Hands-on curriculum design - coming next!

One of the exit card questions is what I wanted you to learn this semester. The answer is in the KDB of your course outline. The biggest thing that I want you to demonstrate is OPENNESS to something new and WILLINGNESS to plow through the hard work of learning something new. 

There is still some confusion re assignments. For Genius Night preparation the week of Nov 11 to 13 you will create an inquiry on 21st Century education based on your own interest.  You will create the question and then explore/research the answer. You will present your research on the following week in some kind of multimodal presentation 9i.e. you use technology). This is a part of the participation "grade".

For the research article you will summarize the key points of an article you found on integrated curriculum (multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary).  This article is best if it has some numbers in it or evidence of some kind in it. It does not need to be an article that "proves" that integrated curriculum is the greatest. Some sources are Edutopia, Smart Brief, Professional Learning, Forum, Education Canada, OR Susan's Live Binders (see Resources in Sakai). Refereed articles would be great - especially with numbers - see high school journals or elementary ones. The level of education is not important. Also topics such as project-based learning or gifted education are good sources. You will write your review and post it on the Wiki in Sakai. This may change into a google.doc as we move through the course. Again this is a participation "grade".  

This week you will begin your actual curriculum design. Some of you have asked what the final product will look like. If you follow in your text you will find the pieces necessary for the project. If you are choosing a discipline-based project then you will follow the process outlined in Figure 3.1 and Figure 3.3. The chart below shows the steps if you are doing an interdisciplinary process but it works for disciplinary too except that there is not necessarily a horizontal scan (In English however there will be one). 

	What will your work LOOK LIKE?

Sample Unit - Grade 10 History - Canada's Person of Influence.


Presteps: Table 3.1, Figure 3.3

Step 1: What is most important to Know, Do and Be? 
Table 3.2, 3.3, Figure 3.4, Figure 3.5.


Step 2: How will you know when you know it? 
RPAT: Shadowed box on page 70 that describes the RPAT ( (table 3.4 gives you a checklist for the quality of the RPAT).
Assessment tools for the RPAT - Table 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 (you should have at least 2 samples).

Step 3: What will I do each day to prepare students for the RPAT? 
Table 3.8
Table 3.9 (Complete the chart for one learning goal).
Finish with at leaf 2 assessment tools that show how assessment is embedded into the instructional activities (Samples on page 78-88).

Checkbric for your work  Table 5.10

Checkbric for an integrated curriculum unit		Comments
Know your curriculum	Have I considered the unifying framework for my province (if there is one)? Have I scanned the front matter of the curriculum documents of the subjects involved?
Know your students	Have learning preferences been considered? multiple intelligences? Is there variety in both instructional strategies and assessment? Have I differentiated or personalized curriculum in appropriate places?
Brainstorming for connections	Have I brainstormed for possible places where I might make connections with other subjects? teachers? Have I brainstormed for possible experts in my community/ globally who might support the learning in this unit?
Scan and cluster	Have I done a vertical scan of two grades below and one grade above the target grade for each subject? Have I clustered these outcomes into bundles that represent critical learning? After reviewing the target grade in the horizontal scan, have I selected broad-based outcomes for a KDB?
Topic	Have I identified an age appropriate, relevant topic that is interesting to my group of students, yet linked to outcomes?
Unpacking curriculum outcomes	Have I unpacked broad-based curriculum outcomes and put this in a chart?
KDB Umbrella Essential Questions	Have I created the KDB Umbrella to act as the focus for my unit? Have I created Essential Questions to guide planning that are connected to the KDB? Do my Essential Questions encourage inquiry and have the potential for complex answers?
Exploratory web	Have I brainstormed for activities/ assessments that are linked to outcomes and the KDB Umbrella in an exploratory web?
Rich performance assessment task	Have I clearly described a RPAT that will engage and challenge students? Do students need to demonstrate the KDB? Is the Essential Question(s) addressed?
Assessment tools	Have I developed assessment tools to accompany the rich performance task? Are rubrics created with explicit, meaningful and relevant descriptors?
Essential Question Web	Have I created a web to brainstorm for mini units for each Essential Questions? Have I revisited my instructional strategies/assessments so that they address the Essential Questions? Are all the instructional strategies aligned with  KDB and the RPAT?
Daily instructional activities/assessments	Have I created daily instructional activities/ assessments that lead to the rich performance task? Are students receiving instruction in all aspects of the task that they need to demonstrate? Have I created tools for instruction and AfL? Is assessment as learning included? Have I considered differentiation? personalization? Are students active learners?
Alignment check	Have I gone back and forth to insure that my curriculum is aligned?  Is it aligned?

Table 5.10  A checkbric for reflection on designing an integrated unit

EDUC 4P19 co-created a participation checkbric. Here is what we have decided as a group will be assessed. Don't forget that completion of Genius Hour and the Research article are also part of participation. (A checkbric is like a rubric in that it describes the criteria for success but does not give levels of success - there is a space for comments only.) 

Learning Goal: I demonstrate engagement in EDUC 4P19.
Success Criteria are:
Attendance and lates (early leaving)
Engaged body language
Involved in discussions and furthers the discussion of others.
Using technology as a tool and not as a distraction
General engagement level	Self-assessment
Blog engagement level	Peer assessment of blog discussion

Looking forward to seeing you this week. 

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