Topical Understandings and Essential Questions

Curriculum Alignment Integration MappingSeptember 18, 2014

Inservice

Purpose for Today

All About Grain Size

Overarching Understanding and Questions

General

Broad, lead to more general, transferable understandings.

Lead to more questions.

Important in framing a course or program of study

Topical Understandings and Questions  

Specific

Help students learn information about a specific topic or skill.

Have acceptable answers.

Fit under the umbrella of an overarching content question

 

Sifting the Sand

What’s The Big Idea?

Stage 3 Learning Plan What might students take away from these

learning activities?What understandings could the students develop?

List your ideas with an elbow partner or in clusters

of 2 – 3

Stage 3 – Learning Plan1. Think and Write: Imagine that you and your friends are taken from your families and are forced to go to school in China. You are told that you are not allowed to speak anything but Chinese and must wear a uniform. You are not allowed to share your opinion with your teachers or principal; if you do, you will get hit or worse. You cannot run away and must live there for five years. How do you think this experience will affect you and your family for the rest of your life? Give reasons to defend your opinion. Use the checklist to write your paragraph.

2. Introduce novel with the film History of the Iñupiat: NipaaIlitqusipta / The Voice of Our Spirit.

3. Discuss point of view.

4. Explain "In the Head" journal. An "In the Head" journal is a point of view journal for each character at that time and place in the story. "What are they thinking? What are they feeling? Imagine yourself in their place." Think and Write: Write from the point of view of a character.

5. Sequencing: 6. Summarizing: 7. Craft and structure:

8. Figurative and Connotative Language:

9. Theme:

10. How Do Languages Die? * Listen to NPR story: "Last Fluent Speaker of Eyak Language Dies"

11. Watch The Duck-In and/or Project Chariot documentaries.

12. How to Research through Interviewing

13. At the end of the novel and unit, invite elders from your community to speak to the class about how the loss of facility in speaking Iñupiaq has affected events and people on the North Slope.

Solidifying the Knowledge

Gather More Evidence!

Stage 2 Assessment EvidenceWhat big ideas/understandings will the student’s

need to complete this GRASPS task?

After you read through the following GRASPS jot down your observations and turn and talk.

Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence: GRASPS

First-Person Narrative Summative: Written: Narrative

Your goal is to analyze and write about the effects of the Iñupiat language loss (DOK Level 4); you will analyze, or think deeply, about the structure, “the bones,” of your writing as well as your peers' (DOK Level 4). You will have two important jobs: researcher and author.

Researcher: You will research the history of the Iñupiaq language by interviewing two Iñupiaq elders in your community about their experiences in school and the effect that Western education had on their use of the Iñupiaq language.Here are some suggested questions you can use in your interview:1) Was your first language Iñupiaq?2) When did you learn English?3) What was school like for you?

Author: Based on the experiences of the elders you interview, you will craft a character (DOK Level 4) and write a narrative that describes the experiences of many of the elders (DOK Level 2), such as loss of language, childhood memories of school, and its effect on their lives today.

The Big Ideas

Your Prediction Is?Stage 1 Desired Results

Based on the evidence so far what Big Ideas and topics do you predict will be present in Stage 1?

First let’s consider the ILF? What ideas would you expect to find?

Stage 1ILF Overarching Understandings/ Essential Questions

ILF: Historical Realm, K3-12, North Slope History

OU: Culture is embedded in language; different languages uniquely express cultural understandings and beliefs. [H.nsh.1]

 EQ: Why do languages die? [H.nsh.1.a]

 EQ: How has the loss of facility in speaking Iñupiaq affected events and people on the North Slope? [H.nsh.1.c]

ILF Performance Expectations

ILF: Performance Expectations: Historical Realm, Novice, North Slope History North Slope History: Language H.nsh.1

The student demonstrates an understanding of the role of the Iñupiaq language in North Slope history by . . .

 [N] H.nsh.1.1 Examining and explaining the world language tree.

 [N] H.nsh.1.3 Researching and discussing how the loss of a language has affected people on the North Slope.

Your Prediction Is?Stage 1 Desired Results

Based on the evidence so far what Big Ideas and topics do you predict will be present in Stage 1?

Next let’s consider the Content OUs and EQs? What ideas would you expect to find?

Content Area Understandings and Essential Questions

NSBSD: Language Arts, K3-12, Language Arts NSLA.4 OU: Effective

readers are able to identify a text structure and use appropriate strategies to analyze and comprehend the text.

 NSLA.4.c EQ: How do readers isolate essential information in a text?

 NSLA.4.d EQ: What is the relationship between reading and writing?

Try It Out!

Based on the evidence to this point, take a few minutes to write down a possible topical understanding and essential question to align with what you have seen so far.

Share your thinking with your table group and prepare to share one or two TUs and EQs.

Self CheckAre they refer specifically to a topic of the unit?

Does the question direct the learner to consider content knowledge?

Does the question lead to a yes/no answer or extend the opportunity for student response?

Does the question tie together the ILF and the content specific knowledge?

Content Area Understandings and Essential Questions

NSBSD: Language Arts, K3-12, Language Arts NSLA.4 OU: Effective

readers are able to identify a text structure and use appropriate strategies to analyze and comprehend the text.

 NSLA.4.c EQ: How do readers isolate essential information in a text?

 NSLA.4.d EQ: What is the relationship between reading and writing?

Self CheckAre they refer specifically to a topic of the unit?

Does the question direct the learner to consider content knowledge?

Does the question lead to a yes/no answer or extend the opportunity for student response?

Does the question tie together the ILF and the content specific knowledge?

Content Area Understandings and Essential Questions

NSBSD: Language Arts, K3-12, Language Arts NSLA.4 OU: Effective

readers are able to identify a text structure and use appropriate strategies to analyze and comprehend the text.

 NSLA.4.c EQ: How do readers isolate essential information in a text?

 NSLA.4.d EQ: What is the relationship between reading and writing?

Content Area Understandings and Essential Questions

NSBSD: Language Arts, K3-12, Language Arts NSLA.4 OU: Effective

readers are able to identify a text structure and use appropriate strategies to analyze and comprehend the text.

 NSLA.4.c EQ: How do readers isolate essential information in a text?

 NSLA.4.d EQ: What is the relationship between reading and writing?

Topical Understandings & EQs TU: Every part of culture has a

specific role.

EQ: What role does language play in cultural identity?

TU: The Western influence has had a great impact on the North Slope.

EQ: In what ways has the North Slope been affected by loss of language?

TU: Every individual's worldview is shaped by his or her experiences.

EQ: How does individual experience affect perspective?

TU: A variety of experiences, worldviews, and emotions are reflected in a dynamic, round character.

EQ: How does an author create dynamic, round characters in a narrative?

Sifting DownStage 1 – Desired Results Starting with the Iñupiaq Learning Framework

Look to our State and District Adopted Standards

What are the Big Ideas important to the NSBSD NSBSD Content OUs and EQs

What are the topical understandings and essential questions that will drive the learning in ‘this unit’?

Overarching Understanding and Questions

General

Broad, lead to more general, transferable understandings.

Lead to more questions.

Important in framing a course or program of study

From the drop downs

Topical Understandings and Questions  

Specific

Help students learn information about a specific topic or skill.

Have acceptable answers.

Fit under the umbrella of an overarching content question

Self generated

 

Content Area OUs & EQsNSLA.2 OU: As one’s knowledge base increases, the quality of thinking, meaning-making and communication improves.

NSLA.2.a EQ: How does language empower us?

NSLA.2.b EQ: How does language influence a person's voice and worldview?

NSSS.G.3 OU: There is a connection between people and the utilization of natural resources.

NSSS.G.3.a EQ: What effect does environment have on individuals and groups?

NSSS.G.3.b EQ: What effects do individuals and groups have on their environment?

NSSS.G.3.c EQ: How do people’s beliefs and values affect the use of natural resources?

Where can you find resources to help with TUs and EQs?

In Science!

How do organisms live, grow, respond to their environment, and reproduce?

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION How do the structures of

organisms enable life’s functions?

By the end of grade 5.

Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.

In Reading and ELA!

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS:

Words powerfully affect meaning.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

Why do readers need to pay attention to a writer’s choice of words?

I use the standards, but I look at the grade level standard (and look above it to see where the goal is heading).  I don't focus on the Anchor standard to start.  Also… When I write my skills and knowledge, I make sure my topical OU's and EQ's are aligned to those. ~ Jessica Kalvig CDT Facilitator ELA

Topical Understandings and EQs

They must align with the ILF and Content Area OUs and EQs

Note the formatting hovering cursor

There is not a set ratio of TUs to EQs

Think about the Self Check Checklist

Consider the Grain Size

In what was does art reflect, as well as shape, culture?

How do our various body systems interact?

How do authors use story elements to establish mood?

How are structure and function related?

What do ceremonial masks reveal about the Inca culture?

How did Native Alaskans view the “settlement” of their land? 

How does the structure of various insects help them to survive?

Whose “story” (perspective) is this?

How does John Updike use settings to establish mood?

What makes a system?

Oh,TOP-ical, Not TROP-ical!