Designing a Concept-Based Curriculum for English Language Arts: Meeting the Common Core With Intellectual Integrity, K-12 / Edition 1

by Lois A. Lanning

Overview

How to ensure your ELA teaching sticks

How can you teach for understanding and meet Common Core standards at the same time? The answer: with a concept-based curriculum. Fusing Lynn Erickson's groundbreaking curriculum model with implementation guidelines and sample units, this book puts you on the fast track to using concept-based curriculum in your school or district. Lanning shows you how to design a curriculum that:

• Functions as a framework for lesson plans
• Unites the efforts of ELA teachers district-wide
• Addresses core standards while focusing on student understanding
• Creates a ripple effect helping to align curriculum, assessments, and instruction

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452241975
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	11/26/2012
Series:	Corwin Teaching Essentials
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	176
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Lois A. Lanning, Ph D, is an independent education consultant. She presents and works with districts at the international, national, and state levels in the areas of literacy and Concept- Based Curriculum design.

This book is a natural extension of her three previous best-selling books in the Corwin Press Publisher’s Concept-Based collection, including Designing a Concept-Based Curriculum for English Language Arts (2013), by Lois A. Lanning; Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction for the Thinking Classroom (2nd ed., 2017), by H. Lynn Erickson, Lois A. Lanning, and Rachel French; and Transitioning to Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (2014), by H. Lynn Erickson and Lois A. Lanning.

In addition, Lois is the author of the bestselling book, Four Powerful Strategies for Struggling Readers, Grades 3-8: Small Group Instruction That Improves Comprehension, a joint publication between Corwin Press and the International Reading Association (2009), and a chapter in The Best of Corwin: Differentiated Instruction in Literacy, Math, and Science (2011), Leslie Laud, Editor.

Lois was a classroom teacher, K-12 reading consultant, special education teacher, elementary school principal, district curriculum director, adjunct professor, and finally, an assistant superintendent of schools for the last 12 years of her career in public schools. Lois is the recipient of numerous educational awards and recognitions.

Her hobbies include reading, biking, hiking, and traveling. Lois currently lives in Massachusetts with her husband. She has two children and two grandsons, whom she absolutely adores.

Table of Contents

Foreword H. Lynn Erickson viii

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiv

Part I Preparing for Curriculum Design 1

1 Curriculum Matters in Teaching and Learning 3

Curriculum as the Master Plan 5

What is Concept-Based Curriculum? 6

2 The Components of a Concept-Based English Language Arts Curriculum 9

Traditional Curriculum, Traditional Teaching 11

From Traditionally Designed Curriculum to Concept-Based Curriculum Design 12

The Relationship Between Knowledge and Process 14

Understanding the Two Structures 17

The Structure of Knowledge 17

The Structure of Process 19

Support for These Structures 21

Providing a Road Map for Instruction 22

3 Getting Started: Doing the Preliminary Work 23

Leading Curriculum Change 23

Assembling the Curriculum Leadership Team 24

Articulating a Vision 25

Determining the Curriculum Template 27

Developing Strong Unit Titles 27

Mapping Out Units of Study for the New Curriculum 29

Review of Concept-Based Curriculum 36

Summary 37

Part II An Introduction to the Design Process 39

Assembling the Curriculum Writing Team 39

The Role of the Leadership Team 41

Unit Planning Pages 41

4 Designing the Curriculum: Steps 1 and 2 49

Step 1: Creating a Unit Title 49

Step 2: Identifying a Conceptual Lens 49

Summary 52

5 Designing the Curriculum: Step 3 53

Step 3: Creating the Unit Web 54

The Structure of the Unit Web 54

How is Each Strand Defined? 54

Why These Strands? 57

Subtopics and Concepts 58

Summary 65

6 Designing the Curriculum: Steps 4 and 5 67

Thinking and Understanding 67

Step 4: Writing Generalizations 68

Assessing Your Prior Knowledge 69

Kick-Starting Generalization Writing 69

Aligning Generalizations to the Unit Web 70

Scaffolding Generalizations 72

Teaching With Generalizations 73

Summary of Step 4 74

Step 5: Writing Guiding Questions 75

Summary of Step 5 78

7 Designing the Curriculum: Steps 6 and 7 81

Step 6: Determining Critical Content 81

Step 7: Determing Key Skills 83

Summary of Steps 6 and 7 89

8 Designing the Curriculum: Steps 8, 9, and 10 91

Step 8: Designing the Culminating Assessment 91

What We Can Learn From Culminating Assessments 95

Step 9: Suggesting Learning Experiences 95

Summary of Steps 8 and 9 98

Step 10: Writing the Unit Overview 102

Summary of Step 10 103

Part III What a Concept-Based Curriculum Looks Like 105

9 What Concept-Based English Language Arts Units Look Like 107

A Sample Elementary English Language Arts Unit 108

A Sample Middle School English Language Arts Unit 121

A Sample High School English Language Arts Unit 132

Summary 140

10 Voices From the Field 141

References 153

Index 155

Editorial Reviews

"Lanning makes concept-based ELA curriculum writing extremely comprehensible for curriculum leaders and writers. Curriculum leaders will be able to use this book as a resource to provide training to curriculum writing teams. Curriculum writers will gain the knowledge and confidence necessary to forge ahead in designing concept-based ELA curriculum for their districts. I can envision using this edition with curriculum writing leaders in a 'book study', as a prerequisite to curriculum work. "

Rochelle De Muccio

"Lois Lanning offers teachers a practical, principled approach to designing a curriculum that will engage and enrich even as it addresses the core skills kids need if they are to succeed in and after school. Her experience and wisdom allow her to see the Big Picture when it comes to teaching kids about the Big Ideas we want them all to grapple with in the course of their time in schools. "

Jim Burke

"Lanning makes concept-based ELA curriculum writing extremely comprehensible for curriculum leaders and writers. Curriculum leaders will be able to use this book as a resource to provide training to curriculum writing teams. Curriculum writers will gain the knowledge and confidence necessary to forge ahead in designing concept-based ELA curriculum for their districts. I can envision using this edition with curriculum writing leaders in a ′book study′, as a prerequisite to curriculum work."--Rochelle DeMuccio, Coordinator, Language Arts and Reading (7/24/2012 12:00:00 AM)

"Lois Lanning offers teachers a practical, principled approach to designing a curriculum that will engage and enrich even as it addresses the core skills kids need if they are to succeed in and after school. Her experience and wisdom allow her to see the Big Picture when it comes to teaching kids about the Big Ideas we want them all to grapple with in the course of their time in schools."--Jim Burke (9/19/2012 12:00:00 AM)

From the Publisher

"Lanning makes concept-based ELA curriculum writing extremely comprehensible for curriculum leaders and writers. Curriculum leaders will be able to use this book as a resource to provide training to curriculum writing teams. Curriculum writers will gain the knowledge and confidence necessary to forge ahead in designing concept-based ELA curriculum for their districts. I can envision using this edition with curriculum writing leaders in a 'book study', as a prerequisite to curriculum work."

Rochelle DeMuccio