Ignite Your Teaching
Ignite Your Teaching
How to Combine Lessons in a Split Grade Classroom
In this episode, PattI dives into the “efficiency mindset” — a powerful approach to simplify split-grade teaching. Instead of planning two separate lessons, learn how to teach one lesson with differentiated outputs that meet both grades’ expectations.
Key Takeaways:
- The mindset shift: one lesson, different outputs
- How to find overlapping skills in your curriculum
- Examples across math, language, science, and social studies
- Why this approach saves time and strengthens learning
- How unified lessons build a stronger classroom community
Tuck these in your teacher pocket:
Compare curriculum expectations for both grades, highlight shared skills (verbs like analyze, describe, explain), and design one shared teaching point with two scaled outputs.
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Hey there, welcome to our second video on teaching split grades. In our last video, we looked at the myths that make split grades feel overwhelming. Today we're going to go a bit deeper into the single most powerful mindset shift that you can make. It's the shift from teaching two separate lessons to teaching one lesson with different outputs. This efficiency mindset changes everything. Instead of doubling your work, you're streamlining it. Instead of fragmenting your class, you're uniting it. And the best part is that it works across every subject math, language, science, and social studies. So why did this matter? Well, split grade teachers often tell me, but Patty, my curriculum documents don't line up. How do I possibly teach habitats and early civilizations in the same room? That fear is real, but the efficiency mindset shows us how to cut through the surface differences and see the deeper skills that connect these outcomes. Let's break this down with some examples here. So for example one, let's think of math. Now, math is usually the easiest place to start because the curriculum naturally builds in sequences. Take Ontario as an example. In grade four, students work on multi-digit multiplications with one-digit multipliers. In grade five, they extend as to two-digit by two-digit multiplication. Same strategies they're going to be teaching. We just need to scale them for the different grades. Or another example is in Alberta. Grade 4 students focus on understanding fractions as parts of a whole, while grade 5 extends into equivalent fractions and comparing fractions. Again, the overlap is obvious. You can teach one mini lesson on fractions and then scale the practice tasks. So the one lesson model looks like this. You teach a whole class mini lesson on multiplication strategies or on fractional concepts. Then you give differentiated outputs. The grade fours solve simpler problems and the grade fives tackle more complex ones. Even in your teaching, you can use grade four examples that are easier and scaffold it up for your grade five examples. Now, even if you were teaching a single grade, you would probably do this anyways. You're going to review the concepts from previous grades and then extend beyond that into the concepts that are new that you want students to actually practice. The difference in a split grade is that the span of tasks and the span of questions that you might use might be greater than what you might need to use in a single grade classroom. Let's think of how this works in language. And language arts is also a natural fit for this efficiency strategy, because the strands of reading, writing, oral communication, they span across every grade. For instance, in Ontario, grade four students are expected to write persuasive paragraphs, whereas in grade five, they're extended into multi-paragraph compositions with supporting details. That means you can teach one lesson on persuasive techniques, such as using hooks or reasons and evidence, and then scale the expectation for output. In British Columbia, grade four students are asked to create texts using writing and representing strategies for a variety of purposes. Well, grade five students must select and use a range of strategies to plan and develop and create engaging texts. The overlap here is enormous. One lesson on planning persuasive writing applies to both. The difference is in the outputs. We vary the length or complexity of what our students produce. This works in reading as well. Grade 4 students might be identifying main ideas and supporting details, while grade 5 students are going to push further into analyzing multiple perspectives or even author's purpose. Again, same lesson, scaled outputs. Let's look at another example from science, where often teachers think this is a little bit more complicated because the curriculum doesn't look like it's as naturally overlapped as it is in math and science. This is where teachers start to panic. The strands don't always match up neatly. Let's think about Ontario grade 4 science that includes habitats and communities, while grade 5 students include human organ systems. On the surface, these seem unrelated. But let's dig just a little bit deeper here. Both strands involve systems and thinking about systems. Both require students to see how parts work together as part of a whole. So you might teach a unified lesson on interdependence, where the grade 5 students or the grade 4 students are going to explore how organisms in a habitat depend on each other, might look at food chains and food webs, whereas grade 5 students are going to explore how organs in a human body system depend on each other. Again, that interrelatedness, that same concept, only we're asking our students to apply it in two different ways. Another example is in Alberta. Grade 4 science unit has on light and shadows, whereas grade 5 focuses on weather. Again, different topics on the surface, but both involve observing natural phenomena, collecting data, and making prediction. That's the common skill. You can teach once. You might run a mini lesson on how scientists ask questions and record observations. Then, grade 4 applies that to a light experiment while grade 5 applies it to weather charts. BC offers another example too. Grade 4 science includes energy transfer. While grade 5 studies simple machines, this overlap concept of force and motion. A single lesson on how energy is transferred through movement applies to both strands, with the outputs again being scaled by topic. We can do this too in social studies. This subject creates the most stress because the expectations often look unrelated, but the deeper skills connect beautifully. In Ontario, Grade 4 Social Studies focuses on early societies like ancient Egypt or the Anishinabi or the Middle Ages. Whereas grade 5 focuses on Canada's role and responsibilities in the world. Different topics, sure, but both require students to develop inquiry skills, gathering information, analyzing evidence, and drawing conclusions. So you teach one lessons on how historians and geographers use sources. Everyone learns how to analyze a map, an artifact, or a text. Then, grade four applies this to artifacts from ancient Egypt. While your grade five students apply this to a map showing Canada's training partners. In Alberta, Grade 4 students study Alberta's geography and history, while grade 5 focuses on the Canadian identity. Again, different content, but both require critical thinking about identity, place, and change over time. A unified lesson might be how does where you live shape who you are? Grade 4s will answer this question using Alberta examples, whereas grade 5s will answer it using a whole entire Canadian perspective. Another example, BC, grade four students explore first people's relationships to the land while grade five students explore immigration and settlement in Canada. A shared lesson could ask how do people adapt to a place? Where the grade fours are going to answer this perspective from first peoples, grade fives will answer it from the perspective of an immigrant. Same essential questions, different applications. Now, why does this work? This approach benefits everyone. You, the teacher, avoid doubling your workload and you prepare one mini lesson, one set of anchor charts, one discussion. Then you simply vary the tasks. Students benefit because they see connections across topics. Younger students are exposed to advanced concepts which challenge them, and older students will help to revisit those foundational skills and strengthen their base of knowledge and understanding. And as a whole class, we benefit from the shared learning. You create a unified community instead of two separate groups. So here's some actions that you can take. I want you to try this out in your own planning. Choose one upcoming unit in science or social studies. Put the expectations for both grades side by side. Or you can always use Chat GPD to help you do this too. Highlight the verbs in each expectation. Words like analyze, describe, compare, explain. These are the skills. Look for where they overlap. Plan one teaching point around that shared skill. For example, historians use artifacts to learn about the past. Then design two different outputs, one for each grade's content. This is how the efficiency mindset in action works. It's not just for math and language, but it's for every subject, even the ones that look completely unrelated. By teaching one lesson with scaled outputs, you reduce your prep, strengthen your teaching, and bring your class together. Split grades don't need to mean chaos or exhaustion. They can mean efficiency, clarity, and growth. And the more practice this mindset, the easier it becomes to see those hidden overlaps and design lessons that truly work for your class and your students.
