K-8 Mathematics Framework
Using the Mathematics Curriculum Guides
The curriculum guides linked below specify what students should know and be able to do based on our district’s Math Power Standards. The guides provide a more detailed “unwrapped” outline of the Math Power Standards and should be used in planning instruction (see Mathematics Instructional Pacing Template) for each grade level. The following explanations are to assist teachers with interpreting the components of the curriculum guides.
Big Ideas/Thematic Focus
These enduring understandings are large-scale mental organizers
that help students learn what we want them to “get inside of” and retain after
they have forgotten many details about the curriculum. Think of big ideas as the
“Aha!” realizations, discoveries, or conclusions that students reach on their
own either during or after instruction. They bring into focus the unifying
characteristics of a broad topic, theme, or interest and represent in-depth
understanding of the “unwrapped” concepts under investigation versus the tedious
memorization of those concepts as isolated facts merely to be recalled.
Units of Study
The organizing outline of specific topics that form the basis of
lessons and activities that classroom educators will use to teach their students
the concepts and skills. The units of study are manageable in number/scope based
on the allotted instructional time, and linked to the primary instructional
resources (textbook, etc.) used in the course.
Concepts
Refers to the specific
information students need to know in a given standard, its
related indicators (the grade-specific learning outcomes), or in an entire
course of study. To simplify the definition, think of concepts or content as
being the important nouns or noun phrases embedded in the standards and
indicators.
Skills
Refers to the specific
actions students need to be able to do in a given standard, its
related indicators (the grade-specific learning outcomes), or in an entire
course of study. To simplify the definition, think of skills as being the
important verbs or verb phrases embedded in the standards and indicators that
form the basis of the processes students will engage in to demonstrate their
understanding of concepts. The skills contained within the guides can be
associated with
Bloom’s Taxonomy according to the hierarchy of
thinking skills.
Essential Questions
These questions
set the purpose for learning that requires students to think, make connections,
draw conclusions, and justify their responses with supporting details. The oral
and written responses students give through assessments provide the
evidence as to whether or not the students understand the Big Ideas and have met
the particular standard(s) and indicator(s). Bloom’s Taxonomy can be
used to support teachers with instructional questioning strategies and in
developing assessment activities that ask students to not only recall, but to
apply and extend their learning relative to a standard.
Essential Skills
Process skills
developed through ODE that are foundational for learning and
designed to equip students with what they need to be successful in college, the
workplace, and their communities. To ensure that students have multiple and
varied opportunities to learn and demonstrate the essential skills, the content
standards and essential skills should be aligned to courses across the
curriculum. Teachers need to continue to use local performance
assessments (work samples or comparable assessments) in grades 3-8 and
high school to prepare students to meet the essential skills proficiency
graduation requirement in high school.
Contact Us
Cindy Dagesse
cindy.dagesse@corvallis.k12.or.us
