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Department Concepts
Literacy
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All
courses weave the strands of literacy together: reading, writing,
speaking, listening, acquiring information and media.
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Our curriculum
framework is based on backwards design or Understanding by Design.
Therefore, it is essential that students are aware of the objectives or
targets they are working towards all the time.
- Our emphasis
should be on depth of learning as opposed to mass of learning which is
evident by the metacognition and reflection demanded of
students.
- We use
assessment not just to measure student achievement towards objectives or
daily targets but also as a part of the learning process (Assessment
of Learning and Assessment for Learning).
- This approach
supports the department goal that students will identify how one step
of the learning process has impacted another.
Curriculum
Structures
- Courses have
negotiables and non-negotiables. Non-negotiables are
assessments, units, or materials that courses are required to complete.
This approach ensures a common experience for all students taking the
course and establishes the foundation or building blocks from one course
to the next.
- Because students
have common experiences, teachers can help students identify how steps
in learning that took place in previous courses builds towards current
learning. The negotiables are assessments, units, or materials that
teachers may want to bring to the course to allow for flexibility and
individuality.
- Additionally,
with the emphasis on testing inspired by No Child Left Behind, it is the
philosophy of the department that testing strategies should be
woven into all courses. When a question on an exam, test or quiz is
similar to one a student might encounter on an AP exam or an ACT test,
teachers help students recognize these situations.
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