There needs to be a direct line of sight between the curriculum documents you use and the teaching that happens in the classroom, which is tailored to the needs of the students. In some cases, it is necessary to unpack the content descriptions because these can be layered with meaning.
Planning how you can unpack the curriculum in a way which means everything is covered and students are not disadvantaged, is important.
In order to write effective programs of learning, it is necessary to develop elaborations of the content descriptions. Elaborations unpack the content descriptions and show what is needed to be included in the unit. Some content descriptions are very straightforward and do not need unpacking, whilst others are more complex.
Look at this example from Designed Environments T. How would you unpack this?
A possible elaboration breaks this down into steps:
Identify what elements and principles of design are
Know how these elements and principles are used
Understand how these elements and principles affect buildings in different ways
Apply this knowledge to buildings they know and are familiar with
Apply this knowledge to buildings they are less familiar with
Notice how the elaboration moves from identify to apply, in line with Bloom's taxonomy.
Find a content description from your own subject area and have a go at writing an elaboration.
Read unit and content descriptions along with the Achievement Standards
Consider end point/ enduring understandings required from the course – essential questions, assessment points (Understanding By Design: McTighe & Wiggins)
Write elaborations from content descriptions to unpack the steps involved
Consider General Capabilities/ Cross-Curricular Priorities whilst writing the program of learning
Consider the range of activities available and the nature of the class who will be studying the unit (if known – use assessment data, formative and summative, to inform decisions)
Match teaching activities to the content descriptions/ elaborations highlighting the link, noting progress assessment points
Plan activities to build towards your summative assessment tasks.