Curriculum Integration

Cassandra Young
EAD-520
Mission and Vision

Mission:
★ Lansing Charter Academy’s mission is to offer the families of the Lansing area a K-8 school that has a
challenging academic program and a culture that values integrity, academic excellence, and accountability,
where each and every student is given the opportunity for success in high school, college, and beyond

Vision:
★ Working in partnership with parents and the community, the school’s purpose is to challenge each child to
achieve. We offer a challenging, character-based education through a rigorous curriculum with high academic
and social expectations with the vision to better educate more children
Think of the Outcome First

★ Think: When you sit down and plan. Do you just look at the lesson or do you
look at the end goal of what you are trying to achieve?
★ Backwards Planning
○ Start with the desired outcome/Big ideas/ skills you want students to learn
○ What will the success criteria be?
○ Plan the learning experiences and instruction that will lead to student success
What is Backwards Design
Goals of Unit Design

★ Data Growth
★ Student Improvement
★ Filling achievement gaps
Cultural Inclusion

★ Unit Planning allows teachers to bring in relevant material

★ Focus on students different backgrounds within the school community
★ Example:
○ In a Language arts class it is important to include diverse texts so students can not only see
themselves in what they are reading but learn about perspectives and experiences outside of
their own. Text unit examples may include but are not limited to:
■ Inside out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai -- Historical perspective of the refugee
experience
■ Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Parker -- Dual perspective novel about children in
Sudan
■ We Beat the Streets by the Three Doctors -- Perspectives of three boys in Newark, NJ
overcoming their circumstances to become doctors
Differentiated Instruction

★ Unit planning draws our focus to all levels of understanding

○ Backwards design
★ Create similar assignments but reaching all students needs
★ Examples
○ Providing a text at 3 different levels of text to teach the same standard
■ A Readworks article that teaches inferencing that reaches students at a high, medium,
and low reading levels
■ This can be done by changing the reading level of the text or by giving 3 separate
readings that reach the same standard
Technology Tools

● Different technology allows for students to have different pathways to

understand content
● Example:
○ Teaching a unit of Expressions and Equations it allows students to access material in
different ways and express their understanding in a different way
■ Google slides visual with the teacher for the first exposure
■ Followed by Kahoots for a different style of questioning
■ Which can be followed by virtual manipulatives to grasp the understanding of
keeping an equation balanced
High Expectations and Standard Alignment

● Unit planning should be aligned with Common Core State Standards

○ By aligning unit plans to common core standards, it aids us in setting high expectations for
students
● It is important to hold students to a high expectation so that students will
learn how to rise to meet them
● Example:
○ Returning an assignment then having the student work to improve their depth of
knowledge behind the topic.
■ This would occur in the reflection and evaluation portion of the backwards
planning process
Collaboration

● Teachers are not meant to work in isolation

● Students need their teachers to collaborate to get new and fresh ideas for
developing their knowledge
● Working in either PLC groups, grade level groups, or even wing groups to
support the planning process
LET’S GET TO CREATING

● Include your passion for student achievement

● Use all your resources
● Don't be afraid to ask questions
Reference

● Butler, G., Heslup, S., & Kurth, L. (2015). A Ten-Step Process for Developing Teaching Units. Eric. https://eric.ed.gov/?

id=EJ1077923

● DuFour, R., & Marzano, R. J. (2011). Leaders of Learning: How District, School, and Classroom Leaders Improve Student

Achievement. In ERIC. Solution Tree. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED539001

● Lansing Charter Academy. (2020). Parent and Student Handbook. Lansing Charter Academy.

https://www.nhaschools.com/schools/lansing-charter-academy

● Whitehouse, M. (2014). Using a backward design approach to embed assessment in teaching.

http://www.physics.smu.edu/~sdalley/quarknet/2015/2015QuarkNet_files/Physics%20Curriculum%20Constructs/ASE

%20Backward%20Design.pdf