Tracing Elements through the Common Core

As we worked in groups tracing one element through the Common Core it was interesting to see how the element developed greater depth grade by grade. It was eye opening to see where we are starting and where we are headed. The Common Core assessments are going to be very different in their focus on depth, complexity, and performance. It certainly will take a lot of rigor to get us there. To deliver the level of instruction necessary to prepare students it is essential to take in the big picture.

As in Bloom’s Taxonomy it’s all in the verbs. The DOK training was in my opinion very similar. DOK levels describe the level of complexity of thinking involved in completing a task. Webb took all the verbs and objectives from Bloom’s and ordered them into 4 levels of complexity to guide planning and instructional practices and increase rigor.

Our team focused on the verbs or rather the student’s expected abilities as we traced the element. It’s always good to be able to talk things through with peers. We have such intelligent people with keen insight and perspectives in our class. The activity could have only been improved upon with more time and perhaps smaller groups.