1. T EACHING WITH R IGOR AND R ELEVANCE Northside Elementary June 2013

2. F OCUS FOR 2013/2014: P.I.E.R. P lanning I nstruction E ngagement R igor

3. H OW DO WE PREPARE STUDENTS FOR HIGHER EXPECTATIONS WITH STAAR? Teach with a focus on the TEKS Teach the depth required by the TEKS Design engaging lessons that are rigorous and relevant

4. A CTIVITY : T OWER OF P ASTA Objective: participants will understand the relationship between shapes and strengths of structures in construction. Materials: 20 pieces of dry spaghetti and 20 small marshmallows for each group and a meter stick Procedure: 1: Construct the tallest possible tower using 20 pieces of spaghetti and 20 marshmallows (must stand for 5 minutes) 2: Submit tower design for approval (brainstorm / research designs, agree on a design and sketch it) 3: Begin construction using sketch; make design alterations as needed. 4: Each person completes written summary including a description of the planned tower, design modifications made during construction, and suggestions to other builders on techniques to improve designs of towers. 5: Measure towers and recognize winning groups 6: Discuss design elements 7: Discuss this project as a learning activity

5. D EFINING R IGOR AND R ELEVANCE Rigor… Dictionary: A condition that makes life difficult, challenging, or uncomfortable Relevance… Dictionary: Practical and especially social applicability. But what does rigor and relevance look like in the classroom?

6. R IGOR /R ELEVANCE F RAMEWORK F ROM I NTERNATIONAL C ENTER FOR L EADERSHIP IN E DUCATION, I NC. CD AB Rigor/Relevance Framework Application Knowledge

7. K NOWLEDGE T AXONOMY (Y-A XIS ) 6: Creating 5: Evaluating 4: Analyzing 3: Applying 2: Understanding 1: Remembering

8. A PPLICATION M ODEL (X-A XIS ) 1: Knowledge of one discipline 2: Application within discipline 3: Application across disciplines 4: Application to real- world predictable situations 5: Application to real- world unpredictable situations

9. C OMPLETED F RAMEWORK

10. N ORTHSIDE ’ S F RAMEWORK C: Higher order thinking, content specific, no real-world application, typical formal assessments D: Higher order thinking, high relevance and application, cross-curricular projects A: Understanding basic skills in one subject, B: Understanding basic skills in real-world experiences with simple solutions

11. B ENEFITS OF U SING R IGOR AND R ELEVANCE : Better prepare students for future work Way to focus student learning on priority standards Ensure students achieve standards Align curriculum, instruction, and assessment Prepare for state tests Increase student interest and motivation (engagement)

12. R/R AND A SSESSMENT Determine the level of Rigor and Relevance on STAAR test Develop your tests to parallel state tests when preparing for them (mini common assessments, district common assessments & benchmarks) Use performance assessments when you want Quadrant D achievement Keep level of assessment consistent with expectation for performance Let students know assessment in advance

13. I NCREASING R IGOR AND R ELEVANCE Challenging assessments Interdisciplinary instruction Reading in the content area Relationships Use of technology New teaching ideas Peer teaching observations Action research Continuous Professional Development (In House) Thematic Teaching

14. S UGGESTIONS FOR S EQUENCING L EARNING Don’t always start in Quadrant A Consider starting with real world problems Use inquiry for launching activities Use variety of individual and group student work Make each part of the learning experience important

15. A CTIVITY : B UILDING A Q UADRANT D L ESSON