‐What to teach‐ 

Olmsted Falls City Schools ‐What to teach‐ This is determined by the academic content standards. We have also gone about the process of identifying power indicators to help with how we handle the overzealous breadth of the current ACSs. ‐When to teach it‐ Curriculum mapping and pacing have helped tremendously here. Our teacher‐based teams have engaged in a significant amount of curriculum planning and constantly continue to revisit their maps. When the “what to teach” gets changed, educa‐
tors should revisit the pacing of the content and make the necessary adjustments. Examples ‐How to engineer effective teaching environments‐ DLT setting clarity & Pedagogy would fall into this realm. For OFCS, we’ve begun accommodating the pedagogy of clarity and feedback as a prior‐
student feedback into classrooms on a more deliberate and conscious level. These are the things that our ity teachers are engineering into their environments. Our DLT and BLTs have tried to further clarify what BLTs determining these look like within our classrooms and have created rubrics to identify criteria for clarity and feedback. how clarity & feed‐
Posting learning targets and essential questions is one thing, integrating them into the environment and back will look using them as ways in which to help students know where they are going, where they are now and how Teacher teams ac‐
they can close the gap is something a bit different. In many cases, this is a change in practice and may tively integrating seem more mechanical at first, however as it used more and more, it becomes assimilated, routine and these concepts in lessons eventually refined. In short, our focus has been on making the learning targets clearer to students and providing them with feedback through formative assessment techniques. Examples Collaboratively ‐How to teach it‐ This area is more content specific and the decision making points are made by curriculum committee designed units of members. For instance, based on any discipline, there are delivery methods grounded in research. A series instruction of questions as it relates to reading might be: How should phonemic awareness be taught? How much EverdayMath time should be devoted to teaching it for a typical student? What methods should be used? What materi‐
Guided Reading als could be used? What systems of support are in place for a student who needs more? What data sys‐
Systematic tems are in place in order to help the adults make these decisions for individual students? Once the deci‐
reading instruction sions are made as to how the teaching should occur and what should be used, the focus shifts towards Teacher teams cre‐
implementation. In order to have instructional coherence, building leadership teams and/or teacher‐
ating an implemen‐
tation criteria check‐ based teams should be able to answer the question of, “What is the Olmsted Falls way to teach______?” If they cannot, our degree of coherence is not where it needs to be. list Examples  Teacher teams using implementa‐
tion criteria to check for imple‐
mentation fidelity of agreed upon teaching method‐
ology (e.g.‐When done correctly, Program A is ob‐
served having com‐
ponents 1, 2 & 3) ‐How to implement & monitor‐ Implementation and agreeing upon the components of what it looks like when implemented correctly is critical. Moreover, teachers are equal partners in determining what the criteria are for successful imple‐
mentation. The characteristics of a successful implementation should be identified and teachers should receive the professional development needed in order to assist them before and during implementation. Further, teacher based teams should provide assistance to colleagues who might need help. Professional trust is important to achieve implementation with fidelity. Implementation and monitoring serve as our professional check of quality control. If a group of educated people took the time to determine the most effective ways in which to facilitate learning in a particular subject, it is imperative that those same profes‐
sionals implement, monitor and support one another throughout the process. Olmsted Falls City Schools Rubric for CLARITY OF LEARNING TARGETS version 1.0
For the Purposes of Teacher Reflection and Professional Improvement
Learning Target Clarity Construct Linking Learning Targets & Learning Activities Referencing Learning Targets Checking for Understanding with Students Using Exemplars Making Connections to Overarching Learning Intentions Exemplary Level Proficient Level  Teacher consistently  Teacher often communicates a clear communicates a clear connection between learning connection between targets (things we want kids learning targets (things we to know) and learning want kids to know) and activities (things the teacher learning activities (things will have them do). the teacher will have them do).
 Teacher consistently  Teacher often communicates clear learning communicates clear targets to students and refers learning targets to students to the targets throughout the and refers to the targets lesson. throughout the lesson.  Visual  Visual  Smart Board  Smart Board  Student Handout  Student Handout  Verbal  Verbal  Teacher consistently checks  Teacher often checks with with students to see if they students to see if they can can communicate the learning communicate the learning targets for the lesson. targets for the lesson.  Teacher consistently uses  Teacher often uses strong strong and weak examples and weak examples of of student work to increase student work to increase student understanding of student understanding of learning targets. learning targets.  Teacher consistently  Teacher often communicates the relevance communicates the and relationship of the relevance and relationship learning targets to the of the learning targets to overall Big Ideas & Essential the overall Big Ideas & Questions for the grade level Essential Questions for the and subject area. grade level and subject area. Developing Level Beginning Level  Teacher at times communicates  Teacher does not a clear connection between communicate a clear learning targets (things we connection between learning want kids to know) and targets (things we want kids learning activities (things the to know) and learning teacher will have them do).
activities (things the teacher will have them do).
 Teacher at times communicates clear learning targets to students and refers to the targets throughout the lesson.  Visual  Smart Board  Student Handout  Verbal  Teacher at times checks with students to see if they can communicate the learning targets for the lesson.  Teacher at times uses strong and weak examples of student work to increase student understanding of learning targets.  Teacher at times communicates the relevance and relationship of the learning targets to the overall Big Ideas & Essential Questions for the grade level and subject area.  Teacher does not communicate clear learning targets to students and refers to the targets throughout the lesson.  Visual  Smart Board  Student Handout  Verbal  Teacher does not check with students to see if they can communicate the learning targets for the lesson.  Teacher does not use strong and weak examples of student work to increase student understanding of learning targets.  Teacher does not communicate the relevance and relationship of the learning targets to the overall Big Ideas & Essential Questions for the grade level and subject area. Olmsted Falls City Schools Rubric for PROVIDING EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK DRAFT #1—1/5/10
Feedback Construct Exemplary Level  Feedback is consistently delivered orally or in written form that is appropriate to Modality of Feedback the learning target or assignment Focused  Feedback is consistently provided that is related to the learning target criterion, tells the student the criteria was met (or not) and tells why. Proficient Level  Feedback is often delivered orally or in written form that is appropriate to the learning target or assignment Developing Level Beginning Level  Feedback is sometimes  Feedback is not delivered delivered orally or in written orally or in written form that form that is appropriate to the is appropriate to the learning learning target or assignment target or assignment  Feedback is often provided  Feedback is sometimes that relates to the learning provided that relates to the target criterion, tells the learning target criterion, tells student the criteria was met the student the criteria was (or not) and tells why. met (or not) and tells why.  Feedback is not provided that relates to the learning target criterion, tell the student the criteria was met (or not) and tells why. Descriptive and Specific  Feedback consistently  Feedback often provides provides specific strategies for specific strategies for the the next steps in the student’s next steps in the student’s learning. learning.  Feedback sometimes provides  Feedback does not provide specific strategies for the next specific strategies for the steps in the student’s learning. next steps in the student’s learning. Delivered in a Timely Manner Amount is Appropriate  Feedback is consistently provided to students while there is still time to act on it.  Feedback is often provided to students while there is still time to act on it.  Feedback is sometimes provided to students while there is still time to act on it.  Enough Feedback is consistently provided to students so they can work against the assignment criteria and know what to do next.  Enough Feedback is often provided to students so they can work against the assignment criteria and know what to do next.  Feedback is sometimes provided to students so they can work against the assignment criteria and know what to do next.  Feedback is not provided to students while there is still time to act on it.  Feedback is not provided to students so they can work against the assignment criteria and know what to do next. Effective Feedback: A response to student work using the criteria for good work that is part of the learning target; observes where the
work did a good job of meeting the criteria and where it did not; suggests ways the student could go about understanding the reasons
for these observations so that strengths can be built on and weaknesses improved (Moss & Brookhart, 2009).
Olmsted Falls Schools: Unit Design Framework
1
The purpose of the lesson planning framework is to act as a guide for Olmsted Falls Educators as they
collaboratively plan units of instruction. The framework attempts to incorporate best practices from the research
and couple these with the professional development concepts that Olmsted Falls Educators have taken part in.
Academic content standards and the learning targets that comprise the standards come to life for
teachers and students when they are incorporated into a unit of instruction. Teachers work in teams to ensure
the learning intentions are the same in corresponding grade levels and subject areas. Teaching the same
targets creates the opportunity to collaboratively design common formative assessments that can be
collaboratively discussed throughout the instructional unit with fellow teachers. In addition, it allows teachers to
design reliable and valid summative assessments that can be used to measure learning at the end of the
instructional unit and use the results for future planning.
Ultimately the unit design framework should be used by teachers for the purpose of instructional
alignment. The learning targets should be clear to students before and during instruction and they should be
aligned with the assessments students will experience. The last step in the alignment process occurs when the
learning targets and assessments are consciously aligned with the instruction and classroom activities.
© OFCS Unit of Study Framework Can be used with granted permission Olmsted Falls Schools: Unit Design Framework
Subject: Science-6
Unit: Environmental Changes
Part I: Clarity of Learning Targets
What are the grade level indicators that go with this unit? Place a star next to the grade level
indicators that are Power Indicators. Are the indicators in student friendly language? Place the
level of Bloom’s Taxonomy next to each Power Indicator.
Explain how the number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends on adequate biotic (living) resources
(e.g., plants, animals) and abiotic (non-living) resources (e.g., light, water and soil).
#1 Student-Friendly: I can explain how biotic and abiotic resources determine the number of
organisms in an ecosystem. (Procedural, Understand)
“Branches of Learning”:
 Biotic
 Abiotic
 Limiting factors
 Organism
 Ecosystem
Summarize the ways that natural occurrences and human activity affect the transfer of energy in Earth's
ecosystems (e.g., fire, hurricanes, roads and oil spills).
#2 Student-Friendly: I can summarize the ways that natural occurrences (fire, hurricanes,
etc.) and human activity (deforestation, oil spills, etc.) affect the transfer of energy in
ecosystems. (Procedural, Understand)
#3 Student-Friendly: I can explain how energy is transferred from one organism to another.
(Conceptual, Understand)
“Branches of Learning”:
 Natural occurrence
 Human activities
 Transfer of energy
Explain that some environmental changes occur slowly while others occur rapidly (e.g., forest and pond
succession, fires and decomposition).
#4 Student-Friendly: I can explain that some environmental changes occur slowly, while
others occur rapidly (fires, decomposition, and succession.) (Conceptual, Understand)
“Branches of Learning”:
 Decomposition
 Primary succession
 Secondary Succession
 Climax community
Explain the biogeochemical cycles, which move materials between the lithosphere (land), hydrosphere
(water) and atmosphere (air).
© OFCS Unit of Study Framework Can be used with granted permission 2
Olmsted Falls Schools: Unit Design Framework
3
#5 Student-Friendly: I can explain biogeochemical cycles. (Conceptual, Understand)
“Branches of Learning”:
 Biogeochemical cycles
 Lithosphere
 Hydrosphere
 Atmosphere
 Oxygen cycle
 Carbon cycle
 Nitrogen cycle
What are the Big Ideas that go with this unit?
1. Living and non-living resources determine the number of organisms and ecosystem can support.
2. Human and/or natural activities change the environment and affect the transfer of energy.
What are the Essential Questions that go with this unit?
1. How do living and non-living resources determine the number of organisms an ecosystem can support?
2. How do human activities and natural resources change the environment and affect the transfer of
energy?
What strategies will we use in order to make learning targets clearer for all students, before,
during and after instruction? How will you communicate the learning indicators to students?



Learning targets posted in the classroom – discussed with students before, during, after lessons
Leaves of learning – each branch states a key term, students show ‘evidence’ of their learning on a leaf
Big idea or essential question discussed throughout the unit – learning targets are connected to Big
Ideas/Essential Questions
© OFCS Unit of Study Framework Can be used with granted permission Olmsted Falls Schools: Unit Design Framework
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Part II: Feedback and Assessments (Formative and Summative)
How will we provide students with feedback throughout the unit?
What formative assessments will we use? (Non-graded assignments that check for understanding
and provide feedback to the students) Incorporate the 7 Strategies of Assessment for Learning
here.
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


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The students will complete entrance/exit slips or journal entries prior to each quiz to show evidence of
the learning targets.
The teacher will use strong student examples and will provide feedback on the entrance/exit slips or
journal entries – teacher lists criteria; students evaluate exit/entrance slips and identify one correct part
of the answer (star), one incorrect part of the answer (stair), and one idea that needs to be added
(stair). Students then add to/correct their answer.
The students will analyze the results of their summative assessments (correcting mistakes ½ sheet).
Formative section assessments in textbook - section 1 ½ sheet (pg. 10)
Evaluation of Biome project – The students will rate themselves and their group members on how well
they participated in their group work for the Biome project.
How will students be involved with keeping track of their own learning progress (note—this is
different than tracking points for a grade)?

The students will keep their entrance/exit slips or journal responses and refer to them throughout the
unit.
What summative assessments will we use? (Graded, evaluative assessments)

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Quiz #1 – Learning target #1: ecosystems, habitats, communities, populations, organisms, biotic,
abiotic, and limiting factors and learning target #4: Succession (chapter 1, section 4)
Quiz #2 – Learning targets #2 and #3: Food chains/webs, transfer of energy
Quiz #3 – Learning target #5: Cycle – O2, C, N and learning target #4: Biogeography
Biome project - Poster/Presentation – Learning target #1, #2, #3
© OFCS Unit of Study Framework Can be used with granted permission Olmsted Falls Schools: Unit Design Framework
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Part III: Instruction and Student Activities
What instructional and student activities will we use for this unit? These activities should directly
align with the indicators and assessments.
Background
 Ecosystems
 Habitats
 Communities
 Populations
 Organisms
Chapter 1, Section 1
 Smart Board presentation
 Section 1 assessment
Chapter 1, Section 4 (Succession)
Topics:
 Biotic
 Abiotic
 Limiting factors
 Succession (chapter 1, section 4)
Activities:
 Describe in 2 scenarios (island, destroyed forest) how life would reappear over time. Create a time-line
showing what biotic factors would appear (first, second, third, etc.).
 Anticipation guide
 Worksheet – Pgs. 74 and 75
Chapter 2
Topics:
 Food chains/webs
 Transfer of energy
 Cycle – O2, C, N
 Biogeography
 Biomes
Activities – Chapter 2, Section 1:

Each group is given a scenario – the groups explain how the natural occurrence or human
activity affects the transfer of energy in ecosystems/habitats.
1. Mom plants a garden
2. Lighting strikes create forest fire
3. City builds park
4. City builds park
5. Home builder constructs apartment buildings
6. Farmer plants corn
7. Lumber company clears land of all trees
8. Hurricane wipes out southern tip of Florida
© OFCS Unit of Study Framework Can be used with granted permission Olmsted Falls Schools: Unit Design Framework

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
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Learning chains (formative)
Energy pyramid
Food chains and webs united streaming video
2-column notes
Website – create a food web (extra-credit)
Activities – Chapter 2, Section 2:
 Cycle cartoon
 Carbon and nitrogen cycle worksheets
 Pg. 52 – Nitrogen cycle roles
Activities – Chapter 2, Section 3:
 Section 3 assessment – Pg. 57
Activities – Chapter 2, Section 4 and 5 (Biomes):
 Biome Project (posters)
Notes:
Biotic, Abiotic
Limiting factors
Ecosystems
Habitats
Communities
Population
Organisms
Literacy Strategies:
-Previewing the text
-Anticipation guide
-KWL chart
© OFCS Unit of Study Framework Can be used with granted permission Food Chains/webs, transfer of energy, succession
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Olmsted Falls Schools: Unit Design Framework
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Heading:
Learning Target: I can explain how biotic and abiotic resources determine the number of
organisms in an ecosystem.
Explanation: ________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Correct:
Add:
1.
2.
Addition(s): ________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Correct:
Add:
1.
2.
© OFCS Unit of Study Framework Can be used with granted permission Evaluation of Biome Project
Heading:
Directions: Using the scale below, rate yourself and each group member. Then, explain how you could improve the next time.
3 = Always
2 = Mostly
1 = Rarely
Self
Group Goals:
Peer #1
Name
Peer #2
Name
Peer #3
Name
___________
___________
___________
How could you improve the next
time?
1. Actively listened to the ideas of the
group
2. Contributed to the group research
and final product
3. Respected other opinions and
compromised if necessary
4. Clarified information with group
members before asking the teacher
5. Active member of the group; was
here everyday to work with the group
*If there is any additional information you think I need to know, please write it on the back of this paper.