Week 3 Assignment #2

STAGE 1 – Desired Results
Writing Established goals: W.K.2 Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.
Essential Questions: +  What is the subject and information the student is trying to convey? +  Is the student going to use drawing, dictation, writing or a combination of these elements in order to produce the outcome? +  How can I help students structure their product?	Understandings: Students will understand that… + There are many different topics they can choose from. + There are different ways they can produce this informational text. + They can use a combination of these in order to achieve the final product of an informational text.
Students will know… +  how to support their ideas with details	Students will be able to… +  produce a writing sample that explains information about a subject to the audience

Week 3 Assignment 1

STAGE 1 – Desired Results
Established Goals: RI.6.3 - Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes). RI.6.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings. RI.6.6 - Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text. RI.6.7 - Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
Essential Questions: +  What is the purpose of finding out the author’s view? How does this help the reader?  +  What strategies can the student use? +  How can I get the student to use these strategies to get the most out of the reading?	Understandings: Students will understand that… + There are many different media forms to access the information. + There are different strategies they can use in order to read the informational texts. + They can use the strategy that best suits their learning style.
Students will know… +  Vocabulary such as the words figurative, connotative, and technical +  Various media access to the information +  By finding the author’s point of view they will be able to navigate informational texts used in various assessments such as the SATS and GREs	Students will be able to… +  Determine an author’s point of view +  Devel into the subject and make inferences +  Think critically +  Evaluate the texts +  Formulate conclusions and opinions about what they have read

Week 2 Assignment #3

Week 2 Assignment #3

Understanding by design is a planning framework that focuses on goals. The framework focuses on the short term and long-term goals. The preparation that is involved in UbD is one that allows for the teacher to be aware of what is going to be happening in terms of content and performance throughout the unit. The teacher is so well versed in what is going to be happening in long term goals that the teacher knows when to let the student to branch off in their own interests similar to inquiry based learning. Focusing on critical and creative use of content allows for teachers to make sure there are entry points within the lessons for these skills to be developed. In UbD there is a synchronicity of strategic thinking. By asking students why and using Depth of Knowledge questioning we move further away from students just repeating and memorizing factual information. By thinking critically, the students can apply their knowledge to other situations. Socratic questions lets students and teachers alike focus on what is working. Having long term goals allows students and educators to see where the learning is going and understanding where they need to end up.

A great point that was brought up in this video is that textbooks aren’t the source. Many teachers think that the textbook is the answer to what the lessons should be and the answer to what the content and understandings should come from. Rolling out a new curriculum for my entire school, Amplify Science, I have seen this type of thinking at work. The first thing the other teachers ask for is the teacher’s guide and then the student textbook. There is no textbook for the students and the instruction is based in PowerPoint slides that are rooted in critical thinking questions and hands on discovery through problem-based unit story lines. The textbook is the old design, by using content that is focused on the outcomes first, the students are focused more on performance and understanding goals.  Intellectual engagement is important. Not all the students are going to be excited about the work that is presented but that is the biggest part of the design problem. As educators we must differentiate in order to design a way to get learners immersed in the content. By introducing incentives to what is happening in the classroom there is a motivation for learners of all engagement levels.