Summer Focus

• Learning Map for each unit

• Common Mid-term and Final Exam for each course

• Identify pre-requisites for each course (to be used for pre-tests)

Traditional design is like

setting out on a trip

and not knowing where you are going

And

not knowing

how you will know when you get there

Textbook

Teacher’s favorite topic/book

Time-honored activities

Backward DesignBackward DesignBackward DesignBackward Design“To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means you know where you’re going…so the steps you take are always in the right direction”

What is backward design?

It’s thinking about

assessment

before

Deciding how you teach

BEFORE Planning instruction

How will the student prove he/she understands..?

The performance task or

culminating project

provides evidence that students are able to use

their knowledge in context

Tests, quizzesjournals, writing

samples, etcare used to assess

knowledge & skills that contribute to the

culminating performances

Is it teaching to the test?

It’s determining/identifying

exactly what skills & knowledge students will need

to know and be able to do as

prerequisites to completing the

culminating project

It seems backward

because rather than creating assessments near the end of a

unit of study (or relying on textbook tests) we determine

assessment evidence as we begin

to plan a unitNot in the shower the day

before the test!

• Determine and prioritize desired results

• Create the assessment

beforeplanning instruction!

Curriculum Planning

Key Concept:

The textbook or novel is not the course of study

The textbook or novel is only a resource that supports the desired results

They are tools – not the syllabus

Coverage is like marching through the textbook

Identify desired results

Determine acceptable evidence

Plan learning experiences

& instruction

Culminating Project or Performance task

Why plan for

assessment

before

planning instruction?

Standards help teachers

Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, SCHOOL & COLLEGE,http://schoolandcollege.com/articles/2006/03/01a00901/index.html#views.

Percentage of teachers who said their instruction has been helped by having clearly specified learning goals for students

82%

Stage #1

Desired ResultsEstablish

GoalsIdentify big ideas/concepts/understanding

Determine essential questions

Identify what students will be able to…Standards

EOC blueprints

HSAP blueprints

Course objectives

We are not teaching a book

We are teaching concepts/skills/processes/strategies

We do not teach Animal Farm

We teach how to identify a fable, understand satire, allegories, and symbolism, the meaning of eulogy, etc.

What provocative questions will foster inquiry, understanding, and transfer learning?

Identify key skills and knowledge students will acquire.

What should students be to as a result?

Big Ideas

Are rarely obvious!

Clarify Content Prioritiesand Identify the Big Ideas

• Worth being familiar with• Important to know & do• Big ideas & core tasks

Look at the standards and EOC Blueprints

R1 The student will integrate various cues and strategies to comprehend what he or

she reads. 23.6%

R2 The student will use a knowledge of purposes, structures, and elements of writing

to analyze and interpret various types of text. 27.3%

R3 The student will apply knowledge of word analysis strategies to determine the meaning of new words encountered in reading material and use them correctly

15.5%

W1 The student will apply a process approach to writing. 20%

C1 The student will use speaking skills to participate in large and small groups in both

formal and informal situations. 10.9%

RS1 The student will select a topic for exploration. >1%

RS2 The student will gather information from a variety of sources. >1% 

ELA Blueprint

Big ideas

Concepts adaptation, perspective

Themes good triumphs over evil, coming of age

Paradoxes freedom must have limits, leave home

to find oneself

Theory manifest destiny, evolution

Underlying assumptions markets are rational, texts have

meaning

Understanding/Principle correlation does not ensure causality,

form follows function

examples

To what extent does the idea, topic, or process represent a “big idea” having enduring value beyond the classroom?

Enduring understandings go beyond discrete facts or skills to focus on larger concepts, principles, or processes. As such, they are applicable to new situations within or beyond the subject.

For example, we study the enactment of the Magna Carta as a specific historical event because of its significance to a larger idea.

That idea is the rule of law, whereby written laws specify the limits of a government's power and the rights of individuals—concepts such as due process. This big idea transcends its roots in 13th century England to become a cornerstone of modern democratic societies. Does a student need to know this in adult life?

Standards

Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to help understand what each standard is requiring and help ensure that

standards, lessons, and assessments are aligned.

Standards

Rather than stating that students will learn..

the taxonomy helps clarify specifically

Essential Questions

How does fear threaten freedom?

Sets the focus of the lesson

No single right answer

Raise other questions

Id’s what student will able to do/know at the end of the lesson

Which is the best LEQ in each example

• What is foreshadowing? OR• How does foreshadowing help you

understand a story?

• What are the nine planets? OR• What makes up our solar system?

• What is a linear equation? OR• How do you solve real world problems

using linear equations?

Stage #2

Assessment EvidencePerformance Task

or Culminating Activity

provides

evidence that students are able to use their knowledge

in context

This is the time to create the task.

It’s authentic if:

Task set in a scenario that replicates or simulates real-world situations

The Swimming SchoolThe Swimming SchoolTune: “On Top of Old Smoky”Tune: “On Top of Old Smoky”

Last year I decided Last year I decided

To be fit and trimTo be fit and trim

So I took a class called, So I took a class called,

““Let’s Learn How to Swim”Let’s Learn How to Swim”

The classroom was tidy, The classroom was tidy,

the textbook was coolthe textbook was cool

It had colored pictures of folks in a pool.It had colored pictures of folks in a pool.

Written by Jean Spanko

I read every chapter, I read every lineI read every chapter, I read every line

I did all the worksheets- success would be mine.I did all the worksheets- success would be mine.

The teacher said, “First thing, The teacher said, “First thing,

We’ll learn not to drown. We’ll learn not to drown.

I’d suggest you take notes now,I’d suggest you take notes now,

‘‘Cause this is profound.Cause this is profound.

The test will be Friday, it’s fill-in-the-blankThe test will be Friday, it’s fill-in-the-blank

I grade on the bell curveI grade on the bell curve

To see where you rank.”To see where you rank.”

Swimming School, pg. 2Swimming School, pg. 2

Written by Jean Spanko

Well, wonder of wonders, Well, wonder of wonders,

I got the best scoreI got the best score

So now I was ready to swim shore to shore.So now I was ready to swim shore to shore.

I rushed to the pool I rushed to the pool

Which was right down the blockWhich was right down the block

I jumped in the water and sank like a rock.I jumped in the water and sank like a rock.

The lifeguard who saved me The lifeguard who saved me

Was not too impressedWas not too impressed

When I showed my grade card When I showed my grade card

That proved I was best.That proved I was best.

Swimming School, pg. 3Swimming School, pg. 3

Written by Jean Spanko

He said, “Swimming’s a pattern of kicking and He said, “Swimming’s a pattern of kicking and strokesstrokes

But you have no program, your class was a But you have no program, your class was a hoax.”hoax.”

So now I’m enrolled in So now I’m enrolled in

““Let’s Learn How to Knit,”Let’s Learn How to Knit,”

I’m making a muu-muu~ I’m making a muu-muu~

Forget being fit!Forget being fit!

Swimming School, pg. 4Swimming School, pg. 4

Written by Jean Spanko

It’s authentic if:

It requires judgment and innovation

Has to use skills wisely/effectively to address challenges or solve problems. The realistic challenges require the learner to figure out the nature of the problem

Not reciting, restating, regurgitating

How would an adult truly use this in real life?

Performance Tasks and Projects   As complex challenges that mirror the issues and

problems faced by adults, they are authentic. Ranging in length from short-term tasks to long-term, multi-

staged projects, they require a production or performance. They differ from prompts because they

•Feature a setting that is real or simulated: one that involves the kind of constraints, background noise,

incentives, and opportunities an adult would find in a similar situation.

•Typically require the student to address an identified audience.

•Are based on a specific purpose that relates to the audience.

•Allow the student greater opportunity to personalize the task.

•Are not secure. Task, criteria, and standards are known in advance and guide the student's work.

Alignment

Big idea Performance task/Major project –

Cause & Effect of the Civil War create a diorama

of a great battle of the war with

exhibit materials

Rules of War analyze and debate in what ways

(Does the ends justify the means?) General Washington’s surprise

attack violates rules of war?

Criteria for evaluation

Culminating Activity/Project Rubric

Rubrics are given to the student when the task is

assigned

Determine the criteria by:• Establish the BEST, the EXEMPLARY• Define the lowest level of

performance• Identify what is between the top &

bottom

To find rubrics to use or modify

• http://rubistar.4teachers.org• http://uen.org/rubric• http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profd

ev/rubrics/shtml

Score: Exemplary: 100-95 Needs Improvement 81-87

Good: 94-88 Re-teach 80 or less

Authentic assessments• Example #1. Consider the difference between asking students

to answer multiple choice questions about geared systems and mechanical advantages and asking them to construct a transmission that will displace a required load with a pre determined power input. In the latter case, students must put their knowledge and skills to work just as they might do naturally in or out of school.

• Example #2. Students are given some polluted water and some materials to help them with cleaning up the water. They are not given any advice, but are encouraged to work in teams to get the water as clean as possible. Later, they are asked to reflect on which methods were most effective. Also, they reflect on which types of pollutants were most difficult to remove. Then results are compared to water treatment techniques.

• Example #3. Students are asked to design a company called Pythagorean Industries. They are asked to explain their strategies and make all computations. They must control a budget while ordering necessary supplies. They must list and graph monthly expenses.

Pythagorean IndustriesMemo To: Accounting Dept.From: Mrs. HaneyDate: 02/26/01Re: Company Expenses 

Monthly Expenses

The following is a list of our monthly expenses. Please create a circle graph which shows what percent of our total expenses each expense represents. Attach a description of how the graph was created. Include any conclusions or thoughts you have regarding our monthly expenses. Amount of ExpenseRent for Office Space $6,500Company cars $2,550Electricity $6,400Salaries $68,550Advertising $136,000Production $30,000 

Authentic assessments

• http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/examples/authentictaskexamples.htm

With your department..• ID desired results & prioritize• Determine & create culminating

activities/performance tasks (major common assessments)

• Establish criteria - rubrics

• Determine how you & dept plan to use MAP data