“Unpacking a standard” is the process of identifying what students will know and be able to do when they have mastered the standards. Through the process of identifying nouns and verbs in a standard, educators will be able to create learning targets that focus on student content and skill acquisition. Critical Elements to Remember when “Unpacking the Standards:”
1. Identify key concepts and skills.
2. Identify learning target types.
3. Determine big ideas.
Steps for “Unpacking the Standards” and understanding what is contained within each point.
- Identifying “essential” standards.
- Developing clear learning goals or objectives.
- Shifting students’ focus from “answer getting” to solving problems and critical thinking.
- Exposing students to a large variety of complex texts in ALL subject areas.
- Connecting the standard topics to the prior knowledge of students.
- Establishing the classroom environment as a community of learners.