UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DE MILAGRO

FACULTAD CIENCIAS DE LA EDUCACIÓN

PEDAGOGÍA DE LOS IDIOMAS NACIONALES Y EXTRANJEROS

Subject
Methods & Strategies to Teach Social Studies & Science

Professor
Mgs. Viviana Orozco

Topic
Cummins Categories

Members
Paula Fabre Triana

Eliam Miranda Loja

Naomi Montiel Molina

Camila Ortiz Varas

Andreina Parraga Monar

Level
7th
Subject: Social Studies Grade Level: 8th grade
Topic: Biography of the Earth, formation of the continents.

Cummins Categories Category 1: Activities Are Cognitively Undemanding, Completed

with Contextual Support.

During the class the teacher showed a video related to the formation
of the earth and the big bang theory, then proceeded to paste some
images on the board related to the topic to complement them with a
reading. Finally, she divided the class into groups and gave each group
Activity a booklet full of images and a few letters about the big bang theory, so
that they could summarize what they thought was most important
about this interesting topic. The objective of this activity was for the
students to know and obtain a basic knowledge about one of the many
theories that exist about how the world originated.

This activity is at an undemanding level of cognitive demand, because

Cognitive Demand the students only had to make a short summary about the big bang
theory, which was easy, fast and fun because they could exchange
ideas among peers.

This activity had a great deal of contextual support as a video was used
so that students could better develop their thinking, in addition to the
Contextual Support images that helped to better understand and finally the booklet full of
information and images that facilitated the understanding of the topic
and the realization of the summary.

This activity is a good example of those that fall into Category 1

because the information the students were expected to learn was
relatively simple, as was the work that was given at the end since it
was only a short summary and the behavior expected of the students
Example was easy, fun, and done as a group. In addition, the video, images, and
handouts, provided by the teacher were helpful. On the contrary, if
students are expected to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate the content,
the level of cognitive demand would increase and the activity would
belong to Category 3.
Cummins Categories Category 2: Activities Are Cognitively Undemanding, Completed
with Little, if Any, Contextual Support.

During this stage, students must take the activities and content
textbook and turn to page 118, which contains a reading on the main
topic. Each has to read a paragraph. To make it more interactive the
teacher can apply the stop game using a marker, the students in the
Activity
groups can pass the marker to each other until the teacher says the
word STOP, but in this case the teacher can change the word to BIG
BANG. The teacher can choose a student who has not read, explain
through a drawing what she understood, and the teacher will guide the
knowledge by explaining aspects that the students can discard, so that
they have a deeper and more significant knowledge.
This activity has a lower level of demand, undemanding, since the
students only have to read and listen to their classmates. And teacher
Cognitive Demand explain through a drawing on the blackboard key points of the any
paragraphs. This is a way for students to gain knowledge and
understand it through a drawing.

This activity had regular contextual support as students also work on

their book and follow the curriculum. The reading in class that each
Contextual Support
student does is a guide so that the other classmates are attentive to
every detail and also to follow the reading so that they do not lose the
thread of knowledge. The intervention of the teacher drawing key
points on the subject is a support to deepen the knowledge of the
students.

This activity is a good guide to apply reading and comprehension.

Because, the students are deepening their knowledge using the
educational resource, in this case the textbook and the board.
Example
This category has a low demand, which does not demand so much
from the student, but rather, in deepening the knowledge and the
teacher guiding the student.
Cummins Categories Category 3: Activities Are Cognitively Demanding, Completed with
Contextual Support.

During the class the teacher presented a scientific video full of

information about the geological eras to activate the students'
knowledge, then showed other videos about human experiences
during these eras so that the students could contrast how people lived
Activity before and how they live today. In addition, he shared with the
students a book full of images and valuable information that
emphasized each of the geological eras, he also made a small timeline
on the board exemplifying how each era appeared, at the end he
divided the class into three large groups and told them to imagine that
they are natural scientists so they should analyze each of the geological
eras so they can synthesize all the most important information in a
scientific essay evaluating each geological era. The objective of this
activity was for the students to learn, deepen their basic knowledge
and acquire new information about the geological eras so that they can
contrast what life was like millions of years ago and how it has evolved
to the present day.

This activity is at a demanding level of cognitive demand, because the

Cognitive Demand students were exposed to complex thinking on an unfamiliar topic, as
they had to research, discuss and come to a consensus on each opinion
about each geological era in order to complete the essay.

This activity had a great deal of contextual support as several videos

were used for the students to learn more about the topic, in addition to
Contextual Support the use of the book and the detailed explanation in a timeline written
on the board that strengthened the students' understanding. In addition,
if the students consider it necessary they can rely on research or other
videos for the completion of the essay.

This activity is a great example of those that fall into Category 3

because the information that students were expected to learn was
Example really complex and heavy, as was the work assigned at the end as it
meets several difficult parameters the elaboration of a scientific essay
and the role that students had to play was that of a researcher. Despite
being a complex task, it had a very significant contextual support
which fits perfectly in category 3. On the contrary, if students are
expected to recall or summarize, the level of cognitive demand would
drop and the activity would belong to Category 1.
Cummins Categories Category 4: Activities Are Cognitively Demanding, Completed with
Little, if Any, Contextual Support.

During this activity, the teacher gives feedback on the theory of the
creation of the universe, noting key words on the board and a video
about creation of the universe for better understanding. Students
individually have to come up with a theory about the creation of the
Activity universe. How they consider that there was another way of the creation
of the universe. They should name it and explain why. They can even
consult the internet for little known facts about the earth. And they
should show the activity by making a mind map on a 50x70cm
cardboard. A mind map is a way to give students the freedom to
express what they have understood, as it can make use of images or
drawings.

The cognitive demand is high, due to the difficulty of this activity, it

Cognitive Demand may seem easy but the student must creatively capture the knowledge
obtained from the feedback. Even, prepare a speech about what he
understood and use his imagination to create a theory about the
creation of the world and how it would be created, and develop it
individually in a mind map. Creativity and imagination in class should
always be awake and make use of it more in the understanding of the
topics, and deepen and show them through a drawing, a graphic
organizer, a song or a model.

This activity had little contextual support, since the student was given
freedom to develop, organize, think and imagine about the topic to be
Contextual Support done. In addition to preparing a speech to explain their work and
consulting and searching the internet for little known facts about the
earth, or not found in the book and not mentioned by the teacher during
feedback.
 This category, being highly demanding and with low contextual
support, is very suitable for the elaboration of projects that can be
Example individual or group projects for the students, since despite the creative
freedom to express their knowledge, they have to organize the ideas
and choose how to show them in a mind map. Not to mention that they
have to write in English what they are going to explain. And they also
have to think about how they can create a new theory and name it,
which is part of the personality and originality of the project.

Besides, here it is the student who will prepare his activity and explain
what he has understood, and the teacher can grade the student's
performance.