Developing a Common Language about CurriculumAcademy 2012

AgendaDeveloping a Common Language

about CurriculumActivity: Working with Curriculum

StandardsReading: A Guaranteed and Viable

CurriculumActivity: Using Curriculum to Guide

InstructionReflectionTools for Facilitating Discussions

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ActivityWith your table groups, discuss

the following question:

WHAT IS CURRICULUM?

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Differences BetweenCurriculum and Instruction

How

What

Why

Content Standard

Performance Standard Instructi

on

The “WHAT” – Content Standards…“the stuff”1. Conceptual Knowledge

2. Procedural Knowledge Cognitive

Curriculum3. Factual Knowledge

4. Metacognitive Knowledge 5

The “WHY” –Performance Standards—the result, outcome, objective, etc. The verb and its modifiers.

What we want students to do with the “stuff”.

The complexity or sophistication with which we want

students to do something with the “stuff”—the

Application / Analysis / Synthesis / Evaluation of

Bloom’s.

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Why are the Performance Standards so important?

Student ExpectationsThe student is expected to:

Performance Standard Content Standard

WHY? WHAT?

“verb” “some stuff”

analyze characters, including their traits, motivations, conflicts, points of view, changes, and

relationships 7

Curriculum Belongs to the System and is Non-Negotiable

WHY?Complies with the LawAssures EquityProvides a Rational SystemReduces Gaps and Unproductive Redundancies

Reduces/Refocuses Teacher Planning Time

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Working with the Curriculum Standards

Circle the Performance Standard

Put a box around “including” and “such as” clarifications.

The remaining text will be the Content Standard underline the Content Standard

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Working with the Curriculum Standards

On the chart paper, record the TEKS in this format:

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Science1.9A

Sort, Classify

LIVING AND NONLIVING THINGS

Including, but not limited to:• Whether they have basic

needs• Whether they produce

offspring

Performance Standard

(verbs, the WHY)

Content Standard

(nouns, the WHAT)Clarifications &

Specificity

What’s Wrong With The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills As A Curriculum Document? The TEKS are a framework for curriculum

development—NOT the curriculum.

1. The TEKS lack specificity.

2. The TEKS are not organized into

rational, coherent units of instruction

with recommended time lines

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Specificity in the TEKSThe content standard for student

expectations is articulated in the “such as…” and “including…” statements◦This clarifies the specific academic

content (the “What”) that students will learn.

“Such as…” means that the given content is negotiable.

“Including…” means that the given content is non-negotiable.

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Next Steps:Develop Specificity in all TEKS and Vertical AlignmentDefine/give specific examples of the

TEKS content standards, sufficient that a teacher new to the profession or to your school district would know precisely what to teach and a test item writer would know what to test.

Ensure that content is vertically aligned without gaps and unnecessary overlaps.

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Differences BetweenCurriculum and Instruction

How

What

Why

Content Standard

Performance Standard Instructi

on

The “HOW” – Instruction

The instruction ◦What the teacher will do to teach

◦What the students will do to learn

Instructional activities & materials

The processes through which the students will learn the curriculum.

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Using Curriculum to Guide Instruction

Sit with your grade level team.Log into Pinterest. Search

“designteam” under the search tab of “people”.

Each content area has a board. Select a content area board to begin.

Preview the pinned activities in that content area and select one that you might consider using with your grade level.

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Using Curriculum to Guide Instruction

Guiding Questions:What is the content standard of

the activity?What grade level content does it

match?What is the performance standard

of the activity?How would you adjust the activity

to meet the performance standard of the TEKS for your grade level?

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Reflections

What were the big aha’s during this process?

What implications does this have for your grade level planning sessions?

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Tools for Facilitating DiscussionWhat are some phrases you can

use to promote alignment of activities to the curriculum?

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Assessing our Learning Target

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