Developing a Unit, Part 1.1

"In the end, what should a learner eventually be able to do with this and similar content that really matters! . . . The point of education is to be able to learn in such a way that the learner 1) grasps the significance of what is learned and 2) can apply the learning wisely in the future--in other coursework and beyond the classroom" (Wiggins & McTigher, 2011, p. 48).

Whether you are working from a previously designed unit of study or have decided to begin from a sketch, the first thing you must consider is what students should know (K), understand (U), and be able to do (D) as a result having experience the learning in that unit.  All of our unit plans will begin with clearly stated KUDs.

The following sentence starters can be helpful:

Know (Acquire)

• Students will know . . . (content)
• Students will be skilled at . . . (process)

Understand (Make Meaning)

• Students will understand that . . .
• Students will keep considering these questions . . .

Do (Transfer)

• Students will be able to use their learning independently to . . .

Click here to view a template for this stage of your unit plan.  You'll notice the following:

1. A place for High Priority Standards and Essential Curriculum.  These are part of the established goals for the unit.  It is wise to code these so you know if the statement is from the GLEs, CCSS, WGSD Curriculum, or another source.*
2. Another source* might be our mission statement or something our curriculum is missing that we might need to add. 
3. The "Do" is at the top of the template.  This is because the "Do" represents the transfer goal: what students should be able to do as a result of the knowledge, skills, and understandings students will have mastered over the course of the unit.  Students will be able to "Do" in new situations with independence and confidence.
4. Understanding is broken up into two sections, statements and questions.
5. Know refers to both content and skills.

Department chairs met on Monday, 11/7, to practice.  If you are interested in seeing what they worked on, click here.  Unfortunately, there was not time for feedback or revision of these, but they are excellent beginnings.

I will share more about each of these sections in subsequent posts.

Developing a Unit, Part 1.2

"To 'understand' has two general connotations: (1) applying your understandings, knowledge, and skill effectively in new situations results in successful transfer; and (2) making inferences and grasping connections, to culminate in understanding" (Wiggins & McTighe, 2011, p. 14).

I wanted to use this post to clarify a few terms:

Transfer

The ability for students to transfer their learning to new and different situations is the ultimate goal of education.  We do not want students to parrot back and not retain.  We want students to know, understand, and use what they know beyond the context of our classroom.  We want students to be able to size up a new challenge and transfer learning efficiently and effectively; rote knowledge alone will not support this ability.  Therefore, when students can transfer their learning they can use it in multiple contexts on their own.

We identify transfer goals when we identify what we want students to be able to DO as a result of their learning.

Meaning

Meaning is divided into two sections on our template: understanding and essential questions

• Understanding

Students come to an understanding by reflecting on and analyzing their learning.  They demonstrate their understanding by being able to make important generalizations and connections, sharing new insights, or discovering useful ways to make sense of prior experience or learning. When students can make meaning of what they are learning in broad, theoretical ways, we know that they understand. Understandings can be based on content or process.

• Essential Questions

Being able to pursue quality questions at the heart of a discipline facilitates our understanding of that discipline.  As students discover answers to essential questions, they are active in the process of making sense of what they are learning.  Students make meaning actively when they continue to consider quality questions.

We identify meaning-making goals when we identify what we want students to UNDERSTAND as a result of their learning.

Acquisition

Acquisition is divided into two sections on our template: knowledge and skills:

Knowledge (facts, vocabulary, basic concepts, etc.) and skills (basic know-how, discrete skills) are the necessary tools of understanding and transfer.  Avoid listing picayune facts or definitions; instead, list core building blocks that fit naturally within the unit and that you plan to assess.

We identify acquisition goals when we identify what we want students to KNOW as a result of their learning.

Learning Designs Recap

I received some feedback from our department chairs that indicated a recap might be helpful at this time.  As you read the Learning Designs blog, please keep in mind that the work of your department does not need to be in sync with the posts.  Each department is at a different place in the process, so do not worry if your work seems behind the topics under Learning Designs.  It is not.  We are working at our own pace toward the same goal.
Here is the process so far in short form; there are posts in the Learning Designs blog to explain all of these further:

• Examine state and national standards for those that are high priority (those that have endurance, leverage, and readiness),
• Use the results of the above to audit Webster's curriculum, thus finding what is essential learning (versus what is important or good to know),
• Group those results into units (which you may already have; I do not believe any department is building a unit from the very beginning at this point),
• Begin brainstorming KUDs (what students should know, understand, and be able to do as a result of the learning in the unit) . . . 

At any point in this process, you are encouraged to seek feedback from me, from your peers, etc.
Ultimately, the KUDs are only stage one of the entire unit plan.  I have alluded to other stages (writing assessments and a learning plan) and will blog more about these in time.

Mrs. Groene Tries Homogenous Grouping

Mrs. Groene and I had an excellent conversation this week about a succes story in her classroom.  I asked, and she said I could share the gist:
Mrs. Groene began by dividing her classes into three homogenous groups based on their Lexile scores.  She gave each group a list of five stories in their appropriate Lexile range from which to choose for this assignment.  The stories were uploaded to Edmodo along with a few audio files as well.  The assignments were uploaded as well.  Each group had its own folder from which to work.
Mrs. Groene observed a noticeable increase in motivation, engagement, and participation as voices that were generally quiet during large group discussion were heard in the smaller group.  Leaders emerged in each smaller discussion that were both surprising and gratifying.
Because students were grouped by readiness, students were able to show what they had learned about stories (and, in this case, what makes them scary) without their reading level being an impediment to their learning.  Because students had choice, they were were more motivated to engage.  And because students had access to a variety of resources, including her, they were less likely to become stymied in the process.
Mrs. Groene provided the time in class and the resources and used Edmodo to organize and manage the resources and the grading for this project.