Session 1 Principals Facilitator’s Guide: The 4
T’s of Expeditionary Learning’s Curriculum
Design Process
Goals and Outcomes
High-Level Purpose of this Session

Participants will learn about the “4 T’s” of Expeditionary Learning’s curriculum design process: targets, topics, texts, and
tasks. In addition, they will learn about the phases of curriculum design and compare them to what is currently resourced and
supported in their districts.
Related Learning Experiences
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December NTI Assessment session IV
Key Points
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There is a difference between the intended and implemented curriculum. Leaders need to know what the intended curriculum is
to see if the implemented curriculum is aligned and to be able to analyze teacher decisions regarding implementation.
Leaders need to play a critical in curriculum design: creating structures to support, and engaging in the work.
The 4 T’s can act as a framework for curriculum design in many contexts and increases alignment to common core.
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Session Outcomes
What do we want participants to be able to do as a result of
this session?
1. I can explain how the principal’s role in curriculum
design impacts student achievement.
2. I can describe the “4Ts” of Common Core-aligned
curriculum design.
3. I can describe the phases of curriculum design and
compare them to what we currently resource/support.
How will we know that they are able to do this?
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Learning target tracker
role play
small group discussions
Session Overview
Section
Time
Overview
Prepared Resources
Leader’s role in
curriculum design
30
Building a common language: Curriculum quotes.doc
curriculum
Marshall book review
excerpt.pdf
Session PPT
4 T’s
50
Introduction to 4 T’s: topic,
task, text, targets – and how
they provide frame for CC
aligned curriculum
Facilitator’s Preparation
Work through all learning
activities employing the lens of
a school leader.
Download all videos,
documents, and powerpoints.
Transformational Literacy
Excerpt: pgs. 86-93
4 T's note catcher
Session PPT
Phases of curriculum
design
25
Introduction to phases of
curriculum design and reflect
Curr planning_CBD.pdf
Transformational Literacy
2
on current practices
Excerpt pgs. 57-71.
Learning Target tracker.pdf
Session PPT
Session Roadmap
Section 1: Leader’s Role in Curriculum Design
Time
Slide #/Pic of Slide
9:45-10:00 1-5
Time: 30 min.
Script/Activity directions
Grouping
Table groups
 Introduce the basic gist of the two days of PD through
sharing a simple agenda with participants.
 Review the beliefs about adult learning – and how
norms support collaborative work.
 Ask participants to complete the Norms for
Collaboration Self-Assessment in their notebook and to
set a goal for our time together.
 Introduce this session’s learning targets through asking
participants to do a quick self-assessment on the
learning targets:
1. I can explain how the principal’s role in curriculum
design impacts student achievement.
2. I can describe the “4Ts” of Common Core-aligned
curriculum design.
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3. I can describe the phases of curriculum design and
compare them to what we currently
resource/support.
10:0010:10
6-8

In order to build a common language, the facilitator will
explore the definition of “curriculum” with participants.
 Ask participants to turn to a partner and provide the
definition of “curriculum”. Then partners switch.
 Were the definitions the same/different?
 Share different examples of definitions for curriculum
on the slides, and discuss the important of every
school community having the same understanding and
the same definition of this term.
1. The term curriculum refers to the lessons and
academic content taught in a school or in a specific
course or program.
2. An individual teacher’s curriculum would be the
specific learning standards, lessons, assignments, and
materials used to organize and teach a particular
course.
3. Overt, explicit or written curriculum is simply that which
is written as part of formal instruction of the schooling
experience. It may refer to a curriculum document,
texts, and supportive materials that are overtly chosen
to support the intentional instructional agenda of a
school.
Point out the term “overt” – ask, what is interesting about
that?
Share this longer quote on a slide: (this quote and next two
are on a handout as well)
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Curriculum can be envisaged from different perspectives.
What societies envisage as important teaching and learning
constitutes the "intended" curriculum. Since it is usually
presented in official documents, it may be also called the
"written" and/or "official" curriculum. However, at
classroom level this intended curriculum may be altered
through a range of complex classroom interactions, and what
is actually delivered can be considered the "implemented"
curriculum. What learners really learn (i.e. what can be
assessed and can be demonstrated as learning
outcomes/learner competencies) constitutes the "achieved"
or "learned" curriculum. In addition, curriculum theory points
to a "hidden" curriculum (i.e. the unintended development of
personal values and beliefs of learners, teachers and
communities; unexpected impact of a curriculum; unforeseen
aspects of a learning process).
Ask: when thinking about these different definitions of
curriculum, how might you explain how the role the principal
plays in curriculum design impacts student achievement?
This transitions participants into the first learning target:
1. I can explain how the principal’s role in curriculum
design impacts student achievement.
Make the key point that principal engagement in curriculum
design is the only way principals can tell the difference
between the intended curriculum and the implemented
curriculum. Leaders should not assume that one is equal to
the other – a school can have an official curriculum, but that
has nothing to do with the implemented curriculum. – And,
this is not to say that they should be the same. Teachers
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should adjust, but leaders need to know how those
adjustments are aligned or not aligned to the official
curriculum.
10:1010:15
9-11
From Marzano’s “What Works”: Chapter 3. A Guaranteed
and Viable Curriculum
The first school-level factor is a “guaranteed and viable
curriculum.” I rank this as the first factor, having the most
impact on student achievement. As indicated in Figure 2.3 (p.
19), a guaranteed and viable curriculum is primarily a
combination of my factors “opportunity to learn” and “time”
(Marzano, 2000a). Both have strong correlations with
academic achievement, yet they are so interdependent that
they constitute one factor.
From Schmoker’s “Focus”
What We Teach. This simply means a decent, coherent
curriculum, with topics and standards collectively selected by
a team of teachers from the school or district—that is actually
taught. The number of "power standards" (Ainsworth, 2003a)
must not be excessive; it should account for about half of
what is contained in our standards documents (Marzano,
2003). This allows us to teach the essential standards in
sufficient intellectual depth, with adequate time for deep
reading, writing, and talking. Why is this so important?
Because such "guaranteed and viable curriculum" (Marzano,
2003, p. 22) is perhaps the most significant school factor that
affects learning. But such a curriculum is found in very few
schools (Berliner, 1984; Marzano, 2003; Schmidt, 2008).
It is for these reasons that we want to engage principals in
learning about curriculum design, so that they can ensure
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there is a guaranteed and viable curriculum in every grade, in
every content area in their school.
Participants read Marshall’s book review excerpt if there is
time. If not, the facilitator can point out resource and offer key
insights that support the learning target.
Section 2: The 4 T’s
Time
10:1510:45
Slide #/Pic of Slide
12-13
Time: 50 min.
Script/Activity directions
 Transition participants into the learning target: I can
describe the “4Ts” of Common Core-aligned curriculum
design.
 Participants will read and discuss pgs. 86-93 in
Transformational Literacy. (NTI participants will have
the actual book, for turn key training, excerpts are
provided online)
 Share the Guiding Question before they begin reading:
How do the 4 T’s support students in meeting the
Common Core reading and writing standards?
 Participants should be able to answer this question
after reading and discussing with a small group.
 After reading, participants will have a brief discussion
on the following prompts:
o What new information did you gain regarding
common core aligned literacy curriculum?
o What information is relevant to your
Grouping
Solo/small
groups
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10:4511:05
14-16
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school/district and why?
How do the 4 T’s support students in meeting the
Common Core reading and writing standards?
Participants watch and discuss the 4 T’s video (7:17)
and use the note-catcher to capture their
understanding of each. They may choose to capture
new understandings about each component, or draw a
visual that represents their understanding of the 4 T’s.
Note: the video shows clips from a real school in
Rochester where teachers are learning to take their
curriculum design to the next level through the 4 T’s
framework, as well as a Curriculum Design Intensive,
where teachers came together to design the ELA
modules.
Goal: participants should have a thorough enough
understanding of how the 4 T’s operate together to be
able to explain it in their own words.
Have participants conduct a role-play with a partner.
Scenario: You just recently delivered a PD about the 4
T’s to your entire staff – you gave an overview and then
dug deeply into “Topic”. A teacher who missed the PD
session keeps hearing other staff discussing the “4 T’s”
and she is irked that she doesn’t know what they are
referring to. She won’t leave your office until she knows
what the 4 T’s are.
Debrief with the whole group: what are you feeling very
clear about, what do you need more information or time
to process?
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Section 2: Phases of Curriculum Design
Time
11:0511:15
Slide #/Pic of Slide
16
11:1511:30
17-18
Time: 40 min.
Script/Activity directions
Grouping
Solo; triads
 Participants will be introduced to “Stages in LongRange Planning…” p.10
 Pages 11-13 just provide more details to page 10 and
can be skimmed or read later by participants.
 While reading, participants should consider which of
these stages are occurring while teachers are planning
curriculum, and most importantly – how do they know?
 Participants should have small group discussions
about where they believe their teachers are in terms of
using these stages, and what structures would need to
be in place for them to be able to execute each stage
effectively.
 Ask for volunteers to share what those structures
would be and consider capturing them on an anchor
chart. (5 min)
 This final discussion will take place after lunch at 12:30 Solo; triads
 Participants will read and discuss Transformational
Literacy pgs. 57-71 before lunch.
 Questions to address while reading:
o Where are your teachers at? How do you know?
o What would be the right next step for them?
o What professional development do they need
and how will you provide it?
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Turnkey Materials Provided
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Curriculum quotes.pdf
Marshall book review excerpt.pdf
4 T’s note-catcher
Curr planning_CBD.pdf
Transformational Literacy excerpts: pgs. 86-93, 57-71
Session 1 PowerPoint & Facilitator Guide
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