Module Descriptions
Key Themes & Topics:
Key themes and topics for each unit set the stage of the big ideas classes will be exploring throughout a unit. They guide the selection and use of key texts and instructional resources. Rather than “teaching Title X”, students and teachers activate titles and other resources as they inform and deepen understandings of Key Themes and Topics.
Essential Questions
As the name implies, these are the big questions driving each unit of study. In SVVSD, each set of essential questions’ theme is recurring in a progression of Community > Identity > Culture culminating with an examination of Interdependence in students’ Senior year. Essential questions are designed as sweeping and without a “right” answer. Major activities, assignments, and assessments within a unit will ask students to practice the skills of the discipline in service of expressing their answers to these questions.
Routine Writing
The Four-Choice Journal
Reader’s Notebook
Daybook
Interactive Notebook
Key Reading & Writing Standards
While the acts of reading and writing encompass myriad skills and could be argued to speak to all standards, this section of Phase I highlights the key standards for which students will be held responsible in a unit’s learning tasks and assessments. These standards also provide guidance for lesson design and - along with the topics and EQs - provide the underpinnings of each unit’s summative assessment.
Summative Assessment Task & Transfer Tasks
Phase I ends with an outline of the unit’s summative assessment outlining how students will show their progress of mastery of key standards and showcase their answers to the unit’s essential questions. This provides a goal toward which all weekly and daily learning activities can be designed. Transfer tasks explicitly outline other possible applications of student learning as a result of this unit. In short, these tasks offer an answer to the question, “Why do we have to learn this?”
Extended Texts
SVVSD students will read at least one extended text each quarter of secondary school. Extended texts should encourage student agency, providing opportunities for students to develop voice and often, choice, through self-selected reading, book clubs or similar structures. Extended texts can be novels, anthologies, collections, non-fiction, etc. Each unit plan presents a collection of supported extended texts aligned to the grade level and unit theme.
Short Literary & Informational Texts
Throughout the course of each quarter, SVVSD students are expected to closely explore 2-3 short literary texts and 1-2 short informational texts. “Short texts are considered anything less than novel length. The texts in these unit plans are tied to the larger work of the unit by theme and practice at tasks. For each type of text several options are presented to allow teachers to align instructional materials to their students’ specific interests and needs.
Analytical Writing Tasks
SVVSD students will complete 4-6 analytical writing tasks across the course of each quarter. The length, depth, complexity, and level of polish of each task will vary according to the other instructional components activated within the unit plan. One analytical writing task each quarter will include an on-demand writing. These timed writings will allow for formative assessment of what students are able to do as readers, writers, and thinkers without assistance and when faced with texts of complexity corresponding to their grade level. Assignment description sheets and assignments from vetted external sources will be included to chart a pathway to meeting expectations as well as lists of other possible assignments that might be created to meet expectations.
Narrative Writing Tasks
In keeping with SVVSD’s philosophical commitment to the importance of a balanced literacy diet, all students will compose 1-2 narrative texts across each quarter. Similar to analytical writing tasks, these texts will be of varying length, depth, complexity, and level of polish according to learning goals and targets. Assignment description sheets and assignments from vetted external sources will be included to chart a pathway to meeting expectations as well as lists of other possible assignments that might be created to meet expectations.
Research Task
As outlined in the Colorado Academic Standards, SVVSD students will build their research skills and abilities throughout each quarter. For some units, research tasks will be stand alone assignments such as researching local issues or current events. For other units, research tasks will be embedded in the quarter’s other reading and writing tasks as appropriate.
Phase III
Each unit’s Phase III tasks will be a general week-by-week outline of the flow of learning tasks for students. Realizing the cultures and schedules at each site will vary and place unique demands on class time, these outlines are to be seen as generally flexible. Also in recognition of school and classroom cultures, expectations, and practices, unit plans will offer templates for tasks, but will not list daily lessons. This is to allow enough certainty of district alignment while allowing for features such as co-teaching, integrated ELA and social studies, and other unique programmatic designs.
Unit & Module Reflection & Feedback
Please leave your feedback, reflections and assignment requests here.
The curriculum design team will meet quarterly to review and respond to your feedback. Please direct immediate questions or concerns to seiler_jenny@svvsd.org.