1. Curriculum Design from Performance Standards
Standards-Based Education
and the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS)
Unpacking Standards Using the
Understanding by Design Framework
Adapted for use in EDUC621 by
Sherah B. Carr, Ph.D.
Mercer University

2. Brain Storm Enduring Understandings
ALONE…
Put one word or phrase on each post-it note that explains something about an “enduring understanding”
GROUP…
Share words – group like words
Determine category labels
Add to your group board
Enduring Understandings

3. Comprehensive Unit Design
How is the “big picture” unit design process used in standards-based teaching and learning?

4. Lesson Planning #1 Open teacher’s edition. Teach lesson.
Check off GCPs covered.

5. Lesson Planning #2 Go to Media Center.
Check out latest issue of “The Mailbox” magazine.
Select activity.
Teach/do activity.
Check off GPS’s covered.

6. Big picture or “backwards design” planning
What do I want my students to know and be able to do?
How will I know if my students know it and/or can do it?
What will need to be done to help my students learn the required knowledge?
What will I do when I have a student who doesn’t know it or can’t do it?

7. Why this process? Clear expectations Targets of performance
Focus on evidence of learning
Student achievement relative to the standards

8. Step #1. What do I want my students to know and be able to do?
Standards and elements
“Unpack” the standard
Identify “big ideas”
Enduring Understandings/Essential Questions
Prioritize EUs and EQs
Knowledge and Skills

9. “Unpacking” a Standard
Identify “big ideas”
Significant words and phrases
Transfer to other contexts
Serve as organizers for planning instruction
Are conceptual; abstract

10. “Unpacking” a Standard
Enduring Understandings
Statements
Declarations of what we want students to understand
“Students will understand that _________ .”
Essential Questions
Open ended
“How” questions
Revisitable

11. “Unpacking” a Standard
EUs and EQs
Broad focus
No “right” answer
Designed to provoke and sustain student inquiry, while focusing learning and final performances
Raise other important questions

12. Knowledge and Skills Considerations
What you want students to know, be able to do and understand by the end of this unit
Integrated – incorporates literacy into math, science or social studies

13. Where to next?
Let’s look at some sample GPS and how we would use them for unit planning.

14. http://www.georgiastandards.org Training Materials Standards
Frequently Asked Questions

15. Enrichment & Extension
New GPS Standards
Content
Mapping
Teamwork
Assessment
Instruction
Enrichment & Extension
Understanding
New Standards

16. GPS Phase-in Plan

17. Test Alignment
Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests (CRCT) Test alignment is completed during Year II implementation for each content area and grade level.

18. Example: 3-5 Science Assessment Timeline
School year: All grades 3-5 science CRCT will assess the QCC.
School year: Grades 3-5 science CRCT will assess the GPS.

19. QCC versus GPS Comparisons
12   Topic: Energy and Its Transformation: Sound Standard: Describes sources of sounds and how sounds move through different kinds of matter. Compares how different sounds move through air, water, rock and similar materials.                
13 Defines sound and identifies its properties. Observes that sound is produced by vibrations.                
14  Discovers that sound varies in pitch, intensity and quality. Produces sounds that vary as to: high, low or loud, soft, and produces sounds that differ in tone.                
15  Investigates the relationship between attributes of waves and qualities of sound. Connects attributes of waves (wavelength and frequency) to attributes of sound (pitch, intensity).                
16  Describes how we hear sounds. Describes how the outer, middle and inner ear transmit vibrations to the brain.                
17  Recognizes technological devices that produce sound (loudspeakers, bullhorns) or help humans hear better (hearing aid, stethoscope).             
GPS
S4P2. Students will demonstrate how sound is produced by vibrating objects and how sound can be varied by changing the rate of vibration.
a. Investigate how sound is produced.
b. Recognize the conditions that cause pitch to vary.

20. K – 5 Science at a Glance

21. How to Read a Language Arts Standard Number
ELA3W2
ELA = English Language Arts
3 = Grade 3
W = Writing strand
2 = Standard number 2
3rd Grade English Language Arts
2nd Writing Standard

22. How to Read a Science Standard
Characteristics of Science Standards
S3CS2
Science Grade 3 Characteristics of Science Standard #2
Content Standards
S3P1
Science Grade 3 Physical Science Standard #1
S4E2
Science Grade 4 Earth Science Standard #2
S5L2
Science Grade 5 Life Science Standard #2
This has been a source of confusion. Make sure participants are comfortable with the code.

23. Essential Question 2
How is the unit design process used in standards-based teaching and learning?

24. Standards Based Education Model see handout
GPS
Stage 1
Identify Desired Results
(Big Ideas) Enduring Understandings 
Essential Questions 
Skills and Knowledge
(one or more)
Standards
Elements
Stage 2
Determine Acceptable Evidence
(Design Balanced Assessments)
(To assess student progress toward desired results)
All above, plus
Tasks
Student Work
Teacher
Commentary
Stage 3
Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction
(to support student success on assessments,
leading to desired results)
All above

25. Unit Design Design with the goal in mind
Initial Process of Unit Design
Big Ideas
Enduring Understanding
Essential Questions
Content Map
Key Vocabulary

26. Big Ideas
What are the big ideas and core processes at the heart of this standard?
What do I want to concentrate on and emphasize in this unit?
Refer to UbD book pages 73-74
Tips for finding big ideas

27. Enduring Understandings Bad to Best
NO: “Students will understand rocks.
NO: “Students will know how to classify rocks
YES: “Students will understand that rocks are classified according to properties that you can observe and/or test.

28. Big Idea: Rocks and Minerals
S3E1. Students will investigate the physical attributes of rocks and soils. a. Recognize the physical attributes of rocks and minerals using observation (shape, color, texture), measurement, and simple tests (hardness).
Big Idea: Rocks and Minerals
Enduring Understanding: Students will understand that rocks are classified according to properties that you can observe and/or test.
Tips about identifying and framing understandings -See UbD pages

29. Enduring Understandings Bad to Best
“Students will understand weather.”
Bad. It does not tell us what they should understand about weather.
“Students will understand weather instruments.”
Better. It narrows the focus, but it still does not state what insights we want students to leave with.
“Students will understand that weather instruments give us data to use in forecasting the weather.
Best. This summarizes intended insight, helps students and teachers realize what types of learning activities are needed to support the understanding.

30. Developing Essential Questions
Are big, open-ended or topic-related
Examine how (process) and why (cause and effect)
Consider various levels in Bloom’s taxonomy
Use language appropriate to students
Sequence so they lead naturally from one to another
Can be used as organizers for the unit, making the “content” answer the questions
Can be shared with other teachers
Tips for generating essential questions
UbD pages

31. YOUR TURN TO THINK! Let’s try it Look at elementary level GPS
Look for:
Big ideas
Write “enduring understandings”

32. Four Groups – Write EU’s
First Grade Science – Students will observe, measure and communicate weather data to see patterns in weather and climate.
First Grade Science – Students will demonstrate effects of magnets and other objects.
Second Grade Math – Students will create simple tables and graphs and interpret their meaning.
Second Grade Math – Students will understand and compare fractions.

33. Three Facts and a Fib Pair Work
Review your notes and the handouts on enduring understandings (EU’s)
With your partner
Create 3 true statements about EU’s
Create 1 false statement about EU’s
Randomly determine where the false statement will be