MYOJ

Tom ONeill is a Teacher in Western Australia specialising in manipulative based thematic learning for diverse students in Years 3 to 6. 

MYOJ is a thematic learning plan to supplement learning in Years 3- 6, and includes enrichment for students who learn differently.

Contact:  thomasoneill41@outlook.com

Tom also teaches Psychology. He has a Master of Education and Bachelor of Psychological Science.

MYOJ by Tom O’Neill (MED)

Rationale
MYOJ was started in 2017 when students complained that they were doing too many worksheets. However, it is designed to augment additional learning programs, especially those that use group learning.

For guidelines on how to use groups in a classroom, please see Ashman (2021), Teaching for Inclusion and Diversity, (pp. 253-259).

  Oranges are useful in education because they comprise both liquid and flesh. For example, as part of Mathematics this means being able to work with both mediums to estimate and measure the weight and liquid of orange juice, and survey the school and graph these preferences of either juice or whole oranges.

Using oranges in Literacy means students can learn how oranges are marketed, either at a highway stall, school carnival or in the canteen.

A significant strength of this programme is that it encourages enrichment students to participate in group learning, form meaningful goals and strategies that allows them to complete these goals at a standard that is open for more discovery with each attempt.

There is also a means to find baseline assessment of student progress and targets that add to tangible evidence for assessment.

MYOJ Science
SCSA Yr3: Living things can be distinguished from non-living. grouped by their characteristics.
Identify students identify different citrus: e.g., mandarins, imperial and Hixon, navel and Valencia oranges, Powell navel over one week for each type.
SCSA Yr4: The Sun’s role as the primary energy source in food chains, provided through photosynthesis. For example:
Using card, making models of leaves labelling stomata, phloem, veins and describing the exchanges necessary for photosynthesis; (Assessment 1) broaden their understanding of classification and form and function through an exploration of the properties of natural and processed materials by weighing oranges before and after processing or squeezed for juice. Also, Life cycles – the life cycle of a citrus tree.
SCSA Year 5: Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment. Why do trees have fruit? Web search: What is a cultivar Other citrus cultivar; Mandarins Powell navels, Hixon mandarin imperial mandarin. Give one cultivar to three students. Research origin, location where grown, what do the students want to know? Or. Students construct a survey to find the most popular eten citrus fruit and what characteristics make that choice popular, sweetness, ease to peel etc. Make choices from mandarins, and oranges, Hixon mandarins and lemons. MYOJ English

SCSA Yr3: Construct informative texts that include content of increasing complexity and technicality about topics of interest collaborative work to develop their interaction skills. For example: Work in groups to , cut, juice and measure OJ. activities that require group planning and decision-making by. Record the steps and write an instruction poster with picture stages for YR2 kids to show them how to wash hands, get items, cut oranges in half and use the hand juicer.
SCSA Year 4: Students use texts recording journals, which enable students to actively understand the difference between literal and inferred meaning, to expand knowledge and ideas about how to sell cups of juice. E.g., advertising material at a carnival vs. orange juice online.
SCSA YR 5: Make informative texts that may supply technical information and/or content. E.g., The number of cups needed for the school, carnivals and the number of oranges needed to supply the juice, and the number of oranges needed to make the juice for classroom, school and carnivals.
SCSA Year 6: Advertising an orange stall on the highway. Use the principles of advertising to make a stall.
On an excursion to the commercial orchard in HASS take photos of roadside stalls and bring them back to class. Make a stall poster with key advertising terms.MYOJ Mathematics

SCSAYr 3: Connections of number, and representation, sequencing, partitioning, and combining numbers flexibly, representing unit fractions, using appropriate language to communicate times, and identifying environmental symmetry. .SCSA Yr 4: describing properties of symmetrical shapes, using instruments to measure accurately, evaluating the appropriateness of different displays. SCSA Yr 5: Making connections between representations of numbers; comparing and ordering fractions and decimals and representing them in various way by adding measures e.g., of 1/4ml ; half and 750 mL and 1 L as standard with increases and converting these measures to a decimal as well as one-eighth and one half, converting to decimals as the students make precise amounts to fill 250ml, 500mL;750mL and 1L as standard with increases by factors. Students learn of factors on a number line and label bottles. SCSA Yr 6: Making reasonable estimations How many oranges in the bag, write; count; write ;calculate difference. Repeat for juice in mL. Repeat for weight of pith. How much does one orange weigh with juice and without juice? Also calculating simple percentages, such as % of juice needed to fill a bottle of 500mL after it is filled three quarters, half and one quarter etc. Excursion: We visit a commercial orange orchard and learn about packing fruit, growing fruit and treating for pest and disease using calculations of spray and water mix. E.g., 200ml per 10 litres cover 100 trees how many will 20 litres cover? MYOJ Health & Media
SCSAYr3; Students make healthy eating decisions, by understanding key digestive body parts liver, stomach and kidney.
Websearch difference between fructose and real sugar.
Examine fructose and real sugar in physical form.
Find sugar readings on a label on bread, baked beans and ice cream. Discuss the difference between each. Use a number line to find where the amounts are in mL and integers
Discover what is a good replacement from chocolate e.g., Bahen chocolate in WA and Cadbury’s. Students make a Venn diagram comparing Cadbury and Bahen chocolates. Students do a web search of healthy chocolate items such as cocoa instead of artificial sweeteners.
SCSA Year 3-6: Media Elaborations : Experiencing the producing and presenting of a media artwork for a particular purpose. Students make labels using graphics as part of ICT to make a label for their fruit juice. The label describes how healthy fresh juice compared to sugar juice. Students use basic chords to make an advertising jingle. Students make commercials advertising their juice brand. (See MYOJ English).

MYOJ HASS
SCSA Year 3 -5: Who makes rules? Why are rules important and the consequences of rules not being followed? Remember, Groups of 3 students, one cutter one juicer one recorder and presenter. The groups nominate a Captain and Deputy and Presenter. Usually, the Captain is the squeezer in my experience. Roles change daily. Groups write the rules for their group and make a poster that is displayed in their group usually on a wall near their desks . Rules needed to listen, takes turns and get along, be on time and follow instructions as standard. Explain show empathy and restorative practice (See below) to cut squeeze and tally amounts from the oranges and present results to class. Remember, Groups of 3 students, one cutter one juicer one recorder and presenter.
The HASS lessons are eager to implement cooperative group learning. Please see the guide from Ashman Education for Inclusion and Diversity by Ashman (2019).
SCSA Year 5: Develop and refine a range of questions required to plan an inquiry. For example: Estimate the amount of juice needed for the class if everyone wanted a cup in the morning and afternoon , 5 -days per week then extrapolate to the school and then to a school event e.g., sports day. adding the amount of orange juice needed for the class, school, and Extension school carnival (swimming and athletics). How much and what price per cup sold at the kiosk.
Geography: Excursion we visit an orange orchard and learn about growing oranges. See MY OJ Mathematics

Assessment Protocol
Implement an assessment protocol below for each subject and activity and paste this in the students’ workbooks.

Example of Assessment Protocol

Enrichment
First please embed recommendations from therapy workers and discuss with the students Education Assistant. Discuss the plans you have or used below with the school. Review as requested These are only hints as to what has worked previously.
Enrichment:
Redefine, modify, augment and substitute, (Ashman, 2021).
Checklist: Multisensory environment:
• Student has an ability to check in and express their emotional state.
• Student can interact with the environment
• Support student to understand cause and effect.
• Student can use switches to function. E.g., when cannot complete a task is able to finish a lesser task.
• Provide opportunities for the student to make choices.
• Reduce the frequency of interruptions.
Cognitive strategy instructions:
• Prime and check background and prior knowledge
• Provide a purpose of the strategy and lesson
• Provide a scaffold of how and what to do
• Have visual steps.
• Have a now and then card for students with difficulty managing transitions. Rotate duties of cutter, squeezer, scribe. Model how to assist vs. doing the work for the student.
•

Science Enrichment
Please note for all students the hygiene standards apply. For example, keeping hair free from the work bench.
SCSA Yr3: Living things can be distinguished from non-living. grouped by their characteristics.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) :
Ascertain student’s fascination. Embed recommend from therapy workers. Discuss with school. Review plan. Then:
We make predictions about what we need to do with picture cards showing different fruit. We define terms and meanings. We identify oranges and say oranges.
We identify oranges in a store catalogue .
We identify the prices of oranges in a store catalogue. We identify money to buy oranges in a store catalogue. We visit the store to buy oranges.
Students peel a mandarin and place the peel on the table, eat fruit and put in the bin using a now and then chart.
Identify: Students identify different citrus cultivars : e.g., mandarins, imperial and Hixon, navel and Valencia oranges, pointing to each on a nameplate. Powell navel over one week for each type. Students look at various stages of ripeness and place a sequence of ripening in sequence.
Dyslexia
One of the features of MYOJ is that it presents information across multiple ways. Use of picture stages, sequencing as in ASD above. A focus on enhancing vocabulary. Develop ways to monitor stages of comprehension using anecdotal charts from observations as the student works in groups . Look for maladaptive strategies to avoid writing.

Enrichment AssessmentEnglish Enrichment Embed recommend from therapy workers. Discuss with school. Review plan. Then:

Construct informative texts that include content of increasing complexity and technicality about topics of interest collaborative work to develop their interaction skills. For example: Work in groups to , cut, juice and measure OJ.
Use stage cards to place how the cutting, juicing and measuring occurs by making picture cards and ask the student to sequence them.

Aspects of literacy profile:
Sequencing Information from assessment

What can be done independently? Recall of terms and methods in cutting
How well are the steps known, symbols, terms, sequence of stages and language used? Recall and methods in juicing oranges
How accurate is the automated factual knowledge?
Comments:
Recall to 90% the stages of cutting and juicing. Put these in a sequence using cards. Finally complete by self.
How well do they use thinking skills.

Judicious Review

Enrichment Assessment standards:

1. Student needs to perform tasks with minimal hesitation. Assessment is based upon degrees of assistance. For example, an introductory activity where the instruction is new and the topic is new there will be more time spent on the explanation of the topic and steps of gradual release of responsibility.
2. The student needs to communicate what they are doing prior to the task. This applies for all students irrespective of enrichment or otherwise.
3. The tasks are cumulative in that they have information integrated into a more complex task. The tasks vary to demonstrate the wide application of a student’s understanding of the information.
   Math Enrichment Embed recommend from therapy workers. Discuss with school. Review plan. Then:
   Aspects of numeracy profile Information from assessment
   What algorithms can be done independently?
   How well are symbols and language used?
   How accurate is the automated factual knowledge?
   How well do they use thinking skills.
   What are the problem-solving strategies used?
   Targets

Score

Target 1.
Target 2.
Target 3.

Time Frame Date
Target 1
Target 2
Target 3
Comments

Teacher Review

Lesson review:
Teacher review standards:

1. How did the lesson start? Did it define what is needed what stages; what it looks like finished and the problems other kids found when doing it. For example, cutting with a plastic knife. Demonstrate how it is done and show a real sharp knife. Explain cutting procedure e.g., away from hands body.
2. Has it been clear what students need to do to demonstrate learning? Explain that to juice the orange better you can put holes in it first after cutting it in half.
3. Have all the resources been used to facilitate learning e.g., where a student is unable to write has there been a vice recording by the student offering their contribution/assessment attempt? Health & Media Enrichment Embed recommend from therapy workers. Discuss with school. Review plan. Then:
   Encourage students to make orange cake.
   Students make a shopping list; look at prices in catalogue, find on their devices where the bus stop is planning travel attire; watch video of people going shopping and attend a shop to buy ingredients.
   Aspects of Health profile Information from assessment
   Can sequence hand wash steps in card ? Student can prepare a hygiene plan. For example, prep surface or wash hands.
   How well are symbols and language used? Student has a step-by-step chart to wash hands and or wipe surfaces.
   How accurate is the automated factual knowledge? By repetition of the steps the student can recall.
   How well do they use thinking skills. Do they talk during the juicing, cutting, squeezing to self or others. Can they demonstrate to another student?
   What are the problem-solving strategies used?
   Targets List and make explicit the stages of problem solving. E.g., ask another student, search online, ask the teacher.

Target 1.
Target 2.
Target 3.

Time Frame Date
Target 1
Target 2
Target 3

Student feedback

1. Did students experience problems?

Encourage students to write below the problems and their suggestions.

Group Problem.

Equipment Problem

Understanding instructions problem.

Time to finish problem.

Recording problem.

Presenting problem.HASS Enrichment Embed recommend from therapy workers. Discuss with school. Review plan. Then:

.Review the behaviour management plan. Review goals . Embed these in the shopping trips e.g., sitting calmly in the bus
We role play the way to behave in public. For ASD students this may mean sitting in a store and watching people pass and say they are walking quietly.
We may plan a trip on assistive devices to learn behaviours.
For emotional regulation we do the same and learn to express how we feel in a calm manner.
It is important to make a bathroom break even to wash hands in the shopping centre. Discuss with your Principal the steps needed or indeed if relevant to the student’s existing plan. For the purposes of HASS toilet signs and different people having different facilities is the target learning goal.
Target To 90% <90%
Regulation strategies understood and repeated.
Understands signs of gender and handicap in a shopping centre and elsewhere. Targets from existing plan
Target 1.
Target 2.
Target 3.

Time Frame Date
Target 1
Target 2
Target 3

Comments and Grades

Write below the student names and their grades both before assessment (baseline) and for each subsequent assessment:

Assessment One
Student Name:
Assess Type Eng. Math Science HASS Health/Media
Assess1
Baseline
Actual

Repeat for subsequent assessments.
Write in the columns the targets and methods you have used in your classroom.
MYOJ Science
MYOJ English
MYOJ Mathematics
MYOJ Health & Media
MYOJ HASS

End of MYOJ December, 2025.

Good Luck! Look out for MYRC the next thematic plan in the series, using remote control cars across the curriculum to engage reluctant learners.