Making Connections: Concept-Based Learning/Prioriting Curriculum/Learning-Focused Framework

1. Making Connections:Concept-Based Learning/Prioriting Curriculum/Learning-Focused Framework Middle Grades Professional Development North Asheboro Middle School March 3, 2008

2. Leading With the Right Work:Intentional vs. Instinctive “The right work at both the school level and the district level is to do something that impacts the classroom.” -Robert Marzano

3. Knowledge of Curriculum and Instruction Focus on Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Monitoring/Evaluating Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment Instruction Matters: Professional Development in ACS • Guaranteed and ViableCurriculum • CITW • Formative Assessment (McREL, 2006)

4. Essential Question: • What is it we can all do together that we can’t do on our own, to move forward with creating a guaranteed and viable curriculum for Asheboro City Schools?

5. What is a Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum? • Guaranteed and viable curriculum is … -Opportunity for students to learn the content. -Adequate time for teachers to teach the content. -Overall, ensuring that the articulated curriculum content for any course, any grade level can be adequately addressed in the time available (viability). (McREL, 2006)

6. Guaranteed & Viable Curriculum Actions • Essential content, knowledge, and skills are identified for all students. • There is adequate time for students to learn essential knowledge and skills. • Instruction and assessment are aligned with essential knowledge and skills. • The vocabulary words students will be required to use on assessments are taught in all classes. • Attention remains focused on goals for learning the essential curriculum regardless of distractions that may arise during a year. (McREL, 2006)

7. Actions: Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum • Walkthroughs – administrators • Vocabulary – each grade level and content area • Complete: Prioritization of curriculum, pacing guides, integrated units of study • Continuation of vertical and grade level/content planning meetings.

8. Essential Questions • What is a prioritized curriculum, and how do teachers use it? • What are the “enduring understandings” within each of the core subjects (math, social studies, science, and language arts)? • What role do essential questions play in teaching for deeper meaning? • Why is it important for teachers to know how they are going to assess students before planning lessons? • How and where does differentiated instruction fit into a prioritized curriculum?

9. Middle School Professional Development

10. Middle School Professional Development

11. How do I think about, plan, and deliver instruction so that students can learn it faster and keep it longer? (p.4) • Planning • Learning • Units • How do I “put it all together” to plan a unit? • Unit Design • Prioritizing • Curriculum • Authentic • Assessment • Rubrics • Acceleration/ • Previewing • How can I use • Previewing to • Accelerate student • Learning? • Content Maps • Vocabulary • Acquisition Lessons • How do I plan • an acquisition • lesson? • Essential Questions • Activating Prior Knowledge • And motivational Launch • Teaching Strategies • Summarizing • Extending/ Thinking • How do I plan for the • Extending Thinking Level • of learning? • Essential Questions • Mini Lesson • Thinking Skills Activities • Sharing • Reviewing for Mastery p. 4 Overview: Learning-Focused Notebook

12. Exemplary Practices in High Achievement Schools Organization Vertical and Grade Level Teams Large Blocks of Time Literacy and Math Blocks Assessment Continuous Formative Assessment, Rubrics Instruction Advanced Organizers, Scaffolding, Differentiated Instruction Curriculum Unit Content Maps,K-12 Benchmarks, Maps, Prioritized Curriculum Planning Data, Teams,… p.9 Overview: Learning-Focused Notebook

13. “To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.” -Stephen R. Covey The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

14. Three Important Questions: • What do you want students to know, understand, and be able to do? (K.U.D. – Rick Wormelli, Differentiated Instruction) (Content Maps - Learning-Focused Framework) • How will you assess student learning? (Diagnostic, Formative, Summative) • How will you develop daily lesson plans to reflect the first two? (Acquistion Lesson Plans – “EATS” – Learning-Focused Framework)

15. Background References • Jacobs, H.H.(2004) Getting Results with Curriculum Mapping. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. • Marzano, R. (2003) What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. • Marzano, et al. (1992) Dimensions of Learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. • Marzano, R., Pickering, D., & Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. • Marzano, R., Zeno, B.,& Pollack, J. (1999). Research into practice: Assessment, grading, and record keeping in the classroom. Aurora, CO:McREL. • Thompson, M., & J. (1991) Learning-Focused Strategies. NC: Learning-Focused Solutions, Inc. • Tomlinson, C.A., & McTighe, J. (2006) Integrating Differentiated Instruction & Understanding By Design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. • Wiggans, G., & McTighe, J. (1998) Understanding By Design. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

16. Why Is Having a Prioritized Curriculum Important? • The shear breadth of the state curriculum. “Mile wide and an inch deep” (social studies, math, science) “It constantly spirals” (language arts) • FACT: NC has the 8th largest curriculum in the nation! • By necessity, the focus is on coverage, not learning. • Allocation of time and remediation varies from teacher to teacher.

17. Definitions • Curriculum – the NC Standard Course of Study for various subject areas plus local curriculum additions. • Prioritizing– identifying curriculum components as essential, important, or able to be compacted.

18. Essential– curriculum skills or knowledge for which students must have an enduring understanding: mastery level learning • Key Question: What is worth and requiring of understanding? • 50 % of the total curriculum should be Essential • Instruction Time: 70% p. 10 Overview: Learning-Focused Notebook

19. Important– curriculum skills or knowledge which students must know at recall level; information that is introduced or extended. • Key question: What is evidence of understanding? • 30 % of the total curriculum should be Important • Instruction Time: 20% p. 10 Overview: Learning-Focused Notebook

20. Compacted– curriculum skills or knowledge which may be enriching or “nice to know,” but is not critical for the further knowledge development; maintaining knowledge or information. • Key question: What learning experiences and teaching promote understanding, interest, and excellence? • 20% of the total curriculum should be compacted. • Instruction Time: 10% p. 10 Overview: Learning-Focused Notebook

21. Understandings • To prioritize the curriculum, a teacher must have a thorough knowledge of the curriculum, including clear essential questions, indicators for mastery, assessments, and accelerations. • The teacher must be able to translate the curriculum into “real language” rather than educational jargon. • Prioritized curriculum allows greater emphasis on those concepts which must be understood and less time on things which must be known.

22. Understandings – cont. • Prioritizing the curriculum is a vertical process. Concepts identified as essential in one grade must have the pre-requisite prior learning from the previous grade and lead to essential curriculum in the following grade. • Questioning strategies and assessment methods differ for essential information (how, why), important information (who, what, when, where), and compact (who, what) information. • Prioritized and pacing are captured on curriculum maps. • THIS IS AN EVOLVING PROCESS. THE WORK IS NEVER FINISHED.

23. Let’s Begin!Process for Prioritizing the Curriculum January – March, 2008: • Unpack the curriculum. • Reword the goals and objectives into usable language. 3. Identify the Essential, Important, and Compact pieces of learning. • Identify the big ideas/key concepts within the curriculum. (Begin) • Identify the “Enduring Understandings” that students need to carry with them into the next grade and the real world. (Begin)

24. Where do we begin? Things to discuss in vertical conversations between now and March 3: • Review January 7: key nouns and verbs identified in the NCSCOS for each subject area. • Share across grade levels – a) Start with the goals. What similarities and differences do you notice from one grade level to the next? Pay special attention to the verbs! (NC Thinking Skills) Ex. Language Arts – pick one goal and follow the thinking skills from 6th to 8th grade. What happens? b) Next – the objectives – ex. What does objective 1.01 look like in a classroom? What instructional strategies/approaches do teachers use to “teach” the objective? What are kids doing to demonstrate mastery of the objective? Go back to the similarities – if certain goals and objectives appear to be similar from one grade level to the next, how does this play out in the classroom? How does instruction differ from 6th to 7th to 8th grade? What impact do the Thinking Skills have on how instruction looks different from one grade level to the next?

25. (continued) • Which goals/objectives are Essential, Important, Compact? (Worksheet & Matrix) • What are the big ideas/concepts (residual learning) in each subject that students will carry with them when they leave your class and move to the next grade level (and beyond)? Vertical Meeting Dates: ?

26. March 3, 2008 – end of the year • Share vertical conversations. • Recognize the relationship between concept-based learning, prioritizing the curriculum, and the Learning-Focused framework. • Revise/Develop Essential Questions to reflect prioritized goal/objectives. (Continue) • Identify the big ideas/key concepts within the curriculum. (Continue) • Identify the “Enduring Understandings” that students need to carry with them into the next grade and the real world. (Continue) • Complete Essential/Important/Compacted Matrix (1 per subject/per grade) by June 2008. Submit to Jennifer Smith.

27. 2008-2009 School Year: 5. Identify/Prioritize Vocabulary 6. Develop Essential Questions. {for the Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings} 7. Determine appropriate assessment/product tools to determine mastery or knowledge level. 8. Design appropriate integrated units of study for the depth of learning that include differentiated instructional strategies and technology integration.

28. Thanks for a great afternoon!