Having not grown up with artichokes, I find myself fascinated by their appearance. I am drawn to this odd looking veggie basically because its something new. But yet, I never bring one home. I don’t fully understand how to prepare it, let alone how to eat the thing!
The common core curriculum places us in the same conundrum we find ourselves in as we walk through the produce section at any grocery store. Pulled in by the artichoke but holding back because of its unfamiliarity. Intrigued by it’s uniqueness, but walking away because of all the unknowns.
However, if we approach the common core standards as one does when preparing an artichoke we can overcome all those unknowns standing in the way and produce something palatable for everyone.
Bring to a boil and simmer. (Preparing an artichoke is actually very simple. Submerge in water, bring to a boil, and then let it simmer.) We need to do the same thing with the common core. We must jump right in, surrounding ourselves with the standards, DOK levels, literacy standards, math practices, and learning targets. As overwhelming as it may feel, we are just reaching the boiling point. In the end, we will need all these pieces for this giant puzzle we each must put together. The key is to let it simmer for a while. Instead of focusing on everything at once, look at the standards. Incorporate the math practices into lesson plans. Rate lessons using the DOK levels. Basically, start making these concepts your own by playing around with them.
Peel each layer and eat. (After allowing to cool, peel each layer, and eat the fleshy portion, discarding the unedible part). This is where the fun comes in. Peeling each layer takes time. It’s messy. But is essential to getting to the heart of the artichoke. Our goal when constructing curriculum for our students is to create comprehensive units or series of lessons to engage students in the learning process.
Layer 1: Know your standards and the standards in the grades above and below what
you teach. Vertically aligning the curriculum gives you an idea of the depth you need to
teach
to.
Layer 2: Align your resources to the standards you need to teach. What resources do
you already have? What do you need? What can you get rid of? How will these
resources fit together?
Layer 3: With the standards as your compass, put together units of learning. What order
should the standards be taught? What prior understanding do the students already
have? What needs to be reviewed?
Layer 4: Within your units, identify vocabulary needed for comprehension. What new
vocabulary needs to be focused on? What vocabulary could cause misconceptions?
Layer 5: Within your units, identify the DOK level of each learning activity. What is the
depth of knowledge that each lesson will take student learning to?
Layer 6: Within your units, write learning targets in student friendly terms. What is it that
your students will learn from each day’s activities?
Layer 7: Write out a scope and sequence to guide your time. How many days/weeks
will each unit take?
Seasoning. Season according to taste. Put your own flavor, your own teaching style, to these units. Add a little differentiated learning. Pour on some technology. Make a mixture of individual, small group, and whole group activities.
The taste test. Take the risk and try it. Put your new units into action. Do you like it as is? Does it need a little something more? A little less of something else. Tweaking new units is essential to getting the right taste...I mean fit for your students.
Just like anything new, once you jump in and just decide to go for it, it’s really not that bad. You may have to spend some time learning what to do. You may get frustrated because you don’t understand. And you may just find out that it wasn’t as hard as you first imagined. So go ahead, pick up that artichoke. Squeeze it. Embrace it. Take it home. Pretty soon it won’t be that weird vegetable but a common side dish to enjoy!
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