Clear Standards/Curriculum Framework Licia Lentz Woodland Hills High School February 12, 2010

Curriculum Framework A curriculum framework specifies what topics are to be taught at which grade levels for each subject in the curriculum. At any given grade level, the topics that are taught are those-and only those-that are needed to provide the foundation for what comes next. In Pennsylvania, we are developing curriculum frameworks that are built by identifying standards, anchors, big ideas, concepts, competencies, essential questions academic vocabulary, and exemplars.

Curriculum Framework Big Ideas Concepts Competencies Essential Questions Vocabulary Exemplars

Big Ideas Declarative statements that describe concepts that transcend grade levels. Big Ideas are essential to provide focus on specific content for all students.

Concepts Describe what students should know (key knowledge) as a result of this instruction specific to grade level.

Competencies Describe what students should be able to do (key skills) as a result of this instruction, specific to grade level.

Essential Questions Questions connected to the SAS framework and are specifically linked to the Big Ideas. They should frame student inquiry, promote critical thinking, and assist in learning transfer.

Vocabulary Key terminology linked to the standards, big ideas, concepts and competencies in a specific content area and grade level.

Exemplars Performance tasks that can be used for assessment and instruction as well as professional development. Exemplars provide educators with a concrete example of assessing students’ understanding of the big ideas, concepts and competencies.

Old Bloom’sNew Bloom’s

Old Bloom’s Knowledge: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce state. Comprehension: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate, Application: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write. Analysis: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test. Synthesis: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write. Evaluation: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.

NEW BLOOM’S Creating Generating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing things Designing, constructing, planning, producing, inventing. Evaluating Justifying a decision or course of action Checking, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting, judging Analysing Breaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships Comparing, organising, deconstructing, interrogating, finding Applying Using information in another familiar situation Implementing, carrying out, using, executing Understanding Explaining ideas or concepts Interpreting, summarising, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining Remembering Recalling information Recognising, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding

SAMME Scaffolding Active-Engagement Modeling Metacognition Explicit Instruction

Curriculum Framework: Big Ideas: – Declarative statements that describe concepts that transcend grade levels. – Essential to provide focus on specific content for all students. Concepts: – Describe what students should know, key knowledge, as a result of this instruction, specific to grade level. Competencies: – Describe what students should be able to do, key skills, as a result of this instruction, specific to grade level.

Mathematics Grade 8- Pre-Algebra Strand Big Idea- – Numbers, measures, expressions, equations and inequalities can represent mathematical situations and structures in many equivalent forms. – The set of real numbers has infinite subsets including the sets of whole numbers, integers, rational and irrational numbers. – Patterns exhibit relationships that can be extended, described and generalized.

Mathematics Grade 8- Pre-Algebra Strand Concepts Rate of change Polygons and Polyhedra Distance, Pythagorean Theorem Representations Linear functions Linear equations and inequalities

Essential Questions How does understanding of equivalent forms of numbers help us to differentiate between rational and irrational numbers? How and when can the Pythagorean Theorem help us to calculate the length of a segment without directly measuring it? Within polygons and polyhedra, how can we use angle relationships to solve mathematical problems? How can you use a scale for your graph so that I best represents a situation? How can we choose a sale so that the chosen scale distorts the data or misleads the reader?

Vocabulary Absolute Value: A number’s distance from zero on a number line. The absolute value of 2 is equal to the absolute value of -2. Box-and-Whisker Plot: A graphic method for showing a summary of data using median, quartiles and extremes of data. Combination: A subset of the elements in a given set, without regard to the order in which those elements are arranged. Compound Event: An event that consists of two or more simple events; for example: A or B; A and. B and C. Composite Number: Any positive integer exactly divisible by one or more positive integers other than itself and 1.

“Change does not change tradition. It strengthens it. Change is a challenge and an opportunity, not a threat.” - Prince Phillip of England