Currituck County’s Curriculum Mapping Project

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Currituck County’s Curriculum Mapping

Project

Housekeeping Items

Sign-In each dayContractsRestroomsLunchIntroductions

Name, School, Something you’ve done/will do this Summer

Why are we doing this?

Focus on Developing Professional Learning Communities Research by Rick DuFour and Robert Eaker Practice embedded in School Reform Models Practice embedded in NC Teacher and Principal

Standards and Evaluation

Research on Best Practiceshttp://www.allthingsplc.info/articles/articles.php

Professional Learning Communities

Essential/Guiding Questions

What do students NEED TO LEARN?What evidence will we gather to monitor student

learning—how will we know WHEN THEY HAVE LEARNED IT?

What will we do if/when students EXPERIENCE DIFFICULTY IN THEIR LEARNING?

What will we do to ENRICH THE LEARNING OF THOSE WHO DEMONSTRATE PROFICIENCY?

How can we use our SMART goals and evidence of student learning to INFORM and IMPROVE OUR PRACTICE?

PLC ESSENTIALS

COMMON Curriculum Goals (Aligned with SCOS)

COMMON AssessmentsCOMMON Planning and Collaboration

Common Goals + Common Assessments = Team Approach to teaching and learning

WHY DISTRICT MAPS and ASSESSMENTS?

How can we use our SMART goals and evidence of student learning to inform and improve our practice?

This critical question has implications for grade level improvement, school level improvement, and DISTRICT LEVEL IMPROVEMENT….

DESIRED OUTCOMES

Create DRAFT District Curriculum Pacing Guides for Core Subjects K-12

Create DRAFT Unit Plan Frameworks Create DRAFT Common Assessments

for Benchmarking Student Attainment of Goals

Begin the process for Continuous Improvement of Teaching and Learning

How Will We Get There?

What’s the GOAL?

With a partner or others at your table, discuss the question:

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF TEACHING?and

WHAT DOES THE END PRODUCT LOOK LIKE?

Understanding by Design

Beginning with the END

in mind…

Each element is found behind a menu tab when designing units

LT

OE

R

U

K

Q

CS

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Understandings

Questions

ContentStandards

Knowledge & Skill

Task(s)

Rubric(s)

OtherEvidence

LearningPlan

Why “backward”?

The stages are logical but they go against habits

We’re used to jumping to lesson and activity ideas - before clarifying our performance goals for students

By thinking about the essential learning and assessments upfront, we ensure greater alignment of our goals and means, and that teaching is focused on desired results

The “big ideas” of each stage:

Assessment Evidence

Learning Activities

Understandings Essential Questions

stage

2

stage

3

Standard(s):

stage

1

Performance Task(s): Other Evidence:

Unpack the content standards and ‘content’, focus on big ideas Analyze multiple

sources of evidence, aligned with Stage 1Derive the implied learning from Stages 1 & 2

What are the big ideas?

What’s the evidence?

How will we get there?

Subject:Grade Level:Unit Title:

Timeframe Needed for Completion:Grading Period:

Big Idea/Theme:Understandings:Curriculum Goals/Objectives: Essential Questions:

Essential Skills/Vocabulary: Assessment Tasks:

Integration Opportunities:

IDENTIFYING: THE BIG IDEAS/THEMESKEY UNDERSTANDINGSESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

Stage 1

“Big Ideas” are typically revealed via –

Core conceptsFocusing themesOn-going debates/issuesInsightful perspectivesIlluminating paradox/problemOrganizing theoryOverarching principleUnderlying assumptionKey questionsInsightful inferences from facts

Big Ideas in Literacy: Examples

Rational persuasion (vs. manipulation)audience and purpose in writingA story, as opposed to merely a list of

events linked by “and then…”reading between the lineswriting as revisiona non-rhyming poem vs. prosefiction as a window into truthA critical yet empathetic readerA writer’s voice

Some questions for identifying truly “big ideas”

Does it have many layers and nuances, not obvious to the naïve or inexperienced person?

Can it yield great depth and breadth of insight into the subject? Can it be used throughout K-12?

Do you have to dig deep to really understand its subtle meanings and implications even if anyone can have a surface grasp of it?

Is it (therefore) prone to misunderstanding as well as disagreement?

Are you likely to change your mind about its meaning and importance over a lifetime?

Does it reflect the core ideas as judged by experts?

SCOS GOALS

What are the BIG IDEAS or THEMES for this content area K-12?

Activity-- Come up with 5 (or more) Big Ideas

BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY

CreatingCreatingGenerating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing thingsDesigning, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.

 EvaluatingEvaluating

Justifying a decision or course of actionChecking, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting, judging

  AnalyzingAnalyzing

Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationshipsComparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding

 ApplyingApplying

Using information in another familiar situationImplementing, carrying out, using, executing

 UnderstandingUnderstanding

Explaining ideas or conceptsInterpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining

 RememberingRemembering

Recalling informationRecognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding

SCOS GOALS

What are the BIG IDEAS or THEMES for this content area K-12?

Come up with 5 (or more) themes For one theme, create a question that addresses each area of Bloom’s as it relates to the theme

•VIEW THE QUESTIONS POSED FOR EACH LEVEL AND COMMENT OR POST QUESTIONS REGARDING THE ALIGNMENT WITH BLOOM’S.

Gallery Walk

From Big Ideas to Understandings about them

An understanding is a “moral of the story” about the big ideas

What specific insights will students take away about the the meaning

of ‘content’ via big ideas? Understandings summarize the

desired insights we want students to realize

Understanding, defined:

They are... specific generalizations about the “big ideas.”

They summarize the key meanings, inferences, and importance of the ‘content’

framed as a full sentence “moral of the story”

– “Students will understand THAT…” Require “uncoverage” because they are not

“facts” to the novice, but unobvious inferences drawn from facts; easily misunderstood

Essential Questions To Guide Our Work

What is ESSENTIAL to Understanding?

How can the this be organized to maximize understanding?

How can we assess them?

Essential Questions used in teaching

Essential – (To Hitting the Target) Asked to be argued Designed to “uncover” new ideas, views,

lines of argument Set up inquiry, heading to new

understandings

Essential Questions

What questions – are arguable - and important to argue about? are at the heart of the subject? recur - and should recur - in professional

work, adult life, as well as in classroom inquiry?

raise more questions – provoking and sustaining engaged inquiry?

often raise important conceptual or philosophical issues?

can provide organizing purpose for meaningful & connected learning?

Sample Essential Questions:

Who are my true friends - and how do I know for sure?

How “rational” is the market?Does a good read differ from a ‘great

book’? Why are some books fads, and others classics?

To what extent is geography destiny? Should an axiom be obvious? How different is a scientific theory from

a plausible belief?What is the government’s proper role?

Working on the Work….

For each Theme/Big Idea created in the first stage activity:

Determine the Essential Understandings List the Curriculum Goals associated with the Theme/Big

Idea Create Essential Questions Identify Essential Skills and Vocabulary

Subject:Grade Level:Unit Title:

Timeframe Needed for Completion:Grading Period:

Big Idea/Theme:Understandings:Curriculum Goals/Objectives: Essential Questions:

Essential Skills/Vocabulary: Assessment Tasks:

Integration Opportunities:

Debrief Day I

3-2-1 Activity List 3 things that you were expecting

when you came in today List 2 “pleasant” surprises Write 1 question that you may have

THANKS FOR COMING BACK!

Day 2

PositivesPositives Things to Reconsider ∆Things to Reconsider ∆

PartnersTime to work

uninterruptedTemplateLunchTime flew

More representatives

Clarifying task at beginning

Space at computers

Day 1 Reflections

Pleasant SurprisesPleasant Surprises Points to ClarifyPoints to Clarify

Layout of workTime to work and

organizeRelaxed

environmentQuestions answeredReview of Blooms’Shared frustrations

Common Assessment creation?

Do this again when curriculum changes?

Finished product placement?

Am I doing this right?

3-2-1 Reveals

You’ve got to go below the surface...

to uncover the really ‘big ideas.’

From Big Ideas to Understandings about them

An understanding is a “moral of the story” about the big ideas

What specific insights will students take away about the the meaning

of ‘content’ via big ideas? Understandings summarize the

desired insights we want students to realize

Understanding, defined:

They are... specific generalizations about the “big ideas.”

They summarize the key meanings, inferences, and importance of the ‘content’

framed as a full sentence “moral of the story”

– “Students will understand THAT…” Require “uncoverage” because they are not

“facts” to the novice, but unobvious inferences drawn from facts; easily misunderstood

Understandings: Examples...

Great artists often break with conventions to better express what they see and feel.

Price is a function of supply and demand.Friendships can be deepened or undone by

hard timesHistory is the story told by the “winners”F = ma (weight is not mass)Math models simplify physical relations –

and even sometimes distort relations – to deepen our understanding of them

The storyteller rarely tells the meaning of the story

U

Essential Questions

What questions – are arguable - and important to argue about? are at the heart of the subject? recur - and should recur - in professional

work, adult life, as well as in classroom inquiry?

raise more questions – provoking and sustaining engaged inquiry?

often raise important conceptual or philosophical issues?

can provide organizing purpose for meaningful & connected learning?

Samples of Essential Questions for Social Studies

History/Historical Analysis and Interpretation

§    What happened in the past?

§      How can we know if we weren’t there?§      Why study history?

§      What can we learn from the past? Civics/Government

§      How are governments created, structured, maintained, and changed?

§      What are the roles and responsibilities of government?§      How do the structures and functions of government

interrelate?§      What would happen if we had no government

Samples of Essential Questions for Social Studies

Economics§  Why do we have money?§      What is the difference between ‘needs’ and ‘wants’?§      How does something acquire value? §      What is it worth?§      How much should it cost? Who decides?§      Who should produce goods and services?Geography§      Why is "where" important?§      Why is/was ________ located there? (e.g., capitol, factory, battle,

etc.)§      What makes places unique and different?§      How does geography, climate and natural resources affect the way

people live and work?§      How does where I live influence how I live?

Pass the Paper Feedback

Working as partners/teams, examine some of the units designed during yesterday’s session.

Provide feedback through questioning—Does this understanding match the goal?Is/Are the essential question(s) broad/deep

enough to spark inquiry?Will the timeframe be sufficient?

Pass the paper to the next team.

Subject:Grade Level:Unit Title:

Timeframe Needed for Completion:Grading Period:

Big Idea/Theme:Understandings:Curriculum Goals/Objectives: Essential Questions:

Essential Skills/Vocabulary: Assessment Tasks:

Integration Opportunities:

COMPLETE AND/OR REVISE:BIG IDEAS/THEME

CURRICULUM GOAL/OBJECTIVEESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

ESSENTIAL SKILLS/VOCABULARY

Work on the Work

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Template fields ask:

What are key performance tasks indicative of understanding?

What other evidence will be collected to build the case for understanding, knowledge, and skill?

What rubrics will be used to assess complex performance?

The big idea for Stage 2

The evidence should be credible & helpful. The assessments should –

Be grounded in real-world applications, supplemented as needed by more traditional school evidence

Provide useful feedback to the learner, be transparent, and minimize secrecy

Be valid, reliable - aligned with the desired results of Stage 1 (and fair)

Assessment of Understanding via the 6 facets

i.e. You really understand when you can: explain, connect, systematize, predict it show its meaning, importance apply or adapt it to novel situations see it as one plausible perspective among others,

question its assumptions see it as its author/speaker saw it avoid and point out common misconceptions, biases, or

simplistic views

For Reliability & Sufficiency:Use a Variety of Assessments

Varied types, over time:authentic tasks and projectsacademic exam questions,

prompts, and problemsquizzes and test itemsinformal checks for understanding student self-assessments

Scenarios for Authentic Tasks

Build assessments anchored in authentic tasks using GRASPS: What is the Goal in the scenario? What is the Role? Who is the Audience?

What is your Situation (context)?

What is the Performance challenge? By what Standards will work be judged in the

scenario?

SPS

GRA

Subject:Grade Level:Unit Title:

Timeframe Needed for Completion:Grading Period:

Big Idea/Theme:Understandings:Curriculum Goals/Objectives: Essential Questions:

Essential Skills/Vocabulary: Assessment Tasks:

Integration Opportunities:

COMPLETE AND/OR REVISE:BIG IDEAS/THEME

CURRICULUM GOAL/OBJECTIVEESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

ESSENTIAL SKILLS/VOCABULARY

Work on the Work

Debrief Day 2

Where are you in the process?What do we need to adjust to tomorrow’s

agenda?

What worked for you today?What needs to be considered for

improvement?

Day 3

PositivesPositives Things would be better if…Things would be better if…

Explanations on issues that were confusing yesterday

Critiques of others were helpful as we started today

Helpful hints of others Clarifications on Big

Ideas/Essential Questions Uninterrupted work time

Finished units totally Time

Day 2 Reflections

Units in Sequence

In what order should the Units be taught?

Note the grading period in the templateOrder/Arrange the Units (paper copies)List the Unit Titles (file names) in order to be

taught

List the Theme and objectives covered in each quarter in the Quarterly Pacing guide template

COMPLETE AND/OR REVISE:

SEQUENCINGAT A GLANCE PACING CHART

Work on the Work

The big idea for Stage 2

The evidence should be credible & helpful. The assessments should –

Be grounded in real-world applications, supplemented as needed by more traditional school evidence

Provide useful feedback to the learner, be transparent, and minimize secrecy

Be valid, reliable - aligned with the desired results of Stage 1 (and fair)

Just because the student “knows it” …

Evidence of understanding is a greater challenge than evidence that the student knows a correct or valid answer

Understanding is inferred, not seen It can only be inferred if we see evidence that the

student knows why (it works) so what? (why it matters), how (to apply it) – not just knowing that specific inference

Assessment of Understanding via the 6 facets

i.e. You really understand when you can: explain, connect, systematize, predict it show its meaning, importance apply or adapt it to novel situations see it as one plausible perspective among others,

question its assumptions see it as its author/speaker saw it avoid and point out common misconceptions, biases, or

simplistic views

Scenarios for Authentic Tasks

Build assessments anchored in authentic tasks using GRASPS: What is the Goal in the scenario? What is the Role? Who is the Audience?

What is your Situation (context)?

What is the Performance challenge? By what Standards will work be judged in the

scenario?

SPS

GRA

Reliability: Snapshot vs. Photo Album

We need patterns that overcome inherent measurement error

Sound assessment (particularly of State Standards) requires multiple evidence over time - a photo album vs. a single snapshot

QUICK WRITEPAIR/SHARE

What do you know or think you know about Formative

Assessments?

Formative Assessment

A process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning, which helps student improve their achievement of intended outcomes.

Questioning Discussing Learning Activities/Projects Conferences Interviews Student Reflections

Formative Assessments

Are assessments found at the classroom level and happens in short intervals/cycles.

Formative Assessments:Not graded or used in accountability systemsFeedback is DESCRIPTIVE in nature so the

student knows what exactly is needed for improvement.

Summative Assessments

Summative Assessments provide evidence of student competence or program effectiveness.

Selected Response Items (T/F, MC, Matching)Short Answers (Fill in/ 1-2 sentence

response)Extended written responsePerformance Assessments

Summative Assessments

Summative assessments are found at the classroom, district, and state level and can be graded and used in accountability systems.

Summative assessments are:Used to evaluateUsed to categorize students in comparison to

others

Formative vs. Summative

ONE is NOT BETTER THAN THE OTHER

Both are essential to student leaning when the information gathered is used to inform

students, teachers, and parents of progress.

It is ALL about the TIMING and the USE of the assessment.

Check-up vs. Autopsy

WHERE DO BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS FALL?

ARE THEY FORMATIVE?ARE THEY SUMMATIVE?

So….

OUR DEFINITION:QUARTERLY WRITING OR

MULTIPLE CHOICE ASSESSMENTS BASED ON

PREVIOUSLY TAUGHT SKILLS OR OBJECTIVES

Benchmark Assessments

ARE THEY FORMATIVE OR

SUMMATIVE?

Benchmark Assessments

When should they be given?

Looking at the school calendar for next year, when would you propose that the assessments be given in order to provide feedback to teachers and students?

Should there be one designated day? Or should there be a window?

What other options should be considered?

OVERVIEW OF THIS ONLINE TOOL

NC FALCON

Creating Benchmark Assessments

Using BLOOM’s and your pacing guide, begin to create a 25-35 Question Assessment that is based on the content covered in the first quarter, second quarter, etc.

Questions will need to be assigned the following: Goal and objective number Correct answer Distracters

Spreadsheet will provide this information to begin with the creation of a data base.

BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMY

CreatingCreatingGenerating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing thingsDesigning, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.

 EvaluatingEvaluating

Justifying a decision or course of actionChecking, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting, judging

  AnalyzingAnalyzing

Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationshipsComparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, finding

 ApplyingApplying

Using information in another familiar situationImplementing, carrying out, using, executing

 UnderstandingUnderstanding

Explaining ideas or conceptsInterpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining

 RememberingRemembering

Recalling informationRecognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding

COMPLETE

QUESTION WRITING FOR BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS

Work on the Work

Each element is found behind a menu tab when designing units

LT

OE

R

U

K

Q

CS

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Understandings

Questions

ContentStandards

Knowledge & Skill

Task(s)

Rubric(s)

OtherEvidence

LearningPlan

WE’RE IN THE HOME STRETCH!!!

PAYDAY IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER!

Day 4

AGENDA

Review Feedback from Day 3

Work on the Work (Assessment Generation)

Evaluation and Next Steps (11:30)

PositivesPositives Things would be better if…Things would be better if… A lot of time to work and

collaborate. Why Haven’t I used Classcape before? I like it!

Lots of work finished! A lot accomplished! Time to complete products Great day! Things done to make less work

during the year Thanks for the stress free

work environment- good comfort zone

Questions answered quickly All materials were available Fun!

Need to move to 1st—No Plants or insects in K : (

Creation of unit assessments seems redundant

Many assessments Tuna Salad Sandwich—YUCK! Not able to design assessment

efficiently Need to have more than one HS

teacher working on assessment questions if ClassScape is not available

Had a hard time figuring out how it is all going to fit together

Not all topics are covered in Classscapes—gaps in assessments

Too many assessments—scary! Full assessment calendar!

Day 2 Reflections

COMPLETE ALL WORK PRODUCTS

UNIT FRAMEWORKSAT A GLANCE

1ST QUARTER ASSESSMENTS/CLASSSCAPE

Work on the Work

Help with item writing: GOOGLE

Higher level multiple choice questions

14 Rules for Writing MC Questionshttp://testing.byu.edu/info/handbooks/14%20Rules

%20for%20Writing%20Multiple-Choice%20Questions.pdf

Test Development: Multiple Choice Section Bhttp://web.utk.edu/~mccay/apdm/mchoice/mc_b.htm

FYC 8http://cfe.unc.edu/pdfs/FYC8.pdf

Stage 3 big idea:

EFFECTIVE

and

ENGAGING

Stage 3 – Plan Learning Experiences & Instruction

A focus on engaging and effective learning, “designed in”What learning experiences and

instruction will promote the desired understanding, knowledge and skill of Stage 1?

How will the design ensure that all students are maximally engaged and effective at meeting the goals?

L

Think of your obligations via W. H. E. R. E. T. O.

“Where are we headed?” (the student’s Q!)

How will the student be ‘hooked’?What opportunities will there be to be equipped,

and to experience and explore key ideas?What will provide opportunities to rethink, rehearse, refine and revise?

How will students evaluate their work?How will the work be tailored to individual

needs, interests, styles?How will the work be organized for maximal

engagement and effectiveness?

WHE

E

R

L

TO

Feedback: Process and The Day

How can this process be improved?What would you suggest that we do

differently for the next group?

What worked for you today?What would have made it better?

for further information...

Contact us:

Grant Wiggins, co-author: grant@ubdexchange.org

Jay McTighe, co-author: jmctigh@aol.com