Finalize a Curriculum
By working backward from what is going to be assessed, a teacher can identify all of the information that students must learn, so that they understand the concepts and can demonstrate the competencies upon which they will be assessed. As we mentioned, following the recommended curriculum framework is all that you have to do to supply students with information they need to complete the State exams. This is a great starting point; however, creating lifelong learners who truly understand the concepts for which they are being assessed will require you to develop a curriculum at a much deeper level.
The question is not only what must learned to align with the standards, but what will engage student interests and allow them to make connections to things that they care about? For example, a history teacher from Carbon County may recognize that learning about the local mining and garment industries will provide his or her students with a personal connection to the past. While these are not concepts listed in the recommended curriculum, they do fit in with the big idea: The history of the Commonwealth continues to influence Pennsylvanians today, and has impacted the United States and the rest of the world.
The big ideas and essential questions enable teachers to communicate and collaborate to help ensure that each student has attained the requisite skills necessary for success across all subjects. For example, through discussion of the mining industry, students will learn that Pennsylvania has three quarters of the worlds Anthracite coal, and that the local garment industry once supplied most of the clothing to stores in New York and Philadelphia. By exploring the big ideas and essential questions for science and economics, the history teacher should be able to make cross curriculum connections to what the students are learning in these other subjects.
So far in this course we have examined how the Pennsylvania Academic Standards establish a baseline of understanding, knowledge, and skills students need in order to be academically successful. We have also examined how the Benchmark and State exams align to the standards, and how you can ensure that the assessments you use in the classroom align as well. In the next module we will examine how to use the curriculum to develop aligned instruction that engages student interests, prepares students for academic success, and creates lifelong learners.