teaching for rigor and relevance - natural professional ... · pdf file• memorize names...

Richard D. Jones Senior Consultant

email: [email protected]

International Center for Leadership in Education1587 Route 146, Rexford, NY 12148

(518) 399 2776http://www.LeaderEd.com

Teaching forRigor andRelevance

International Center for Leadership in Education

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INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION

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Quadrant B Application

• Develop a food list for a space trip.• Create a class book about the animal

and plant life in local rivers.• Take photographs of insects to describe

characteristics and behaviors.• Study examples of paper airplanes and

then create one.• Keep a field journal about the insects that

live near your school.• Develop an acid test and sample rainwater

for acidity.• Create electric circuits of various materials

and determine properties of conductivityand insulation.

• Analyze characteristics of different soil types.

Quadrant A Acquisition

• Memorize names of planets in solarsystem.

• Demonstrate phases of the moon.• Participate in simple hands-on

activities that demonstrate Bernoulli’sprinciple of air pressure and air flight.

• Match pictures of insects with theirnames.

• Illustrate parts of a cell.• Make a model of the layers of Earth’s

atmosphere.• Make daily observations of the life

cycle of a selected species.• Create a mural showing various kinds

of creatures that live in the ocean.

Quadrant C Assimilation

• Write and illustrate biographies ofinventors.

• Make diagrams of animal life cycles.• Classify a group of similar objects to

create a dichotomous key.• Conduct experiments to show

photosynthesis.• Research an endangered species.• Make observations of similarities and

differences of fish heads and predictfood sources.

• Research characteristics and habitsof insects.

• Write a story describing the movementof water through municipal watersystems.

Quadrant D Adaptation

• Design a candy dispenser that workswithout gravity.

• Invent a musical instrument.• Design a zoo.• Study bread chemistry, purpose of

ingredients, and how changes affectfinal product.

• Set up experiments to test life lengthof batteries.

• Research and write a field guide foridentifying local trees.

• Build a simple robotic device with string,tape, and rubber bands.

I. PLANNING INSTRUCTION

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StudentActivities

in theRigor/

RelevanceFramework

SCIENCE ELEMENTARY

EXAMPLES

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INTERNATIONA L CENTER FOR LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATIO N

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• Make a scale drawing of the classroom.• Calculate percents of daily requirements

met through a typical school lunch.• Calculate potential combinations of a

group of variables, such as wardrobecomponents, and estimate the probabilityof any one combination being picked atrandom.

• Calculate percentages of advertising in anewspaper.

• Play a simulated baseball game andcalculate statistics.

• Calculate paint needed for a summerbusiness painting houses.


• Select computational operation to solveword problems

• Calculate volume of regular solids.• Measure angles with a protractor.• Find and measure the sides and angles

of a right triangle using the Pythagoreantheorem and trigonometric ratios.

• Organize and display collected data,using tables, charts, or graphs.

• Use basic properties of equality tosolving equations with one variable.

• Plot the coordinates for quadrilateralson a grid.


• Hold a competition to determine whenusing a calculator or doing mental math ismost efficient.

• Obtain historical data about local weatherto estimate amount of snow, rain, or sunduring a given season of the current year.

• Use graphing calculators and computerspreadsheets to organize and analyzedata.

• Test consumer products such asabsorbency of the paper towels, devisea scale, and illustrate data graphically.

• Plan a large school event and calculateresources (food, decorations, etc.)needed and costs.


• Measure interior angles of polygons anddiscover the relationship betweennumber of sides and sum of angles.

• Graph the perimeters and areas ofsquares of different sizes.

• Express probabilities as fractions,percents, or decimals.

• Evaluate equivalency and relationshipof decimal and fractions.

• Determine the largest area for a fixedperimeter.

• Fill in missing numbers for ordered pairsfor an algebraic function.

• Evaluate objects for similarity andcongruence.

• Estimate sums of complex fractions.


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StudentActivities

in theRigor/

RelevanceFramework

MATHEMATICS MIDDLE LEVEL

EXAMPLES

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• Compare and contrast literarystyles of different authors.

• Relate literature to historicalcontext.

• Discuss role of media in ademocracy.

• Research limits of First Amendmentfreedoms.

• Analyze characters from a novel.• Create a storyboard.• Analyze and improve typical

student writing.• Role-play characters from literature

in new situations.


• Write and perform a radio play.• Simulate a presidential debate.• Write a legal brief defending a

school policy.• Prepare a demonstration video.• Review newspaper editorials for a

week and write a letter to the editorexpressing an opinion in responseto one of them.

• Develop guidelines for publishingcontent on Internet pages.

• Develop a reading list of historicalbiographies for a middle level socialstudies course.


• Practice SAT vocabulary words.• Select books and read to younger

children.• Read important works of

literature.• Give an extemporaneous speech.• Learn several graphic organizers.• Use word processing outlining

and table tools.• Write an essay on an historical

topic.


• Participate in a debate on a currentpolitical issue.

• Write a research report on a nationalproblem.

• Identify and analyze typical bodylanguage traits.

• Create a personal or class Website.• Research a career field.• Use word processing software to

write a business letter.• Prepare a multimedia presentation.


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StudentActivities

in theRigor/

RelevanceFramework

ENGLISH

LANGUAGE

ARTS

HIGH SCHOOL

EXAMPLES

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Rigor/Relevance FrameworkWorksheet

Knowledgein one discipline

Applyacrossdiscipline

Applyin one discipline

Apply toreal-worldpredictablesituations

Apply toreal-worldunpredictablesituations

Awareness

Comprehension

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

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3

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KN

OW

LE

DG

E T

AX

ON

OM

Y

APPLICATION MODEL


A - Acquisition

C - Assimilation D - Adaptation

B - Application

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RIGOR AND RELEVANCE HANDBOOK

KNOWLEDGE TAXONOMY VERB LIST

ADVANCE

CALCULATE

CHANGE

CONVERT

CONTEMPLATE

DEFINE

EXPLAIN

EXTRAPOLATE

INFER

INTERPRET

OUTLINE

PROJECT

PROPOSE

REWORD

SUBMIT

TRANSFORM

TRANSLATE

VARY

2COMPREHENSION

ARRANGE

CHECK

CHOOSE

FIND

GROUP

IDENTIFY

LABEL

LIST

LOCATE

1KNOWLEDGE

MATCH

NAME

POINT TO

RECALL

RECITE

REPEAT

S A Y

SELECT

WRITE

3APPLICATION

ADOPT

CONSUME

CAPITALIZE ON

DEVOTE

EMPLOY

EXERCISE

HANDLE

MAINTAIN

MAKE USE OF

MANIPULATE

MOBILIZE

OPERATE

PUT TO USE

RELATE

SOLVE

START

TAKE UP

UTILIZE

ACCEPT

APPRAISE

ARBITRATE

ASSESS

AWARD

CLASSIFY

CRITICIZE

DECIDE

DETERMINE

6EVALUATION

GRADE

JUDGE

PRIORITIZE

RANK

RATE

REJECT

RULE ON

SETTLE

WEIGH

BLEND

BUILD

CAUSE

COMBINE

COMPILE

COMPOSE

CONCEIVE

CONSTRUCT

CREATE

5SYNTHESIS

DEVELOP

EVOLVE

FORM

GENERATE

MAKE UP

ORIGINATE

PRODUCE

REORDER

STRUCTURE

ASSAY

AUDIT

BREAKDOWN

CANVASS

CHECK OUT

DISSECT

DEDUCE

DIVIDE

EXAMINE

4ANALYSIS

INCLUDE

INSPECT

LOOK AT

SCRUTINIZE

SIFT

SURVEY

STUDY

TEST FOR

UNCOVER

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RIGOR AND RELEVANCE HANDBOOK

Application Model Decision Tree

Is theoutcome

unpredictable?

Isit

application?

Is more thanone school

subjectinvolved?

Level 4Real-worldpredictableapplication

Level 5Real-world

unpredictableapplication

Level 1Knowledge inone discipline

Is theapplicationreal world?

Directions: Select a task, application, or activity and then answer thefollowing questions. See next page for clarification of the questions.

YES

YES

Level 2Application inone discipline

Level 3Interdisciplinary

application

NO

NO NO

NO

YES

YES

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Determining Levels of Rigor and Relevance Directions: For each of the following skill and knowledge statements, indicate the appropriate level on the Application Model, Knowledge Taxonomy and R/R Quadrant

Competency Application Level

Knowledge Level

R/R Quadrant

1. Calculate rate of change in a population.

2. Identify common land formations (islands, deltas, mountains) on a map.

3. Prepare written and oral arguments to support a change in a school policy.

4. Predict, evaluate, and rank minerals by hardness

5. Compare and contrast two short stories.

6. Describe in your own terms the meaning of one of the amendments in the Bill of Rights.

7. Read a bus schedule to determine the length of time for an across-city trip and which buses to take.

8. Determine all factors of a whole number.

9. Multiply in your head pairs of numbers less than 12.

10. Write directions on how to determine if the batteries are dead in a portable electronic device.

11. Edit a letter for correct grammar and spelling.

12. Develop a mathematical model for estimating a large number of objects.

13. Research a topic and give an oral report to the class.

14. Convert English measurement to decimal equivalents.

15. Determine information from a graph or statistics.

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Determining Levels of Rigor and Relevance

ANSWERS

Competency Application Level

Knowledge Level

R/R Quadrant

1. Calculate rate of change in a population. 4 3 D

2. Identify common land formations (islands, deltas, mountains) on a map.

2 2 A

3. Prepare written and oral arguments to support a change in a school policy.

5 5 D

4. Predict, evaluate, and rank minerals by hardness 4 3 B

5. Compare and contrast two short stories. 2 4 C

6. Describe in your own terms the meaning of one of the amendments in the Bill of Rights.

4 2 B

7. Read a bus schedule to determine the length of time for an across-city trip and which buses to take.

4 4 D

8. Determine all factors of a whole number. 2 2 A

9. Multiply in your head pairs of numbers less than 12. 1 1 A

10. Write directions on how to determine if the batteries are dead in a portable electronic device.

4 5 D

11. Edit a letter for correct grammar and spelling. 4 3 B

12. Develop a mathematical model for estimating a large number of objects. 4 5 D

13. Research a topic and give an oral report to the class. 2 5 C

14. Convert English measurement to decimal equivalents. 2 2 A

15. Determine information from a graph or statistics. 4 3 B

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Planning Rigorous and Relevant Instruction

StudentPerformance

Rigor/Relevance

Assessment LearningExperiences

Alignment withPerformance

Alignment withAssessment

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4

Focus ofLearning

DataStandards

Student

Best Practices

Reading

Questions

Step 1 - Focus - What defines or drives the learning experience?

Step 2 - Student Performance - What are studentsexpected to know, do or be like and at what levelof rigor and relevance?

Step 3 - Assessment - How will you assess desiredstudent performance?

Step 4 - Learning Experience - What activities will enable students to achieve student performance?

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Examples of Student Work for Real World Instruction

• Advertisement • Audiotape • Brochure • Business • Chart • Community

service • Construction • Contract • Correspondence • Debate • Demonstration • Design • Diagram • Discussion • Display • Dramatization • Drawing • Editorial • Exhibit • Experiment • Field guide • Graph • Interview • Invention

• Journal • Letter • Log • Machine • Magazine • Manufacturing

process • Map • Memo • Mnemonic • Model • Mural • News report • Newspaper • Oral history • Oral report • Painting • Petition • Photo album • Play • Poster • Production

process • Proposal • Questionnaire

• Questions • Rap • Relief map • Research report • Resume • Rules • Scale model • Scrapbook • Script • Sculpture • Sketch • Skit • Slide show • Software

application • Solution • Song • Speech • Story • Survey • Taxonomy • Teach a lesson • Test • Videotape

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Aligning Standards, Tests and Essential Skills to Improve Instruction

© International Center for Leadership in Education, Inc.

Rigor/Relevance Framework

Certain instructional strategies work better than others depending on the quad-rant of the Rigor/Relevance Framework in which the learning objective falls. Listtwo or three instructional strategies that you think would be effective in each ofthe four quadrants.

What Works Best?Worksheet

APPLICATION MODEL

Apply toreal-world

unpredictablesituations

Apply toreal-worldpredictablesituations

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Evaluation

Synthesis

Analysis

Application

Understanding

Awareness

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5

4

3

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1

Knowledge Apply indiscipline

Applyacross

disciplines

AAcquisition

CAssimilation

DAdaptation

BApplication

TAXONOMY

KNOWLEDGE

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Richard Jones June 2002

Checklist for Teaching and Learning Adapted from Rigor/Relevance Framework and Understanding by Design

The unit or course design

£ Is clearly linked to priority state standards

£ Has an expectation for levels of Rigor and Relevance

£ Reflects a coherent design -- big ideas and essential questions clearly guide the design of, and are aligned with, assessments and teaching and learning activities.

£ Makes clear distinctions between big ideas and essential questions, and the knowledge and skills necessary for learning the ideas and answering the questions.

£ Uses multiple forms of assessment to let students demonstrate their understanding in various ways.

£ Incorporates instruction and assessment that reflects the six facets of understanding -- the design provides opportunities for students to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess.

£ Anchors assessment of understanding with authentic performance tasks calling for students to demonstrate their understanding and apply knowledge and skills.

£ Uses clear criteria and performance standards for teacher, peer, and self-evaluations of student products and performances.

£ Enables students to revisit and rethink important ideas to deepen their understanding.

£ Incorporates a variety of and resources. The textbook is only one resource among many (rather than serving as the syllabus).

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The teacher

£ Informs students of the big ideas and essential questions, performance requirements, and evaluative criteria at the beginning of the unit or course.

£ Hooks and holds students' interest while they examine and explore big ideas and essential questions.

£ Uses a variety of strategies which match the expected level of rigor and relevance and learning styles of students.

£ Facilitates students' active construction of meaning (rather than simply telling).

£ Promotes opportunities for students to "unpack their thinking" -- to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, or self-assess (incorporates the six facets of understanding).

£ Uses questioning, probing, and feedback to stimulate student reflection and rethinking.

£ Teaches basic knowledge and skills in the context of big ideas and explores essential questions.

£ Uses information from ongoing assessments as feedback to adjust instruction.

£ Uses information from ongoing assessments to check for student understanding and misconceptions along the way.

£ Uses a variety of resources to promote understanding. The learners

£ Can describe the goals (big ideas and essential questions) and performance requirements of the unit or course.

£ Can explain what they are doing and why (i.e., how today's work relates to the larger unit or course goals).

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£ Are hooked at the beginning and remain engaged throughout the unit or course.

£ Can describe the criteria by which their work will be evaluated.

£ Are engaged in activities that help them to apply what they have learned

£ Are engaged in activities that promote explanation, interpretation, application, perspective taking, empathy, and self-assessment (the six facets).

£ Demonstrate that they are learning the background knowledge and skills that support the big ideas and essential questions.

£ Have opportunities to generate relevant questions.

£ Are able to explain and justify their work and their answers.

£ Use the criteria or rubrics to guide and revise their work.

£ Set relevant goals based on feedback. In the classroom environment

£ The big ideas and essential questions are central to the work of the students, the classroom activity, and the norms and culture of the classroom.

£ There are high expectations and incentives for all students to come to understand the big ideas and answer the essential questions.

£ All students and their ideas are treated with dignity and respect.

£ Big ideas, essential questions, and criteria or scoring rubrics are posted.

£ Samples or models of student work are made visible.

£ Exploration of big ideas and essential questions is differentiated, so some students are able to delve more deeply into the subject matter than others.

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