Chapter 6 Crafting Understanding

Cat Foster and Lacey Ford

Activate Prior Knowledge Overarching

Understandings

Topical Understandings

…are broader offering a bridge of understanding to

other units or courses of study

…are unit specific

Presidents are not above the law!

“She’s just an intern..uh..?!?!”

“I’m not a crook!”

Overarching

Topical

Things to remember!

O …to use both Overarching and Topical in framing your learning goals

O …that when choosing between them: content, subject matter priorities, age of students, time allotted to the unit, and other factors will influence the breadth and depth of the targeted understanding.

The GoalO …is that the overarching

understandings represent the transferable insights eventually sought!

The BIG ideas on

Crafting Understanding

Understanding vs. FactualKnowledge

O To “get” a fact requires only that we grasp the meaning of the words or see the data.

O To “get” an understanding requires more: after all the words and data are clear, students may not get their significance. We have to ask questions of the facts, connect them to other facts, and try to apply them in various situations.

For example : FACT - a triangle has three sides and three angles (true on inspection, by definition)O Six Trait Writing termsO Math FactsO Parts of SpeechO Grammar rules

Understanding:O - a triangle with three equal sides

has three equal angles (made through valid proof)

O Using the six traits, parts of speech and grammar rules appropriately.

O Applying the math facts to word problems.

However, there are some misconceptions when framing the

understanding…

BE CAREFUL!!!

Lesson framing must be clear.

Understandings are best stated in propositional

form.

…describes relationship between and among

concepts…

Skill

Understanding

VS.

“Students will understand that…(all mammals give live birth.)”

“Students will learn how to… (write in cursive.)”

Understanding

Specific Skill

Tips for identifying and framing understanding

Civil War

Civil War

Typical teacher mistake:“I want my students to understand the Civil

War.”

This does not specify what the learner should came away understanding about the topic.

Steps to crafting the understanding:

1. Restate the topic. Example: “I want students to understand the causes of the Civil War.”

Just restating the content goal in a more detailed manner doesn’t frame a full and clear understanding.

•Be explicitExample:

“ I want students to understand that there were several significant and interrelated causes of the Civil War- the morality of slavery, fundamentally different views about the role of the government, dissimilarities of regional economies, and a clash of cultures.”

Wow! That understanding is right on target!

Understanding

Filter

Click icon to add picture

What essential questions are

raised by this idea or topic? What,

specifically, about the idea or topic

do you want students to come to understand?

Examples of filtering….

Please turn to page 81 in your workbook.

Identifying Essential Questions and Understandings.

“Let’s look together at the Scientific Method.”

“I want my students to understand friendships.”

Think time…O What would you want your students

to know about friendships?

Pair Share….O Now with a partner use the design

tool and craft your understanding on friendship…

Share time!

Final ThoughtsO Think of Understanding as written

by the designer to the contractor. It is a blueprint for the building of learning plan, developing the desired understandings is the aim of the design.

4 rules of O A desired understanding is a priority.O Desired understandings are best

stated in propositional form: Students will understand that…”

O Even when abstract, desired understandings must be stated in clear, specific, insightful generalizations.

O Two kinds of understandings are: Overarching and Topical.