2 Search Results for "commoncore"

• C.L.E.A.R. C.L.E.A.R.

  • From: Michael_Fisher
  • Description:

    Across the country, a lot of teachers are realigning unit plans to the Common Core standards. There is a lot of pioneering work going on, in the sense that teachers are articulating their intentions in perhaps different ways than they’ve ever done it before.

    
    As teachers flesh out their new units and the transparent connections between unit elements, I wanted to share the appraisal process I’ve been using with teachers recently.  I call it C.L.E.A.R.
    
    It asks teachers to look at their new unit plans through several lenses:
    
    

    • CLARITY: When others look at your unit, do they interpret it the way you intend?
    • LIVELINESS: Is the instruction lively and dynamic?
    • EVIDENCE: Do the assessments in your unit prove that students have mastered the skills?
    • ALIGNMENT: Is there a balance between standards, content, skills, and assessments?*
    • ROBUSTNESS: Compared to your previous unit, is the new one Robust, Hearty, and Strong?
    
    
    
    Being CLEAR when unit planning is essential to the big “C’s” of curriculum work: Conversation, Collaboration, Consensus...being CLEAR offers opportunities for transparency, continued curriculum conversation, and natural evolution of curriculum from this point forward.
    
    Dated practices, old methods, ancient worksheets and tests are all but extinct in the 21st Century.  And, while the appraisal process doesn’t directly mention college and career readiness, the alignment piece (through the standards) should be mindful of College and Career Capacities and the Standards for Mathematical Practice, as those documents are central to those content areas and inform the standards. Curriculum is ALIVE, or it should be.  
    
    So take this as a sort of “Curriculum Defibrillation.” This is an opportunity to breathe new life into your Instructional Design, an opportunity to be CLEAR.
    
    
    
    
    *just a quick note about alignment:
    The language of the standard(s) should inform the content and skills, with the assessments measuring those skills. The language should be similar across the board. For instance, if a student is being asked to explain something orally as a skill, but the assessment is a written task, the written task wasn’t taught or practiced. The skills could scaffold so that the oral and written are both taught and practiced, but only the written is assessed. Additionally, unit plans should have a “visual congruence” about them, too: a quick look that allows someone to perceive that the unit is mostly in alignment. Giveaways that it might not be aligned include: different language between the elements, too many standards, not enough skills defined in terms of standards, essential questions and big ideas that don’t seem to match at first glance, and inappropriate amounts of time for a particular unit based on what’s included in the unit.
    
    
    
  • Blog post
  • 1 year ago
  • Views: 1386

• Curriculum21: Summer of Succes Curriculum21: Summer of Success!

  • From: Michael_Fisher
  • Description:

    

    With the Common Core standards and Race to the Top initiatives looming large over many of our heads and with the wrap up of another school year, it’s time for some rejuvenation and replenishment!

    
    And then, when you’re feeling ready to get your feet wet again with Summer Curriculum Work, Curriculum 21 has many opportunities this summer for professional development, professional engagement, developing your Professional Learning Network, and working with the Common Core standards & Mapping.
    
    
    There are several opportunities with Curriculum 21 for Professional Development this summer!
    
    Many of the folks on our team are presenting at the ASCD Summer Conference in Boston on topics such as 21st Century Essential Curriculum, Upgrading Curriculum Maps with Digital Tools, Redesigning Assessments for Map Alignment, Administrative Mapping, Mapping ELA to Create a Literacy Framework, A Five-Step Process for Updating and Focusing Curriculum Mapping, and The Curriculum Mapping Planner!  ~Friday Sessions ~Saturday Sessions ~Sunday Sessions
    
    
    The 17th Annual Curriculum Mapping Institute is being held in Saratoga Springs in mid-July. The academies and the institute provide opportunities for over 70 workshops, symposia, think tanks, roundtables, forums, clinics, global video conferences, computer lab sessions, and consultations on topics such as Mapping to the Core, Linking Ubd and Mapping, Upgrading Curriculum for 21st Century Teaching and Learning, Leadership and Mapping, Active Literacy and Mapping, and much, much more! Download the Full Brochure Here.
    If you are coming from New York City, consider taking advantage of this year’s Round Trip Bus Service! DETAILS HERE!  You can also earn graduate credit for attending CMI. Click here for details.
    
    
    Professional Engagement / PLN Opportunities:
    
    Join our new Summer Book Club on the Passion Driven Classroom, by Angela Maiers and Amy Sandvold.  Join the Curriculum 21 Ning, and then join the Book Club Group. There is information in the Book Club about getting a copy of the book using a special Curriculum 21 Discount Code!
    
    The Curriculum 21 Ning is a fantastic place to develop your Professional Learning Network.  Participants from all over the world communicate, collaborate, and discuss all that it means to be 21st Century Learning Leaders!  You can develop your own blog, participate in discussions, virtually participate in conferences and online sessions, and find repositories of resources that were contributed to by top educational professionals worldwide!
    
    Explore the Curriculum 21 Clearing House. It’s full of Web 2.0 resources that could be useful in your own practice! They are separated by tags to make them easy to sort by content or interest area.  Many of the cool web tools that the team discusses in Professional Development are in there, and we’ll be adding much more over the summer! Be sure to check out the Curriculum 21 LiveBinders that collect TONS of resources around topics such as Common Core Crosswalks, using Social Bookmarking, Video Conferencing Resources, and more!
    
    
    Working with Common Core Standards and Mapping:
    
    Check out this list of resources for integrating/implementing Common Core Standards and working with them as part of your mapping initiative or just in your curriculum work!
    
    Just Right Mapping by Giselle O. Martin Kniep, Ph.D.
    Presentations related to the Four Phases of Mapping from Curriculum 21
    Mapping to the Core to Unit Design Preview by Ann Johnson
    Mapping the Common Core Standards Curricuplan webinar with Janet Hale
    Common Core Assessments to Have Built In Accomodations
    Share your ideas about Digi-Rubrics by Heidi Hayes Jacobs
    
    
    Also Check out the Curriculum 21 Podcast Channel!
    Access it HERE on iTunes. Carry the message of an essential education for a changing world right in your pocket.  Stay tuned as we document all of our discussions and travels over the summer!
  • Blog post
  • 2 years ago
  • Views: 1640