Unpacking Standards: An Introduction

Review of the PLC Process for Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Session 1: Unpack a standard. Session 2: Create an assessment. Session 3: Examine a learning activity. Session 4: Reflect on assessment data and give/receive feedback on lessons used to teach a standard.

Rationale for Revisiting the Process Developing a clear, common protocol. The desire to make this work with what is already happening in your school.

Today’s Agenda Focus on session 1 of the PLC process. Unpack a standard together, in five steps, using the “guided practice” method.

Step 1 Using the combined curriculum document, review the standard. –Locate one standard (all of the related Program of Studies Understandings, Program of Studies Skills and Concepts, and Core Content for Assessment). –Read this standard from top left to bottom right.

Step 2 Identify distinct concepts. –Highlight common words or phrases that appear in two or more columns.

Step 2 Identify distinct concepts. –Highlight common words or phrases that appear in two or more columns. –Highlight words or phrases that express the same idea as those you previously highlighted.

Step 2 Identify distinct concepts. –Highlight common words or phrases that appear in two or more columns. –Highlight words or phrases that express the same idea as those you previously highlighted. –Give this concept a name (it may already be named in the combined curriculum document).

Concept/UnderstandingLearning Targets Concept 1: Text Features

Step 2 Identify distinct concepts. –Highlight common words or phrases that appear in two or more columns. –Highlight words or phrases that express the same idea as those you previously highlighted. –Give this concept a name (it may already be named in the combined curriculum document). –Identify in writing what students need to know about the named concept.

Concept/UnderstandingLearning Targets Concept 1: Text Features When we truly understand all of the purposes of various text features we can read with fluency. Examples: capitalization, variety of punctuation marks, boldface type, italics, indentations.

Step 2 - Review Identify distinct concepts. –Highlight common words or phrases that appear in two or more columns. –Highlight words or phrases that express the same idea as those you previously highlighted. –Give this concept a name (it may already be named in the combined curriculum document). –Identify in writing what students need to know about the named concept.

Step 3 Transform the distinct concept into a learning target. –Look for a verb that will allow students to demonstrate their mastery of the concept. The first place to look for a verb is within the standard itself.

Step 3 Transform the distinct concept into a learning target. –Look for a verb that will allow students to demonstrate their mastery of the concept. –Using that verb, articulate a learning target in student-friendly language that expresses the distinct concept.

Concept/UnderstandingLearning Targets Concept 1: Text Features When we truly understand all of the purposes of various text features we can read with fluency. Examples: capitalization, variety of punctuation marks, boldface type, italics, indentations. Learning Target 1: Text Features I can tell why a word is capitalized. I know when to capitalize a word. I can tell why various punctuation marks are used. I know when to use various punctuation marks. I can read using correct emphasis based on punctuation marks. I can tell why boldface type is used. I know when to use boldface type. I can read using correct emphasis based on boldface type.

Concept/UnderstandingLearning Targets Concept 1: Text Features When we truly understand all of the purposes of various text features we can read with fluency. Examples: capitalization, variety of punctuation marks, boldface type, italics, indentations. Learning Target 1: Text Features I can tell why a word is capitalized. I know when to capitalize a word. I can tell why a sentence ends in a question mark. I know when to use a question mark at the end of a sentence. I can tell why quotation marks are used around words or phrases. I know when to use quotation marks around words or phrase. I can read using correct emphasis based on punctuation marks. I can tell why boldface type is used. I know when to use boldface type. I can read using correct emphasis based on boldface type.

Step 3 Transform the distinct concept into a learning target. –Look for a verb that will allow students to demonstrate their mastery of the concept. Using that verb, articulate a learning target in student-friendly language that express the distinct concept. –Loop back to step 2, looking for other embedded concepts.

Note Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until there are no distinct concepts left to identify.

Step 3 – Review Transform the distinct concept into a learning target. –Look for a verb that will allow students to demonstrate their mastery of the concept. –Using that verb, articulate a learning target in student-friendly language that express the distinct concept. –Loop back to step 2, looking for other embedded concepts.

Step 4 Sequence the learning targets and examine interconnections to form a learning progression.

Learning Targets I can tell why a word is capitalized. I know when to capitalize a word. I can tell why a sentence ends in a question mark. I know when to use a question mark at the end of a sentence. I can tell why quotation marks are used around words or phrases. I know when to use quotation marks around words or phrase. I can read using correct emphasis based on punctuation marks. I can tell why boldface type is used. I know when to use boldface type. I can read using correct emphasis based on boldface type.

Learning Progression I can tell why a word is capitalized. I know when to capitalize a word.

Learning Progression I can tell why boldface type is used. I know when to use boldface type. I can read using correct emphasis based on boldface type.

Step 5 Check learning targets against the combined curriculum document, concluding with DOK. –Revise as necessary.

Questions?