Transcript Prioritizing and Mapping Curriculum

Prioritizing and Mapping
the Curriculum with the
Learning-Focused Toolbox
A Process for Developing
Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum
LEARNING-FOCUSED
SOLUTIONS
What is it?
Any document or plan that defines:
• the work of teachers
• the content to be learned by the students
• the methods to be used in the process.
What is it like?
A path or course to run
in small steps.
What is the Purpose?
Curriculum
What isn’t it?
Curriculum is NOT
the textbook or program
you purchased from a
publisher.
To focus and connect
the work of classroom
teachers in school to the
standards, assessments
and classroom practices
in order to raise
student achievement.
Curriculum can no longer be what you’ve been doing for the past 15 years unless
it is demonstrated to be in line with the standards and assessments!
Why ‘Prioritize’ the Curriculum?
• Every state’s curriculum has far too many
standards to be learned in the time
available
• In the past, teachers have had to
independently prioritize their curriculum which has provided an uneven “taught”
curriculum that results in inconsistent
achievement.
Why Prioritize the Curriculum?
• The prioritizing curriculum process provides the
means to deal with this abundance of standards
and limited time.
• Prioritizing the curriculum does not eliminate
curriculum, but rather ‘codes the curriculum’.
• All teachers that teach a common grade or
course, now will emphasize the same learning &
understanding rather than emphasizing
“coverage”!
Guaranteed and Viable
Curriculum
“The single most important initiative
a school or district can engage in to
raise student achievement.”
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As referenced by Bob Marzano in his
book:
What Works In Schools
Guaranteed Curriculum
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EVERY STUDENT is provided the
opportunity to learn a core curriculum
which provides them with the probability
of success in school.
Viable Curriculum
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Schools make sure that the necessary
time is available and protected so
students will be able to learn the
guaranteed curriculum.
Quality Curriculum:
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Provides teachers with a guide for
what students need to learn in order to
be successful.
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Prevents redundancies in instruction.
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Guards against gaps in student
learning.
Quality Curriculum
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Provides a sequence of what needs to be
learned across individual grade levels or
courses as well as a vertical sequence from
grade level to grade level or from course to
course.
Provides teachers with a correlation to the
standards and assessments in an attempt to
assure students are as well prepared as
possible.
Organization
Exemplary Practices in
-- Multiple Options for Acceleration
High Achievement,
-- Vertical AND Grade Level Teams
High Accountability
-- Large Blocks of Time
-- Literacy & Math Blocks
Districts and
Schools
Assessment
-- Focus
= Assessment for Learning
-- Continuous Formative Assessment
-- Benchmark Assessments That Direct Instruction
-- Continuous Use of Rubrics
Instruction
-- K-
12 Reading Comprehension
-- K- 12 Writing in Content
-- Advance Organizers, Scaffolding, Preview
-- Differentiated Cognitive Strategies
-- Schools With Instructional Coaches
Curriculum
-- Prioritized
Curriculum
-- K-12 Benchmarks/Maps
-- Unit Content Maps With Vocabulary Focus
Planning
-- Priority, Time Allocated
-- Data & Results Driven
-- Team-Based Planning & Individual
-- Linked to Staff Development
Best Curriculum
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The highest quality curriculum is developed by
utilizing a wide range of resources during the
development and subsequent monitoring of
the curriculum.
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Standards
Benchmarks
Performance objectives / GLEs
Assessments
Teacher experience
Prioritizing
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Not all content is equal!
Standards contain a range of
performance objectives (benchmarks &
GLEs).
Some performance objectives are
more important than others in helping
students succeed!
How did we do it? STEP 1
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Teachers prioritized the benchmarks &
GLEs into Essential, Important and
Compact categories
Essential vs Important vs. Compact
Essential = 50% of the Content &
requires 70% of the Instructional Time
Important = 30% of the Content &
requires 25% of the Instructional Time
Compact = 20% of the Content &
requires 5% of the Instructional Time
Differences
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Essential refers to the “Big Ideas” or
concepts that you want your students to
understand at a greater depth.
Important refers to the key knowledge and
skills that lead to student understanding of
the essential knowledge.
Compact: refers to the less important stuff
that students can usually get by without or will
be acquired as a result of other instruction.
Prioritizing in Toolbox
Vertical Teaming
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After grade level teams and course
teams prioritized their GLEs or
benchmarks, they met in vertical teams
Here they reviewed & discussed their
rationale for how they prioritized each
GLE or benchmark
They looked for redundancies and
gaps before returning to their teams to
make revisions
STEP 2:
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Teachers clustered those benchmarks &
GLEs in the three categories into topics
that will be used to guide your
instruction.
Then they identified the concepts that
are contained in each topic
For every topic, they created a Content
Map including all the necessary
elements
Mapping in Toolbox
Creating Content Map in Toolbox
Printed or published
version of the
Content Map
Topic:
Course:
Key Learning (Enduring Understanding):
Assessment(s):
Unit Essential Question(s):
Concept:
Lesson Essential
Questions (LEQs):
Vocabulary:
Instructional Tools:
Concept:
Lesson Essential
Questions (LEQs):
Vocabulary:
Concept:
Lesson Essential
Questions (LEQs):
Vocabulary:
Content Map Components
KEY LEARNING: A full statement of what is essential for students to know and
do, representing significant concepts key to understanding the content.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION(S): Written as a thought provoking and engaging
question about the content that provides a view of the ‘Big Picture’ and acts as
the ‘Mental Velcro’ for students to make connections.
Concepts: The ‘heart’
of the unit’s content.
Lesson Essential
Questions: Concept
specific but link to &
support unit EQ(s).
Vocabulary: Words
that are critical and
essential to
understanding the
content being taught.
Concepts: ‘Big Ideas’
that connect the skills or
knowledge to the
overarching topic.
Concepts: Nouns in
the ‘Performance
Objectives’ of each
state’s standards.
Lesson Essential
Questions: Frame the
study of the topic & guide
the learning. HOTS
Lesson Essential
Questions: Used to
activate & summarize
key ideas.
Vocabulary: Multiple
meaning words & words
that are easily
misunderstood.
Vocabulary: Words
related to “Big Idea”
concepts and skills
being taught.
English Literature: 11th Grade
Key Learnings: To define and understand the elements and
characteristics of Shakespearean tragedy. Explore the
tragic heroes in the Shakespearean tragedies and identify
the flaws, events, and influences that led to the tragedy
of each hero.
Instructional Tools:
Plays: Hamlet, Julius Caesar,
Macbeth
Concepts of Shakespearean
characterization, drama, & tragedies
Compare / Contrast Essay
Persuasive Essay
Unit Essential Questions: Why a tragedy?
What are the characteristics of a Shakespearean tragedy?
Concept: Character Analysis
Concept: Literary Analysis
Concept: Drama Characteristics
LEQ(s):
1. Why do we call them tragic
heroes?
2. What are the common
characteristics of William
Shakespeare’s tragic heroes?
LEQ(s):
1. What are the literary elements
of a Shakespearean play?
2. How do these elements work
together to develop a tragedy?
Vocabulary:
Protagonist
Intellectual
Virtuous
Avenging
Flawed
Antagonist
Vocabulary:
Setting
Characterization
Theme
Plot/Conflict
Imagery
Dramatic Irony
LEQ(s):
1. How do Shakespearean
drama characteristics
enhance the portrayal of
the tragic hero?
Vocabulary:
Monologue
Soliloquy
Aside
Foil
Catastrophe
Staging
8th Grade Social Studies: The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Key Learning(s): Exploration is motivated by political,
economic, scientific, & social factors. Individuals and their
values impact history. Patterns in one historical event can
be found in other historical events.
Instructional Tools:
Students will be able to:
• Primary Sources
• Time Line
• Persuasive Writing Graphic
• Persuasive Writing Rubric
• Word Splash
Unit Essential Question(s):
The Lewis and Clark Expedition: What’s the big deal?
Motivation
Lesson Essential
Questions:
Why did you send
them, Thomas
Jefferson?
The Corps of
Discovery
Lesson Essential
Questions:
Who were they and
why were they
chosen?
How can you
support Jefferson’s
decision?
Vocabulary:
• Expedition
• Louisiana Purchase
• Northwest Passage
• economic
• political
Vocabulary:
• corps
• adventurous
• leadership
• teamwork
• perseverance
Significance
Lesson Essential
Questions:
What were the contributions
of the expedition?
How can we find patterns
in historical events?
How is the Lewis and Clark
Expedition like other events
in history?
Vocabulary:
• accomplishment
• impact
• significance
Processes
Constructing
Support
Abstracting
Sample Content Map
3rd Grade Math: Multiplication
Key Learning: Multiplication is a more efficient way
of adding.
Essential Question:
How do we use multiplication?
Instructional Tools:
Graph Paper
Multiplication Charts
Calculator
Real Life Problems
(finding area)
Sequence Chart of Steps
Real-Life
Application
Meaning
Process
LEQ(s):
1. How can arrays help you
understand multiplication?
2. How is multiplication
repeated addition?
3. How can you use skip
counting to find a product?
LEQ(s):
1. How do you multiply
factors to get a product?
2. What patterns can help
you remember the
multiplication facts?
3. How can we find errors
in multiplying?
LEQ(s):
1. Where is
multiplication
used in real-life?
Vocabulary:
arrays
repeated
product
digit
value
Vocabulary:
factors
product
reversing
lattice method
patterns
errors
Vocabulary:
large lots
budgeting
finding area
shopping
Industry
Writing Process (1st. Grade)
Instructional Tools:
Key Learning: Good writing enables us to
“talk to” people.
Essential Question: How can I become a
good writer?
Writing Process
LEQ(s):
(1) Where do ideas for
writing come from?
(2) How can a ‘writing map’
help me plan before I write?
(3) How do I make sure what
I write says what I mean/?
Vocabulary:
editing
writing process fix-up
sloppy copy story map
publishing CUPS
Simple Story
Story Element Graphic Organizer
Daily Journal Entries
Word
Maps & Categorized Word Walls
Writing Samples
Writing
Process Check List Sequence
Maps/Story Boards
Writing Genres
LEQ(s):
LEQ(s):
(1)
(1) How does the purpose
affect the way I write?
What would a good
story look like?
(2) What would happen if
my story didn’t have
a beginning or was
missing an ending?
Vocabulary: sentences
characters illustration
captions
ending first
beginning
middle end
finally
setting
story elements problem
Vocabulary:
poems
journal writing lists
information
rhyming
entertain
story
question/answer
CONTENT MAPS: Why are
they so important?
Communication device
Conceptualize a unit
Enable consistent curriculum
pacing and planning
Highlight important vocabulary
Enable students to "see" the knowledge
gained over time and their learning
Step 3: Course Map
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Teachers estimated how much time
should be spent on each topic and
arranged them sequentially on a course
map
The goal of the course map is to assure
that all the content is taught
Revisions are expected to be made to
the content maps and to the course
maps as teachers experience them.
Pacing and Prioritizing Time
Clicking on the Topic
in the timeline opens
the Content Map for
the unit.
Step 4: A Work In Progress
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Revise the priorities and edit the Content
Maps as needed – based on current
assessment data and experience.
Benefits for Teachers…
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The instructional “WHAT” has been shared,
making it quick and easy to develop plans
Many instructional factors have been decided
and developed for teachers, making their
planning time much more efficient
Lessons are directly connected to the
school/district prioritized curriculum
Planning and sharing with peers is easier and
more efficient
Benefits for Students…
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Mobility has much less impact on
achievement
Instruction is directly connected to what is
tested
Consistency of strategies and formats
raises their performance
How do you use your ‘Content Maps’?
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The ‘Content Maps’ are not meant to create
more work for teachers but to act as guides
as they plan instruction!
In grade level/course teams, preview the
maps and discuss what content you are
already addressing in your instructional
program
At this point, you can assess what needs to
be add or delete from your current program
to assure student success