1. Strategies to Improve Content Enhancement
Keriann Ford

2. What is Content Enhancement?
According to researchers at the University of Kansas, "content enhancement is an instructional method that relies on using powerful teaching devices to organize and present content in an understandable and easy-to- learn manner. Teachers identify the content that they deem to be most critical and teach it using powerful teaching routines that actively engage students."
How we as teachers can organize, reorganize, and support the content itself so students can learn.
The idea of content enhancement is to make content more accessible to students.

3. UDL
A large part of content enhancement is Universal Design for Learning.
The Mathematics eText Research Center is currently studying the use of technology, e-texts, and the principles of universal design for learning to enhance the accessibility of mathematics texts.
Take a look at this video…
Think:
Pair:
Share:

4. The Challenge Many students have difficulty with:
Relating new information to known information.
Seeing the "big ideas" among the details.
Translating the "big ideas" into words, phrases, and concepts that make sense to them.
Identifying the structure of information.
University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning 2002

5. Responding to the Challenge
The Unit Organizer Routine helps students to:
Relate unit content to previous and future units and to bigger course ideas.
Understand the main idea of the content through the use of a meaningful paraphrase of the "big idea" of the unit.
See the structure of the unit's content.
Focus attention on important relationships in the content of the unit.
University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning 2006
University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning 2002

6. Features of Content Enhancement
Sets the purpose for learning
Breaks down complex concepts
Improves storage of large amounts of info
Engages students in student/teacher instructional process
Provides a visual map of previous lessons to present and future lessons
Links new content to prior knowledge
Guides learning effectively and efficiently
Turns abstract concepts into a visual map
Teaches analysis, conclusions and problem solving
Focuses on essential information
Organizes information meaningfully

7. Content Enhancement Routines: Planning for Instruction
The Course Organizer Routine
The Lesson Organizer Routine
The Quality Assignment Routine
The Unit Organizer Routine

8. Course Organizer (C-O-U-R-S-E)
Cue Course Questions
Outline Critical Concepts and Units
Uncover Community Principles
Reveal Learning Rituals
Share Performance Options
Explain Course Standards

9. Unit Organizer Create a Contect Recognize Content Structures
Acknowledge Unit Relationships
Frame Unit Questions
Tie Content to Tasks
 The Unit Organizer Routine is used to plan units and then introduce and maintain the big ideas in units and show how units, critical information and concepts are related. Research results showed that when the teachers used the Unit Organizer Routine, understanding and retention of the information by low-achieving students, students with learning disabilities, and average-achieving students improved substantially over baseline as reflected in unit test scores and in scores on unit content maps and explanations of these maps

10. The Unit Organizer Sectionalism The Causes of the Civil War Leaders
Elida Cordora
NAME
DATE
BIGGER PICTURE
LAST UNIT
/Experience
CURRENT UNIT
NEXT UNIT
UNIT SELF-TEST
QUESTIONS
is about...
RELATIONSHIPS
UNIT
UNIT SCHEDULE
UNIT MAP 1 3 2 4 5 6 7 8
The roots and consequences of civil unrest.
The Causes of the Civil War
Growth of the Nation
The Civil War
Sectionalism pp
1/22 Cooperative groups -
over pp
1/ Quiz
1/29 Cooperative groups -
over pp
"Influential Personalities"
Project due
1/ Quiz
2/2 Cooperative groups -
over pp
2/ Review for test
2/ Review for test
2/ Test
Areas of
the U.S.
Differences
between
the areas
Events in
Leaders
across the
U.S.
was based on
emerged because of
became greater with
was influenced by
descriptive
cause/effect
What was sectionalism as it existed in the U. S. of 1860?
How did the differences in the sections of the U.S. in 1860 contribute to the start of the Civil War?
compare/contrast
1/22
What examples of sectionalism exist in the world today?

11. The Unit Organizer Sectionalism The Causes of the Civil War Leaders
NAME
DATE
The Unit Organizer
SELF-TEST
QUESTIONS
NEW
UNIT
Expanded Unit Map
is about... 9 10
How did national events and leaders pull the different sections of the U.S. apart?
The Causes of the Civil War
Elida Cordora
1/22
Sectionalism pp
was based on the
developed because of
North
South
West
Social
Differences
Political
Economic
Areas of
the U.S.
between
the areas
-Henry Clay
-Stephen Douglas
-Zachary Taylor
-Harriet Beecher Stowe
-Douglas Filmore
-John Brown
-Jefferson Davis
-Abraham Lincoln
such as
was influenced by
Leaders
of change
became greater with
Events in
-1820 Missouri Compromise
-1846 Mexican War
-1850 Compromise of 1850
-1850 Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
-1852 Uncle Tom's Cabin
-1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act
-1854 Republican Party formed
-1854 Bleeding Kansas
-1857 Dred Scott Case
-1858 Lincoln Douglas Debates
-1859 John Brown's Raid
-1860 Lincoln Elected
-1860 South Carolina Secedes
Confederacy formed
which included the
and included

12. 1. CURRENT UNIT 2. LAST UNIT 3. NEXT UNIT 4. BIGGER PICTURE
Information is listed to help students see how the current unit is related to other units
an to course ideas.
1. CURRENT UNIT
2. LAST UNIT
3. NEXT UNIT
4. BIGGER PICTURE
The Unit Organizer
Elida Cordora
NAME
DATE
BIGGER PICTURE
LAST UNIT
/Experience
CURRENT UNIT
NEXT UNIT
UNIT SELF-TEST
QUESTIONS
is about...
RELATIONSHIPS
UNIT
UNIT SCHEDULE
UNIT MAP 1 3 2 4 5 6 7 8
The roots and consequences of civil unrest.
The Causes of the Civil War
Growth of the Nation
The Civil War
Sectionalism pp
1/22 Cooperative groups -
over pp
1/ Quiz
1/29 Cooperative groups -
over pp
"Influential Personalities"
Project due
1/ Quiz
2/2 Cooperative groups -
over pp
2/ Review for test
2/ Review for test
2/ Test
Areas of
the U.S.
Differences
between
the areas
Events in
Leaders
across the
U.S.
was based on
emerged because of
became greater with
was influenced by
descriptive
cause/effect
What was sectionalism as it existed in the U. S. of 1860?
How did the differences in the sections of the U.S. in 1860 contribute to the start of the Civil War?
compare/contrast
1/22
What examples of sectionalism exist in the world today?

13. The Unit Organizer
Elida Cordora
NAME
DATE
BIGGER PICTURE
LAST UNIT
/Experience
CURRENT UNIT
NEXT UNIT
UNIT SELF-TEST
QUESTIONS
is about...
RELATIONSHIPS
UNIT
UNIT SCHEDULE
UNIT MAP 1 3 2 4 5 6 7 8
The roots and consequences of civil unrest.
The Causes of the Civil War
Growth of the Nation
The Civil War
Sectionalism pp
1/22 Cooperative groups -
over pp
1/ Quiz
1/29 Cooperative groups -
over pp
"Influential Personalities"
Project due
1/ Quiz
2/2 Cooperative groups -
over pp
2/ Review for test
2/ Review for test
2/ Test
Areas of
the U.S.
Differences
between
the areas
Events in
Leaders
across the
U.S.
was based on
emerged because of
became greater with
was influenced by
descriptive
cause/effect
What was sectionalism as it existed in the U. S. of 1860?
How did the differences in the sections of the U.S. in 1860 contribute to the start of the Civil War?
compare/contrast
1/22
What examples of sectionalism exist in the world today?
5. UNIT MAP
A Unit Paraphrase of the big idea of the unit and a Content Map are used to show students how to think about and structure the information in the unit.
University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning 2006

14. A list of relationships that reflect
The Unit Organizer
Elida Cordora
NAME
DATE
BIGGER PICTURE
LAST UNIT
/Experience
CURRENT UNIT
NEXT UNIT
UNIT SELF-TEST
QUESTIONS
is about...
RELATIONSHIPS
UNIT
UNIT SCHEDULE
UNIT MAP 1 3 2 4 5 6 7 8
The roots and consequences of civil unrest.
The Causes of the Civil War
Growth of the Nation
The Civil War
Sectionalism pp
1/22 Cooperative groups -
over pp
1/ Quiz
1/29 Cooperative groups -
over pp
"Influential Personalities"
Project due
1/ Quiz
2/2 Cooperative groups -
over pp
2/ Review for test
2/ Review for test
2/ Test
Areas of
the U.S.
Differences
between
the areas
Events in
Leaders
across the
U.S.
was based on
emerged because of
became greater with
was influenced by
descriptive
cause/effect
What was sectionalism as it existed in the U. S. of 1860?
How did the differences in the sections of the U.S. in 1860 contribute to the start of the Civil War?
compare/contrast
1/22
What examples of sectionalism exist in the world today?
6. UNIT RELATIONSHIPS
A list of relationships that reflect
the central ideas of the unit are
provided so that students can look for
these relationships as the content of
the unit is learned.
University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning 2006

15. 7. UNIT SELF-TEST QUESTIONS
The Unit Organizer
Elida Cordora
NAME
DATE
BIGGER PICTURE
LAST UNIT
/Experience
CURRENT UNIT
NEXT UNIT
UNIT SELF-TEST
QUESTIONS
is about...
RELATIONSHIPS
UNIT
UNIT SCHEDULE
UNIT MAP 1 3 2 4 5 6 7 8
The roots and consequences of civil unrest.
The Causes of the Civil War
Growth of the Nation
The Civil War
Sectionalism pp
1/22 Cooperative groups -
over pp
1/ Quiz
1/29 Cooperative groups -
over pp
"Influential Personalities"
Project due
1/ Quiz
2/2 Cooperative groups -
over pp
2/ Review for test
2/ Review for test
2/ Test
Areas of
the U.S.
Differences
between
the areas
Events in
Leaders
across the
U.S.
was based on
emerged because of
became greater with
was influenced by
descriptive
cause/effect
What was sectionalism as it existed in the U. S. of 1860?
How did the differences in the sections of the U.S. in 1860 contribute to the start of the Civil War?
compare/contrast
1/22
What examples of sectionalism exist in the world today?
7. UNIT SELF-TEST QUESTIONS
Questions that students can use to
check understanding of the big ideas
and relationships in the unit are listed.
University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning 2006

17. Lesson Organizer Routine
Consolidate Goals
Review Knowledge
Assemble a Visual Anchor
Describe & Map the Content
Link to Students’ Lives
Explore Questions and Tasks

19. The Cue-Do-Review Sequence
Students that the routine will be used.
The teacher announces the Unit Organizer and explains its use. Do
The routine.
The teacher and class collaboratively construct the Unit Organizer
Review
The information and process.
Information presented in the Unit Organizer is reviewed