for-kids.html
rd
o Many 9x9 easy printable Sudoku puzzles 3 grade + http://www.sudoku9981.com/sudoku-puzzles/kids.php
o Easy 4x4 and 6x6 Sudoku puzzles: http://www.sudoku9981.com/sudoku-puzzles/kids.php
o Colorful Sudoku puzzles: http://www.bravekidgames.com/free-printable-worksheets-sudoku.html
Tangrams
o Colorful tangram puzzle patterns: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/tangram_puzzles.htm
o Puzzle patterns that show the shapes (for younger participant:
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/basic/math/geometry/trangrams/
o Patterns and explanation on how Tangrams work: http://www.auntannie.com/Geometric/Tangrams/Index.html
Line and Graph Design books: found on http://teacherexpress.scholastic.com/subject/math
Math Skills Made Fun: Dazzling Math Line Designs: Grades 2-3 - $9.95
o Math Skills Made Fun: Dazzling Math Line Designs (4-5) $9.95
o Amazing Math Puzzles & Mazes Grades 6-8 $7Math Skills Made Fun: Great Graph Art Around the Year
$10.95
Websites with Interactive math practice
th
o Practice questions from pre-K to 8 grade: http://www.ixl.com/
o A+ Math: Interactive website with games, flash cards, worksheets, and homework helper
http://www.aplusmath.com/
Resources for Language Arts Activities
Sites with content area vocabulary lists
Math, Science and social studies terms for 3 rd - 5th grade
http://sb058.k12.sd.us/Vocabulary/click_on_the_grade_level_to_find.htm
o Terms for Everyday Math by grade level up to grade 4 http://www.livoniapublicschools.org/Garfield.cfm?subpage=17430
Sites with Sight Word/High Frequency Words
o Flash Cards- http://bogglesworldesl.com/dolch/flashcards.htm
o Great website with many flash cards and downloadable games:
http://www.theschoolbell.com/Links/Dolch/Contents.html
Sites to download Graded Reading Passages
o Readworks: Dowloadable passages by grade level with comprehension questions. Must register to use but
free: http://www.readworks.org/books/passages
o Reading A to Z: Over 1,000 downloadable leveled books with worksheets. This site charges $74.94 per site and
you do have to pay for printing out the books, but it is cheaper than buying that many books.
o
Roaming Robot
Goal: Give a set of directions so someone else can find a hidden object
Before beginning
Grades: 2–6+
Minimum number of participants: 2
Review commands on the appropriate Robot Directions sheet. Children act
out commands on the sheet as you read them out loud.
Suggested grouping: divide into groups
Easy: Robot Directions Sheet 1
of 2–4
Medium: Robot Directions Sheet 2
Time: 10 minutes or less per game
Hard: Robot Directions Sheet 3
Math: rotation and angles; variables
Materials:
Robot Directions sheet: 1 per child
or pair
Distribute sheets. For Sheets 2 and 3, explain that “ ” can stand for any
number.
 Lead the group in a game
One player (the Finder) leaves the
room while you help the others
secretly choose an object in the
room.
Prerequisites: some reading
Books about left, right, and directions:
Turn to the Left, Turn to the Right.
Beers, Jack. (Longman, 2002).
The Great Logo Adventure. Muller, Jim. The Finder returns to the room. The others
(Doone, 1998).
take turns choosing and reading commands
from the sheet until the Finder locates the
item.
Does it matter what size steps you take? Why or why not? How
did you keep track of whether the Finder should move right or
left? Is the Finder’s left always the same as yours?
Talk
About...
 Children play in small groups
One child is the Finder; the others take turns giving commands. Then, children switch roles so that everyone has a turn
to be the Finder.
Variations
Combine commands (harder). Give two commands each turn: “Turn
half-way around and then take 4 steps forward.”
Make your own (same as main activity). List one-step commands,
such as “Go half-way down the aisle” or “Look up 2 feet” for your
group to use.
© 2010 TERC • Cambridge, MA
For more math ideas, visit http://mixinginmath.terc.edu
Robot Directions Sheet 1
Turn left
Turn right
Take 1 step forward
Take 2 steps forward
Take 1 step back
Take 2 steps back
Look up
Look down
Robot Directions Sheet 2
Turn left
Turn right
Turn half-way
around
Take 1 step
forward
Take 2 steps
forward
Take ____ steps
forward
Take 1 step
backward
Take 2 steps
backward
Take _____ steps
backward
Look up
Look down
Look behind you
Robot Directions Sheet 3
Turn 90o
to the right
Turn 90o
to the left
Turn ____o
to the right
Make ¼ turn
clockwise
Make ¼ turn
counter-clockwise
Turn ____o
to the left
Take 1 step
forward
Take 2 steps
forward
Take ____ steps
forward
Take 1 step
back
Take 2 steps
back
Take____ steps
back