Creating Quality Unit MapsAligned to Common Core

Essential Questions•How do we create units maps aligned to the Common Core Standards?•How do we assure maps are quality?

What information do we collect initially on a map?Big Idea/ConceptEssential QuestionsContent

VocabularySkillsAssessmentsActivitiesResources/Supporting Materials

1. Common Core Standards – unpacked

2. Determine possible units

3. Select and name a unit

4. Identify content

5. Identify precise skills

6. Big Idea/Concept

7. Essential Question(s)

8. Assessments

Steps to Create Unit Maps

Understand the connections between proportional relationships,lines, and linear equations.5. Graph proportional relationships, interpreting the unit rate as theslope of the graph. Compare two different proportional relationshipsrepresented in different ways.

Investigate patterns of association in bivariate data.1. Construct and interpret scatter plots for bivariate measurementdata to investigate patterns of association between two quantities.Describe patterns such as clustering, outliers, positive or negativeassociation, linear association, and nonlinear association.

4. Understand that patterns of association can also be seen in bivariatecategorical data by displaying frequencies and relative frequencies ina two-way table. Construct and interpret a two-way table summarizingdata on two categorical variables collected from the same subjects.Use relative frequencies calculated for rows or columns to describepossible association between the two variables.

8th Grade – Math - CC

There are several possible units that include content and skills from this standard.

Discussion with team to determine possible units and to narrow the options.

Problem-Solving and Data Analysis

Share your unit title with a partner

Unit Title – Math – 8th Grade

Content

THE “WHAT” THAT IS TO BE TAUGHT

●Targeted facts and key information●Content Topics●Discipline, interdisciplinary, or student-centered●Written in noun form

Skills

WHAT STUDENTS NEED TO KNOW OR BE ABLE TO DO IN ORDER TO DEMONSTRATE MASTERY OR

UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTENT

●Are specific, observable and measurable

●Include benchmark skills, critical skills, and 21st century skills

●Begin with action verbs….

Knowledge – memorizing Comprehension –

understanding Application – using Analysis – taking apart Synthesis – putting together Evaluation - judging

Levels of Thinking - Bloom

Using Big Ideasto sharpen the Focus Big Idea:

-A relational phrase or statement

-sharpens focus and helps to determine what needs to be taught

- enduring understanding

Example(s):1. Teamwork promotes

cooperation2. History repeats itself3. Problems can be

solved in different ways.

4. Biologists can relate human activities and technology to changes in ecosystems.

If you have difficulty stating the Big Idea . . . Identify three words that describe the focus of the unit; force these into a statement.

The Big Idea is sometimes difficult to state in the early phases of mapping.

Mathematicians name and write a decimal to represent tenths and hundredths given a set of objects.

Scientists recognize that results for similar scientific investigations may turn out differently because of inconsistencies.

Biologists can relate human activities and technology to changes in ecosystems.

Example Big Ideas

Essential questions are over-arching questions that focus on a key concept, an enduring understanding, and/or a big idea; they are the concept(s) turned into questions. Their purpose is to prompt student inquiry.

Essential Questions

Essential Questions

Over-arching interrogatives that provide focus and engage students

●Encourage higher-level thinking

●Help students make connections beyond content being studied

●Focus on “So why am I teaching this”?

●Written in student friendly form

Is there a clear concept driving the question? Is it written for the targeted students as the

audience? Can it organize and frame a set of classroom

experiences? Is it essential for the students given their

experiences K-12? Does it align with standards? If there is more than one question, are all of

them necessary? Does it link and bind content, skills, and

assessments on the maps?

Essential Questions

Assessments

Demonstrations of learning

Are tangible products, projects, or observable performances

Include multiple types of assessment to give a more complete picture of learning

Written in noun form

Three Tiers of assessments

Drill and practice

Rehearsal Authentic performance

21

A Well Balanced Assessment System

Balanced Assessment

Documentaries Podcast Web sites E-mail exchanges Webcasts from live sites Online journals Screenplays Video Conference Heidi Hayes Jacobs

Blogs Curriculum 21

Updating Assessments to reflect 21st Century Learning

Are we using a variety of assessments? Are assessments aligned to precise skills? What about the level of thinking – is it

aligned? Is the assessment at the correct level? Does the assessment reflect 21st Century

skills?

Thinking about . . .Assessments

Describe one assessment for your unit. Share with a partner.

Determine the precise skills that directly align to the assessment.

Assessment Activity