Curriculum Team

Summer 2020
July 7, 2020
Google Classroom: Class code 2xvnfpc
Elementary
Science
Social Studies
ELA
 GOAL
● What is a Concept?
● What is Concept-Based Learning?
● How can it help to enhance our
Essential Curriculum?
 01
WHAT?
 First, let’s look at a
Sample…
Go to your grade level.
What do you notice?

What do you wonder?

 !
EC T IONS!!
C ONN
Making Meaning of
Chapter 1 and
Concept Based
Learning and Revisit PADLET
Instruction?
● What IS it?
● What is it NOT?
 What is Concept-based Learning?

The world is changing. Knowledge is changing. The ability to view the world with a
more flexible mind is invaluable.

● Concept based learning is about big transferable ideas that transcend time, place,
situation.
● Content just focuses on facts while concept focuses on making sense of those facts
and the world around us.
● Content based teaching may not get beyond information transmission/superficial
learning.
● Concepts are a way to organize and make sense of learning.
● We can’t possibly teach everything that is important, but we can teach the big
ideas.
● Concept based learning is a framework to study everything.
● So much information. Content can change, concepts stay the same.
● Information is useless unless you can do something with it.
 Concept or NOT!
Make a T-Chart on a piece of
paper and sort by CONCEPT China
or TOPIC Bears
Persuasion
Dinosaurs
Conflict Co-operation
Family Patterns
Culture Literature
Change Scale
Fitness Rhythm
Human Hope
Rights Hunger
Meat
‘Concept’
Definition
Use the padlet to work together
generate criteria for concepts…

What connections can you

make between concept and
prioritize?

Revisit PADLET
 02
SO WHAT???
Not a different approach to curriculum, rather
structuring our curriculum around big ideas with the
goal of transfer.
Compare &
Contrast At-
A-Glances
What is in the
new?

What is not?

What do we
need?

Why?
 Compare &
Contrast
At-A-Glance
s-
NOTES
What is in the new?

What is not?

What do we need?

What don’t we need? (What is muddying the water?)

What don’t we need right now?

Why?
 03
NOW WHAT?
 How
t hi n k can th
in g d is
r
Learn ive your
i ng G
creati oal
ons?
 ● What Concepts support your learning most?
● Do the Concepts connect Science and Social
Studies (possibly ELA)?
● Math is missing in new? What does this look
Let’s Draw Some ●
like?
Are there Overarching (Macro) and Underlying
Conclusions for (Micro) Concepts?
WCPS ○ Micro- Each Module, supporting content
BUT all leading to the Macro
○ Macro- Overarching the year
○ Content is part of your Storyline or
Content Maps, not necessarily the
Transfer
● WHEN THINGS FEEL FORCED, MAYBE WE
ABANDON!
● Less is more shouldn’t lead to open holes, we
need to close the gaps.
● Need Consistency in Format, Content and
Interpretation (uniform in its purpose)
○ EUs, EQs, Concepts,
● We are providing a scaffold for the curriculum
through the At-A-Glance
 Reflections
● Based off of today’s thinking and learning:
○ What are you going to share with your team?
○ What are your action steps?

Chat Box
Alternative
Resources