Standard Importance

Woah! 

This was a really big, significantly important unit in regards to the role and implications that the learned aspects

Unpacking a Standard

Backwards Mapping

SMART Objectives

will have on us as teachers.

Truthfully, I'm worried that I did not fully get these concepts completely or all that well enough to fully use them to my best advantage when I have my own classroom.  These are concepts that will never go away when teaching.  They will be fixtures throughout everything we plan and do with our students.  They are key practices that should be learned, drilled, repeated, and exhausted until they are known top to bottom, all ways around, over and under.  And I'm afraid I am not there yet with them.

But perhaps, part of that is just use and practice.  Perhaps I will have to grow as a teacher and in my abilities and skills to feel more comfortable with them as I come to have more exposure and practical, real-life use.

I hope.

Let's break them down again to make sure the gist is at least correct.

Unpacking a Standard -

• Each country, state/province, district and/or school will have established standards that are benchmarked and have to be met.
• Standardized Tests can/are used to assess whether or not a child has successfully learned the standards set forth by the above organizations.
• In order to turn a standard into lesson educators use the method of unpacking.
•  This ensures that all parts of the standard are being covered and met within the unit/lesson.
• Teachers must (1) determine what a student must learn and (2) assess how the student will be able to show that they have mastered the standard in question.
• Verbs and nouns play a key part in analyzing what is required of the student.
• Verbs = what students need to do (the skill... the how)
• Nouns = what the students should be learning (the what... the concept)
• Summary: Find the small pieces in the big puzzle.

Ohio grade 3 mathematics example -

- Standard:

- Nouns (the what... the concepts) = (1) time to the nearest minute, (2) time intervals in minutes, (3) word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes
- Verbs (the skill... the how) = (1) tell, write, (2) measure

Backwards Mapping -  

• Using the standards set forth by a governing body, backwards mappings allows educators to plan assessments and activities that ensure the student is learning learning/meeting the goal.
• Step 1: Teachers start at the end of a unit/lesson ~ what should be accomplished.
• Step 2: Devise a way to determine that students are meeting the goal ~ assessment.
• Step 3: Create learning experiences to help teach/students to learn ~ activities.
• Summary: Start at the end and work your way to the beginning so you don't get lose the focus.

Using the same standard from above, looking at just one part of the concept (being able to tell time) -

Step 1: Students have to be able to tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes.
Step 2: Students are able to correctly read digital and analog clocks telling time to the minute indicated.
Step 1: Students complete worksheets containing various type of clocks, all showing different times.  Student complete worksheets on which they must match digital clocks to an analog clocking showing the same time.  Students are given a toy clock and must set it to the time the teacher indicates.  

 SMART Objectives - 

• Allows educators to create specific detailed lesson objective to ensure that students are able to meet the standard goals.
• Objectives are written as statements.  
• They are done in a way that describes behavior terms, so that they clearly identify what a student will be able to do through the instruction and practice given in the unit/lesson.
• SMART objectives focus on student outcome - not teachers activity.
• Each objective is:
• Specific
• Measurable or observable
• Attainable for the audience
• Relevant and results oriented
• Targeted to the learner and their desired level of learning
• Summary: The finer points are in the details.

Again, continuing with the same standard from above (telling time) -

By the end of the unit, students will be able to correctly tell time (reading digital and analog clocks) to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes. 

Students will be able to accurately solve word problems that involve addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes through the representation of a number line diagram.

Through the use of these 3 concepts (Unpacking a Standard, Backwards Mapping, and SMART Objectives) I will be better equipped to create units/lessons for my students that ensure they are achieving the standards set forth for them by the state (Ohio) I will be teaching in this coming Fall.