CUSD 200 Foundations
Description
Subject Area: Middle School Elective
Grade Level(s): 6
Estimated Amount of Instructional Time: 176 days
Course Description: Foundations is designed to provide students with the necessary tools to experience
success as they move through middle school, high school, and beyond. Specific focus will be given to:
responsible management of work and self, application of strategies for facilitating learning and work
completion, appropriate use of informational resources and technology tools, and knowledge and
application of strategies to enhance comprehension.
Established Goals for Middle School Courses
1. Learning and innovation skills increasingly are being recognized as those that separate students
who are prepared for a more and more complex life and work environments in the 21st century, and
those who are not. A focus on core content knowledge, creativity, critical thinking, communication
and collaboration is essential to prepare students for the future.
2. People in the 21st century live in a technology and media-suffused environment, marked by various
characteristics, including: 1) access to an abundance of information, 2) rapid changes in technology
tools, and 3) the ability to collaborate and make individual contributions on an unprecedented scale.
To be effective in the 21st century, citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of
functional and critical thinking skills related to information, media and technology.
3. Today’s life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge.
The ability to navigate the complex life and work environments in the globally competitive
information age requires students to pay rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career
skills.
Desired Results
Transfer (5 years from now)
Students will be able to independently use their learning to…
1. Demonstrate effective organization, work, study, and information skills.
2. Apply 21st century skills such as critical and creative thinking, problem solving, technology
literacy, and collaborating.
3. Apply inquiry skills such as questioning, planning, researching, creating, and presenting.
Essential Understandings
Students will understand…
1. Organization Skills including responsible management of assignments, materials, and time.
2. Work Skills including responsible management of work and self.
3. Study Skills including application of strategies for facilitating learning and test-taking.
4. Information/Inquiry Skills including appropriate use of informational resources and technological
tools.
Board Approved 03_14_12
5. Interaction with Information including knowledge and application of strategies to enhance
comprehension.
Essential Questions
What “student friendly” questions will foster inquiry, understanding, and transfer of learning?
1. How will you responsibly manage your assignments, materials, and time?
2. How will you responsibly manage your work behavior and yourself?
3. What are some ways to improve your learning and test-taking?
4. How will you access, collect, evaluate, and present information?
5. How can you improve your understanding of schoolwork?
Essential Standards: Knowledge and Skills
Students will know and be able to…
1. Bring appropriate materials to class and maintain locker.
2.
Demonstrate short term and long term planning for assignments, projects, and tests.
3.
Use a student planner to record daily work and events.
4.
Perform goal setting and self-evaluation.
5. Demonstrate independent work skills.
6. Work cooperatively with others.
7. Follow oral and written directions.
8. Identify, interpret, and create graphic organizers.
9. Identify, interpret, and create visual aids.
10. Demonstrate strategies to complete and review materials/notes/study guides.
11. Know and apply test-taking strategies.
12. Use appropriate communication and social skills to interact effectively with others.
13. Demonstrate applicable use of informational resources and technological tools.
14. Know and apply strategies to identify, remember, and understand new content and vocabulary.
15. Demonstrate an understanding of the various elements of comprehension.
Board Approved 03_14_12
16. Demonstrate use of critical thinking skills.
Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks: (What do you expect student to do–What criteria will be used in each assessment to evaluate attainment of the
Essential Standards?)(How will students demonstrate what they have learned in an engaging and real life way?)
Student will create a portfolio of selected essential standards from their completed coursework from
outside this class.
Student will use a planner, recording daily work and events.
Student will create a study skills notebook for future use.
Student Self-Reflection:
Student will include a self-reflection for each item included in their portfolio.
Student will maintain a learning log on a weekly basis.
Other Evidence:
Teacher will complete a checklist of applied essential standards for each student.
Board Approved 03_14_12