SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 2010 MARCIE TAYLOR-THOMA World History Writers’ Training

We designed our unit frameworks with the Understanding by Design theory and model, as designed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, in mind.  focus on Understanding and focus on Quality, not Quantity  keep the end goal in mind: creating literate, technically savvy consumers of world history concepts and trends

Focus on Understanding explains common practices that interfere with understanding explains a backward design process to avoid common problems proposes an approach to curriculum designed to engage students in inquiry & uncovering ideas proposes a set of design standards for achieving quality control in curriculum & assessment designs

Focus on Instruction or the Approach Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe provide a way to move from covering the curriculum to creating curriculum and understanding with technology.

Stages of Backward Design Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction Determine Acceptable Evidence Identify Desired Results

Establishing Curricular Priorities Enduring Under- standings Important to know and do Worth being familiar with

Filters for Selecting Understandings represent a big idea having enduring value beyond the classroom reside at the heart of the discipline (involves actually the doing the subject, i.e., thinking like a historian) require un-coverage (often abstract or misunderstood ideas) offer potential for engaging students

Practically speaking, this means turning curricular content standards and outcomes into big ideas and questions designing a variety of assignments and assessments that evoke engagement and possible answers

Some examples of Enduring Understandings There are multiple causes and consequences of war and conflict. Nationalism unifies some nations and destroys others. The linking of major regions of the world led to global transformations. Geography and location significantly impacts events in history.

Some examples of Essential Questions Why do changes in economic and or political systems cause cultural change? How could there be different explanations of the same event in history? Why do empires fall? Why are some aspects of world civilizations, such as religion, social structure, and artistic achievements so long last and influential?

Six Facets of Understanding can explain can interpret can apply has perspective can empathize has self-knowledge

Rubric for Six Facets of Understanding Criteria for each:  Explanation – accurate  Interpretation – meaningful  Application – effective  Perspective – credible  Empathy – sensitive  Self-knowledge – self aware

Didactic Instruction Acquisition of Organized Knowledge Coaching, Exercises, and Supervised Practice Development of Intellectual Skills Socratic Questioning and Active Participation Enlarged Understanding and Ideas and Values Implications for Teaching

Design Standards are Important Help us understand:  What is worthy of understanding in the unit?  What counts as evidence that students really understand and can use what we are teaching?  What knowledge and skills must we teach to enable them to apply their knowledge in meaningful ways?

World History Unit Design Unit topic Unit overview Enduring Understandings Essential questions Unit questions Historical Thinking and Processing Skills Expectation Topic Indicator Objectives Unit Assessment (Traditional and Performance Based)

World History Unit Considerations Created with the National World History Standards Based on the original Social Studies Content Standards approved in May, 2000 Reviewed with the both MD Content Standards and World History High School Assessment perspective Normed with LEA World History Curricular Documents Builds the world history content, skills and processes from 6 th – 8 th grade LEAs teach world history at 9 th, 10 th, and 11 th grades

Basic Social Studies Lesson Plan Format Lesson Plan Format Lesson Title: Class Periods/Duration: SC Standards/Indicators: Objective: Extension: Vocabulary: Materials/Resources: Teacher Background: Lesson Development: Assessment: Closure:

Examples of performance-based assessments portfolios historical performances/simulations historical investigations journals Document Based Questi0ns (DBQs) constructed responses Case studies