Currituck County’s Curriculum Mapping Project

1. Currituck County’s Curriculum Mapping Project Project Overview

2. Housekeeping Items • Sign-In each day • Contracts (sign and return) • Restrooms • Lunch • Introductions • Name, School, Something you’ve done/will do this Summer

3. Why are we doing this? State Influence • Initiative—Essential Standards/Common Core Standards Adoption • 2010-11: Current SCOS taught and assessed • 2011-12: Current SCOS taught and assessed • 2012-13: Common Core/Essential Standards taught and assessed

4. Plan to Support and Transition For All New Standards Tools • Instructional Toolkits including: • Crosswalks between Old and New • Vertical Learning Progressions • Glossary of Terms • Unpacked Content • Assessment Prototypes • Lesson Plans, Unit Plans • Diagnostic, Formative, and Benchmarking Assessment Tools

5. Why are we doing this? Local Influences: • 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 Practices http://www.allthingsplc.info/articles/articles.php

6. Professional Learning Communities Essential/Guiding Questions for our PLCs • 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?

7. PLC ESSENTIALS • COMMON Curriculum Goals (Aligned with SCOS) • COMMON Assessments • COMMON Planning and Collaboration Common Goals + Common Assessments = Team Approach to teaching and learning

8. 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….

9. 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

10. How Will We Get There?

11. 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?

12. Understanding by Design Beginning with the END in mind…

13. Stages of Designing Effective Units Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 L Learning Plan U Understandings T Task(s) R Questions Rubric(s) Q Content Standards OE Other Evidence CS Knowledge & Skill K

14. 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

15. Standard(s): Unpack the content standards and ‘content’,focus on big ideas Understandings Essential Questions s t a g e 1 Assessment Evidence Performance T ask(s): Other Evidence: s Analyze multiple sources of evidence, aligned with Stage 1 t a g e 2 Derive the implied learning from Stages 1 & 2 Learning Activities s t a g e 3 The “big ideas” of each stage: What are the big ideas? What’s the evidence? How will we get there?

17. Stage 1 Identifying: the Big Ideas/Themes Key Understandings Essential Questions

18. 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?

19. SCOS GOALS • What are the BIG IDEAS or THEMES for this content area K-12? (Consider the CORE STANDARDS as you look at the current SCOS) Activity-- • Come up with 5 (or more) themes

20. “Big Ideas” are typically revealed via – • Core concepts • Focusing themes • On-going debates/issues • Insightful perspectives • Illuminating paradox/problem • Organizing theory • Overarching principle • Underlying assumption • Key questions • Insightful inferences from facts

21. 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?

22. Big Ideas in Science: Examples • Natural Phenomena • Causal Explanations • Systems, Order, Organization • Change, Constancy, Measurement • Form and Function • Equilibrium/Balance • Systems and Interactions • Models

23. Big Ideas in Literacy: Examples • Rational persuasion (vs. manipulation) • audience and purpose in writing • A story, as opposed to merely a list of events linked by “and then…” • reading between the lines • writing as revision • a non-rhyming poem vs. prose • fiction as a window into truth • A critical yet empathetic reader • A writer’s voice

24. SCOS GOALS • What are the BIG IDEAS or THEMES for this content area K-12? • Come up with 5 (or more) themes

25. Central to Teaching and Understanding • Our goal in designing district units and pacing guides is to provide a guide and minimum standard for curriculum delivery. • ALL students should be taught at the higher level of Bloom’s. • Bloom’s Taxonomy is a key tool to assist in understanding Essential Questions, Essential Skills, and Assessment Tasks.

26. BLOOM’S REVISED TAXONOMYCreatingGenerating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing thingsDesigning, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.EvaluatingJustifying a decision or course of actionChecking, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting, judgingAnalysingBreaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationshipsComparing, organizing, deconstructing, interrogating, findingApplyingUsing information in another familiar situationImplementing, carrying out, using, executingUnderstandingExplaining ideas or conceptsInterpreting, summarizing, paraphrasing, classifying, explainingRememberingRecalling informationRecognizing, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding Higher-order thinking

27. 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

28. Gallery Walk View the Questions Posed for each level and comment or post questions regarding the alignment with Bloom’s.

29. 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

30. Understandings, defined: They are... • specific generalizations about the “big ideas.” They summarize the key meanings, inferences, and importance of the ‘content’ • can be 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

31. Exercise: Understandings For the one unit identified: • Determine the UNDERSTANDINGS students should uncover throughout and by the end of the unit.

32. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS GREAT THOUGHT PROVOKING OPENERS GUIDES the UNIT DELIVERY OPEN ENDED ASSESSMENT TOOL

33. Essential Questions used in teaching Role of Essential Questions: • Asked to be argued • Designed to “uncover” new ideas, views, lines of argument • Set up inquiry, heading to new understandings • Deepens understanding • Leads to more questions • Helps to organize material

34. 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?

35. Sample Essential Questions: • What makes wounds heal in different ways? • Why is asthma so prevalent in poor urban comminutes? • What keeps things from rusting, and why? • How do chemicals benefit society? • Are animals essential for man’s survival? • How do scientists find out about objects, living things, events and phenomena? • What does it mean to be living? • How do living things adapt to the environment?

36. Sample Essential Questions: • What makes a great story? • Why is communication/reading important? • How do authors use words to create images? • Does a good read differ from a ‘great book’? Why are some books fads, and others classics? • What does an independent reader look like? • What do good readers do? • How can the way a story is structured help me to read with understanding?

37. Working on the Work…. • For each Theme/Big Idea created in the first activity: • Determine the Essential Understandings • List the Curriculum Goals associated with the Theme/Big Idea • Create Essential Questions • Identify Essential Skills and Vocabulary

39. 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

40. Day 2 Thanks for Coming Back!

41. Day 1 Reflections Positives Things to Reconsider ∆ • Time to Collaborate/Teamwork • It was a good pace! • Teacher helping out having participated last week • Easy integration and collaboration • Working with someone I know • High time on task • Ease of understanding expectations • Something to use this year/product work • Being part of the big picture • BREAKFAST!/Healthy food choices • Temperature was good • Smooth day • Have an understanding of what needs to be done • Professionally treated • Meeting Pam • Working on the computer • Need more time • Could have used last year’s materials • Chilly room! • More frequent breaks • Sat for a while this morning • Accountability for all? • Technology—when not working • Getting started • Less introductions—let’s get busy! • Confused at first as to how it would all come together • Lacked some resources • Break down middle group better

42. 3-2-1 Reveals: Expectations BEFORE • To have a better understanding of the sequence of Math SCOS (what should be taught together) • Where the curriculum is going • Accomplish a timeline for teaching math objectives. • Plug in resources and activities • The task to be more challenging • To be overwhelmed with the amount of work • Not to get much done • Align standards to make sense to me • Easier than last week • Didn’t know what to expect • To be busy • Begin framework for curriculum map • Expected difficult program like Rubicon • Expected to be lost in math jargon • A new way of writing lesson plans • All subjects to be in attendance • Expecting to break down the SCOS • Collaboration • Creation of common assessments • Share ideas/get ideas from other teachers • Hard work • Teamwork w/ grade • Understanding Essential Questions • Initiating development of curriculum map • Discussion of essential ideas • To be way behind everyone else • Learn more about EQ • Map out 8th and Algebra • Long day/Time pass slowly • Expected to be lost in math jargon • A new way of writing lesson plans • All subjects to be in attendance

43. 3-2-1 Reveals Pleasant Surprises Points to Clarify • Great people to work with! • Accomplished a lot! • Cooperation (across the board) • Lunch • Positive climate (mood and temp) • Seeing/hearing others ideas • Fun/Relaxed environment • Questions answered/assistance • Template provided/Word • Good instruction • Review of Blooms’ • Getting a head start • Time flew • Assessment changes? • Will this be mandated for all? • What if our timeline for Science and SS doesn’t match the reading guide? • Making common assessments? • Are they expected to be complete for all by the end of the week? • How detailed do “Understandings” need to be? • How is this being posted/shared? • Will we do the same for Science? • Why weren’t last year’s materials used? • Will someone go over our work and make changes? • Am I doing this right? • How will results of district assessments affect instruction? • Is Early College using same maps?

44. You’ve got to go below the surface...

45. to uncover the really ‘big ideas.’

46. 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 meaning of ‘content’ via big ideas? • Understandings summarize the desired insights we want students to realize

47. 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

48. Essential Questions used in teaching Role of Essential Questions: • Asked to be argued • Designed to “uncover” new ideas, views, lines of argument • Set up inquiry, heading to new understandings • Deepens understanding • Leads to more questions • Helps to organize material

49. 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?

50. Sample Essential Questions: • How is math relevant in my life? • How does the position of a digit affect the value of a number? • In what ways can numbers be composed or decomposed? • What is the purpose of data displays and statistical measures? • How can the results of a statistical investigation be used to support an argument? • Why use exponents? • How are roots and powers related?