1. Planning a Unit of Study A standards-based unit of study is a coherent body of subject matter aligned with standards that focuses on a main topic or process that can last from a few days to several weeks.

2. Rationale for a standards-based unit of study Ensures instructional alignment with standards Makes sense to learners Links learning to living—provides relevance to students’ lives Promotes learners’ awareness of the “why” for learning Reflects efforts to design instruction best suited to individual learners Encourages unit designers to think carefully and collaboratively about their work Makes the textbook a tool rather than the major force behind instruction

3. The Context for Unit Design Modules : large organizing categories for the big ideas to teach during the academic year; may be a theme/topic for a quarter or trimester; reflected in assessment by body of work and most closely connected to reporting standards; best opportunity for high road transfer.

4. The Context for Unit Design Units of study : within each module, segments of learning lasting from two to six weeks; reflected in summative assessments; may be organized around a text set; best opportunity for low road transfer.

5. The Context for Unit Design Lessons : specific, targeted instruction, for a clear purpose; focus of formative assessment practices; a lesson may last a few minutes or a couple of class sessions.

6. Components Of A Standards-based Unit Of Study Unit organizer – an essential question Standards addressed Learning experiences Line of inquiry/text-based questions Assessments Scoring criteria Strategies for addressing various student needs Resources Reflection

7. Planning a unit of study We used to:Now we: Begin planning with identification of instructional activities Begin planning by identifying what students will know and do Plan the same instruction for all students Intentionally plan instruction to meet each learner’s needs Provide teacher-directed instruction Create student-centered instruction (inquiry, investigation) Rely on textbook as main source of information Use a variety of instructional resources Do assessments infrequently and mostly at the end of a unit Understand that assessment is ongoing, informs instruction, and allows for extending understanding Have students work toward goals that were unclear Help students work to meet clearly defined and known standards

8. Module The big idea across several units of study May be organized by reporting/graduation standards –Target a single reporting standard –Pair or group reporting standards –Identify opportunities to demonstrate high road transfer (a.k.a. proficiency) across the module

9. Unit of Study Goals/content standards/reporting standards Rigor/complexity Rigor/cognitive demand Formative, benchmark, and summative assessment Performance tasks/student voice and choice Multiple opportunities to experience direct instruction, practice (develop), and demonstrate proficiency Increase likelihood of transfer – low road and high road

10. Unit of Study May be organized around a cluster/group of relative standards Should culminate with a meaningful performance task at DOK 4 Clearly relates to student experience with curriculum in the content area and across all content areas

11. Lessons Assure logical progression of learning experiences aligned to developmental progressions Include multiple opportunities for formative assessment and flexibility of response to assessment data

12. Teaching by Phenomenon The Finns are teaching phenomena—such as the European Union, which encompasses learning languages, history, politics, and geography. No more of an hour of history followed by an hour of chemistry. The idea aims to eliminate one of the biggest gripes of students everywhere: “What is the point of learning this?” Now, each subject is anchored to the reason for learning it.

13. Evaluating the Standards Based Unit of Study Review the unit development template. Analyze the Kennedy unit. –What is helpful? –What is missing? If you begin by identifying the standards you will teach and opportunities for transfer, does this change the way you structure curriculum and instruction?

14. Planning a Standards Based Unit of Study Identify a possible module and unit of study you would like to develop Use the template to begin planning a unit

15. Time for a break?