Unpacking standards template7/3/2023 ![]() For example, many of the ELA standards for first grade require students to demonstrate comprehension but do not specify that it must be shown in a written format. Take note of what the standard calls for – and what it does not. This helps me understand the rigor level of the standard. I like to annotate the standards with a Bloom’s Taxonomy or a Webbs Depth of Knowledge tool handy. This first, very simple step helps you narrow in on exactly what students are required to do to achieve mastery. 5 steps to unpacking the common core ELA standards This means that they need even more dissecting to be broken into lesson-size chunks. The ELA standards also require an intricate of skills and knowledge, as discussed at length in Natalie Wexler’s book, The Knowledge Gap. Especially in the context of teaching primarily ELL students, I knew it was where I wanted to dedicate my first efforts. ![]() ![]() They seemed meatier and more difficult to understand. While I certainly recommend doing this, I started with the common core state standards for ELA because they were much broader than my grade level’s math counterparts. You’ll want to unpack and uncover and deconstruct everything you teach. Unpacking standards is kind of a Pringles concept: once you pop, you can’t stop. It’s definitely not your fault that you weren’t taught the process of unpacking standards before! In the spirit of “know better, do better,” let’s get started on a process that is sure to transform your teaching practice! Why should I start with the common core state standards for ELA? Easily confused with learning targets, assessment goals, or other similar buzzwords, standards were inconsistent and felt unstable. Before that, standards varied widely by state and even by the district. In this system, students were compared to each other with the result of incredible variance of learning achievement. In the 1990’s, the general public turned increasingly against the outcomes-based education that had been in place until then. This marked the release of the well-known A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, the outcome of the US National Commission on Excellence in Education. In fact, standards based education as we now know it can first be traced back to as recently as 1983. If unpacking the common core state standards is so important, why haven’t I learned to do it before? Great question! The Common Core State Standards are still relatively fresh, being adopted in most states in 2010. Why didn’t I learn about unpacking the common core state standards for ELA earlier? They are measurable and can be achieved within one lesson. Objectives can be student-facing (I can…) or teacher-facing ( Students will be able to…) and are very focused. What is an objective?Īn objective is a lesson-level target. This explains why we need to break them down into objectives. Standards are too complicated and too dense to be taught in single lessons. Standards, like the Common Core State Standards for ELA, are teacher-facing expectations for the entire year of instruction. Folks both inside and outside of the education world use the terms synonymously Let’s make sure we start with a solid understanding of the difference between a standard vs. Many teachers confuse standards with learning objectives. ![]() When we know what is required, we can create a clear roadmap to get there. Standards cast a wide net with a big picture that sounds good, but what do they actually require of the students? What prior knowledge & skills need to be activated? Which vocabulary needs to be taught? What conceptual understandings are essential to mastery? Excellent teachers get to the very root of their students’ learning: the standards. ![]() It’s pretty simple: teachers who deeply understand the standards are best suited to plan and deliver the instruction that their students need. My FREE guide helps you take meaningful next steps! Get yours now! Why is it necessary to unpack standards? What does it unpacking a standard mean? Why is it necessary? Perhaps most importantly, HOW do you do it? These 5 simple steps will have you unpacking the common core state standards for ELA in no time! Real quick: Have you gotten your FREE guide to learner-led teaching? There’s little reason to unpack standards if you don’t know what to do with them afterward. Educators! You may have heard of unpacked standards or deconstructed standards, but the details are a bit fuzzy. ![]()
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