Unwrapping Standards & Constructive Alignment

By: Nabihah bt Abdul

Rahman
Nur Ain Suraya bt
Ahmad
UNWRAPPING
STANDARDS
 Concept of Unwrapping
Standards
The standards
define what all
A Simple Process to students are
Make Standards expected to know
Manageable! and be able to
do , not how
teachers should
teach
Definition:
The analysis of standards and
indicators to determine exactly what
students need to:
Know (i.e. Concept)- the important
noun
Be able to do (i.e. Skills) the verb
Through particular context or
topic /selected learning activities
 Why is Unwrapping
Important to Teacher?
Helps us, as teachers, to put
into words EXACTLY what we
want our students to know
and EXACTLY what we want
our students to be able to do.
Accurately assess students
understanding of it.
HOW TO UNWRAP?
 The Unwrapping
Standards Process
Step 1: Identify important concepts and skills to
be taught

Step 2: Represent the concepts and skills on

graphic organizer

Step 3: Identity big ideas

Step 4: Write Essential Questions to focus

instruction and guide assessment
 Step 1: Identify Important Concept
and skills to be Taught
Examine each priority standard within a
particular unit of study.
Underline the teachable concept
(important and noun phrases) and circle
or CAPITALIZE the skills (verbs) that
students are to demonstrate.
Learning Standard ( Year 3)
2.3.1 Able to read for simple texts with
guidance:
a) fiction
b) non-fiction
 Step 2: Create Graphic
Organizer
Represent the unwrapped concepts
and skills on a graphic organizer.
Choose whichever type works best:
Outline
Bulleted list
Concept map
Three Column
 Three Column Chart

Unwrapped Unwrapped Skills Level

Concepts (Taxonomy Bloom)

Simple texts Read Remember

Fiction

Non-fiction
 Step 3: Determine the Big
Ideas
What you want students to discover on their
own
The main ideas or essential understanding.
Big Ideas are those Aha! realizations,
discoveries or conclusions that students reach
on their own either during or after instruction.
Big Ideas are key generalizations students can
articulate after their sudden grasp of the big
picture.
Sample Big Ideas
Fiction and nonfiction forms of writing
each have their own unique formats,
vocabulary, language, and style.

Literary devices enhance and deepen

fictions impact upon the reader.

Nonfiction writing develops a main

idea with supporting details.
 Step 4: Write Essential Questions

Write EQ that hook students and guide

inquiry.
Big Ideas are the answers to the Essential
Questions.
The best essential questions require higher
level thinking skill responses.
EQs focus instruction on the unwrapped
standard, align with assessment, and lead
students to discover the Big Ideas on their
own.
How do we know whether we are reading fiction or
nonfiction?
Fiction and nonfiction forms of writing each have their own
unique formats, vocabulary, language, and style.

What are literary devices? Why do authors use

them? (Broad)
How do literary devices impact the story line in The
Giver? (Narrow)
Literary devices enhance and deepen fictions impact
upon the reader.

How did the writer of the article strengthen the point

they were trying to make?
Nonfiction writing develops a main idea with supporting
details.
LETS
PRACTICE !
1. Able to construct
declarative sentences
correctly .
1. Able to construct
declarative sentences
correctly .
 Three Column Chart

Unwrapped Unwrapped Skills Level

Concepts (Taxonomy Bloom)

Declarative Construct Create

sentences

Big Ideas:
1. Declarative sentences are facts or opinions and ended with full
stop

Essential questions:
1. What are the characteristics of declarative sentences?
2. Able to use conjunctions
correctly & appropriately
a) and
b) or
c) but
2. Able to use
conjunctions correctly &
appropriately
a) and
b) or
c) but
 Three Column Chart

Unwrapped Unwrapped Skills Level

Concepts (Taxonomy Bloom)

Conjunctions Use Apply

Big Ideas:
1. Conjunctions is a word used to connect clauses or sentences or
to coordinate words in the same clause.
2. Different conjunctions have different roles.

Essential questions:
1. Why do we need to use conjunctions?
CONSTRUCTIVE
ALIGNMENT
 Concept of
Constructive
Alignment
Biggs (2003: 27) defines constructive
alignment as:
The constructive aspect refers to
what the learner does, which is to
construct meaning through relevant
learning activities.

The alignment aspect refers to what

the teacher does, which is to set up a
learning environment that supports the
learning activities appropriate to
achieving the desired learning outcomes.
 Constructive alignment means that
all assessment tasks, and learning
and teaching experiences (and
therefore content and methods) must
be linked to the
desired unit of study learning outcomes.
28
Figure 5: Examples of Alignment from Different Modules

Learning
Outcomes:
On completion of Assessment Teaching/Learning
this module Methods Activities
students should be
able:

Lecture on various
To identify the main signs/symptoms,
Multiple Choice
signs and symptoms
Questions In class exercises/quizzes on
of multiple sclerosis.
terminology.

Lecture presenting case

studies of the design history of
To formulate end Poster Display 15% some market leaders.
products using Presentation of end Students plan own project and
selected ingredients product 85% present as poster.
Student projects on food
formulation.

29