Curriculum Alignment Issues
Order Instructions:
Issues Facing Curriculum Alignment
For this assignment, you will build on the same program designed in Assignment 1.
Write a six to seven (6-7) page paper in which you:
I have put down some thoughts that I would like to see in the paper.
1. Discuss the philosophical basis that affects the proposed curriculum design.
Progressive philosophy
Concept based curriculum H. Lynn Erickson
Backward Design Wiggins and McTighe
21st century learners: hands on, communicators, collaborators, global learners, etc.
2. Examine the elements of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced testing, and determine how to apply these methods in the proposed curriculum design.
3. Recommend at least three (3) ways to integrate interdisciplinary units into the proposed curriculum. Provide a rationale and support your recommendations.
I am designing a 1st grade curriculum on habitats
In my 1st assignment, I stated “To design a curriculum it is prudent to come up with questions to help in its development. The three essential questions relating to habitats are; why are there different habitats? Why do animals need to survive? Lastly, what body parts help them to survive in their habitat? These three questions are effective in answering various concerns about different organisms living in different habitats.”
I am integrating interdisciplinary units into the proposed curriculum in the following ways: Language Arts, Social Studies, Art.
For the language arts piece, students will be conducting research on animal of their choice. They will write a report on the animal’s habitat, its predators and prey and its adaptation to its environment. They will state special body parts that help the animal survive and the animal’s diet. They must also tell why or why not the animal could live in another habitat.
For the social studies element of the curriculum, students will be assigned to teams to research a continent. They will create a powerpoint presentation to demonstrate their knowledge of habitats within a continent. How does the environment help plants and animals survive? What are at least 2 events happening on that continent that endanger plants and animals? What would they do to solve the problem?
For the art aspect of the curriculum, students will be given the choice to create habitat diorama or poster that demonstrates their knowledge of the needs of the plants and animals in the habitat.
4. Select at least four (4) approaches that you would use to assess outcomes within the proposed curriculum design. Analyze the importance of each of the selected approaches in facilitating the comprehension of concepts and facts within a contextually based learning environment. Provide a rationale to support your position.
Rubrics (students are responsible for their learning; they know what they must do to earn desirable grades; this will be used to grade projects, group work, written work, etc.)
Student opinion survey (students reflect on their learning)
Portfolios (snapshot on learning progress)
Teacher made tests (did students master the standards taught)
