A New Essential Curriculum

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A New Essential Curriculum
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Essential questions

• What is essential for our learners now?
• What revisions should be made in the present
  curriculum in light of new global realities?
• How might state standards be reconsidered to
  support our students?
• What are new essential conditions to support our
  work?

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Rethinking standards worthwhile targets for
learning

• Standards vary between states
• Minimal attention to global realities
• Confusion between state tests and standards
• Pressures for testing are pulling us away from
  curriculum
• Cursory attention to contemporary issues
• Focus on literacy should be cross-disciplinary
• Many standards do not progress developmentally
  with any significance.

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Essential from the Latin esse meaning to be
to distill to the core
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How many standards are there?

• Average 200 broad standards
• 3093 benchmarks
• Feasibility given of days/hours/minutes
• Feasibility of operational days
• 15,465 hours necessary
• 13,104 hours available (optimum)
• Necessary to lengthen to grades 21-22 prior to
  college
• Increase time or decrease standards
• Source (Marzano and KendallMACREL, Awash in a
  Sea of Standards ,1999)

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The operational curriculum should support vital
and critical standards.
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Curriculum design requires us to make choices
about what is essential now to help our learners
for their future.
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Update English Language Arts

• Expansive genre studies K-12
• Classics and new voices
• Studying screenplays and teleplays
• Poetry SLAMS
• Memorization of classic work
• Critiques of electronic media

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Expansion of Literacy Media Criticism/ Media
Invasion/Media Making

• TV critiques pre K-grade 3
• Unit Effects of TV on Me
• Formal media criticism begins grade 4
• Television/film writing and production
• Documentary studies/ NPR models
• Web based national/international anthologies of
  childrens stories and observations (RTW)
• Teaching students to conduct video conferences
• Current Communications Benchmark

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Teaching English as if it were a foreign language

• Foreign language teachers
• emphasize constant spoken language exercises.
• emphasize consistent and correct use of grammar
  in writing and in speech.
• constantly assess listening.
• immerse students in practice scenarios.
• emphasize self-assessment for independent
  competence.
• work on phonemic awareness coupled with text
  interaction as a necessity.

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Grades 4-12 Every teacher is a language
teacher

• reading
• writing
• speaking
• listening

• Upgrading language skills
• Across all curriculum areas
• Interdependence of the four language skills
• Upgrading notebooks as assessments

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Speaking and listening skills formally assessed

• On-going interaction via video conferencing/or
  telephone with students abroad
• On-going interaction with students in other parts
  of the U.S.
• Issue based forums regularly planned for grades
  4-12.

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Rethinking Mathematics

• Eliminating snapshot mathematics in pre-K
  through grade 3
• Language arts daily speech and writing activity
  describing procedures and concepts
• Corresponding time for students in middle school
  to balance those who accelerate
• Summer Math programs in conjunction with colleges
  and universities for separate genders
• FOCUS on translation strategies post-its on math
  pages
• Self-tutorials using computers for homework and
  practice

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Revising and upgrading skills in the curriculum

• Planting lifelong capacity
• Language Literacy
• Social Literacy
• Global Literacy
• Cultural Literacy

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K-2

• Sculptures
• Models
• Observation notes
• Captions
• Story boards
• Joke-telling
• Murals
• Diorama
• Graphs
• Charts
• Checklists
• Symbol systems
• Speech to persuade

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Grades 3-5

• artifact analysis
• comparative observation
• play performance
• newspaper articles
• math matrix design
• extended research
• reports
• note cards
• interview questions
• short stories
• photo essaytext

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Grades 6-8

• the essay, the essay, the essay....
• hypothesis testing and telling
• issue based forums
• blueprints
• models
• museum text/captions
• four note taking forms
• organizational templates

• original playwriting
• simulations

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Grades 9-10and 11-12

• film criticism
• policy statements
• literary criticism
• professional journals
• senior defense project
• workstudy analysis

• position papers
• legal briefs
• business plans
• anthologies
• choreography
• game strategy books

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Essential questions

• What revisions should be made in the present
  curriculum in light of new global realities?
• How might state standards be reconsidered to
  support our students?
• What are developmental considerations for
  curriculum revision?

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ACCESS Power StandardsReading, Writing,
Listening Speaking

• Leverage
• Endurance
• Success
• in
• School

LESS
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ACCESS Power Standards

• What we agree to micro manage
• Frequent opportunities to learn
• Frequent assessment
• Report and analyze data

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Unpacking a StandardObjectives

• Understand a process for developing quality
  assessments in a standards-based system
• Identify four types of achievement targets within
  a standard
• Review several major types of assessment
• Match targets to most appropriate methods of
  assessment
• Consider best uses for this process in a
  standards-based setting

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Unpacking a StandardWhere we are heading

• Understand how breaking down (unpacking) a
  standard to relevant classroom targets can lead
  to the development or selection of appropriate
  assessments and instruction.

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Defining Classroom Achievement Targets

• Targets are specific to focus learning
• Targets center on what is truly important so that
  assessment and instruction will be efficient
• Targets guide selection of appropriate types of
  assessment

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Types of Targets

• Knowledge and Understanding- mastery of subject
  matter content, understanding where knowledge is
  applied.
• Reasoning- the ability to use the knowledge and
  understanding to figure things out and solve
  problems.

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Types of Targets

• Performance Skills- the development of
  proficiency in doing something where it is the
  process that is important (playing a musical
  instrument, reading aloud, speaking a second
  language)
• Products- the ability to create tangible products
  (science fair projects, term papers)

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Preparing to Take a Trip!

• Knowledge and understanding- Need to know
  functions of pedals, steering wheel, gauges
  meanings of lines on map s on maps and roads.
• Reasoning- Able to calculate the time, with
  average speed, traffic conditions of stops.
• Performance Skills- Actual applying of knowledge
  reasoning to operating the car, staying on the
  right roads, and progressing as planned.
• Product- Successfully completed trip.
• Disposition- Did I enjoy the trip.

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Practice Unpacking

• Considering the completion of your income tax
  returns what must you know and understand to do
  this task?
• What kinds of reasoning might be brought to bear
  to do this task?
• What performance skills will be needed to
  complete the product?
• Whats the product? Completed, legal return.

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Filing Those Taxes!

• Knowledge and understanding- Your income. Dates.
  Appropriate forms. Tax rate(s). Legal and not!
  Tax persons phone . Components of process
  types of taxes, fed, st., local. Where/how to get
  information.
• Reasoning-Selecting right forms
  (problem-solving). Deciding to itemize or not.
  Projection to complete project. Det. Needed
  resources. Knowing consequences of failing to
  file.
• Performance Skills- Ability to procure proper
  forms. Balancing income with withholding before
  filing. Reading math. Using TurboTax!
• Product- Complete, legal term. Big refund. No
  audits. Check for payment.

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Types of Assessment

• Selected Response traditional multiple choice,
  true/false, matching, short answer fill-in.
• Essays Assessment creation of brief, original
  written responses.
• Performance Assessment activities that require
  the demonstration of mastery of performance
  skills or ability to create products.
• Personal Communication asking questions and
  listening to answers to evaluate achievement.

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