Independent Learning Curricular Model: Content
Lesson Content
Course content should contain the following:
- content and skill objectives for 4th-8th grade students using national standards (Common Core Standards) as well as professional organization and state standards (NCTM, NCTE, NCSS, NSTA and state standards such as the North Carolina Standard Course of Study). These objectives should not only address objectives for the grade level but two to four grade levels above, as Independent Learning courses and units serve students who are bright, advanced, and profoundly gifted. If you are interested in also using the curricular frameworks of such states as Texas, Florida, or Georgia (states that have influence over textbooks and curriculum in TIP's 16-state region), you are welcome to do so. We ask that you begin with national standards, use some of North Carolina's standards, and blend in any other state's standards as needed.
- organizing concepts
- organizing essential understandings (themes and generalizations) derived from these concepts and essential questions
- organized essential questions (follow for #'s 3 and 4 the Wiggins and McTighe Understanding By Design model)
- interdisciplinary connections
- differentiated assignments and asssessments, such as tiering and multiple intelligence activities appealing to a variety of student interests and learning styles
- discipline-specific reading comprehension, writing, and other research skills integrated with activities
- primary sources (print and electronic)
- process skills: research skills and thinking skills of critical thinking, questioning, creative thinking, problem solving, and logic/reasoning activities requiring upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (analysis, synthesis/creation, and evaluation).
- in-depth development of questioning skills. For a handout on types of questions, see an English-Language Arts model, The Questioner's Lens, that can be adapted to any subject area.
- informal and formal ongoing assessment (pretest, midtest, post-test, using a variety of products and performances)
- product and performance options determined by student choice and interests
- affective components (ways for students to explore personal feelings, attitudes, and perceptions)
Need a visual of a typical lesson? View the Lesson Template.
To learn about lesson format and the Duke TIP curricular model, head to the next page.