Unpacking the
Common Core
State Standards
USING THINKING MAPS TO
PROMOTE THOUGHTFUL
PLANNING, COLLABORATION,
AND TEACHING
JANET PAULS
SUE VOHRER
ROTUNDA FLOYD-COOPER
Outcomes
 Understand the “what and why” of
Unpacking the Standards
 Understand the need for planning for Tier 2
and Tier 3 words across the curriculum
 Consider how teachers might use Thinking
Maps to unpack standards for designing a
unit lesson plan
 Consider implications/advantages to
“unpacking” across the curriculum
What does it mean to “Unpack” A Standard
 “Unwrapped standards provide clarity as to what
students must know and be able to do. When
teachers take the time to analyze each standard and
identify its essential concepts and skills, the result is
more effective instructional planning, assessment,
and student learning”
Ainsworth (2003)
Benefits of Unpacking
 Greater clarity to all K-12 teachers and administrators
 Improved alignment
 Improved continuity for students between courses and




between grades
Increased opportunities for curriculum integration
Provides educators with a baseline or starting point for lesson
planning and differentiated instruction
Provides clarity on which skills and concepts should be taught
and assessed
"The Process" - Allows teachers and administrators to
determine what matters most i.e., pacing, assessment, Power
Standards
Standards Deconstruction Simplified
Nouns
Know
Verbs
Do
 Attitudes/Beliefs
Be
Deconstruct Using Thinking Maps
Standard
Know
Do
Be
Deconstruct Using Thinking Maps
Apply decision-making and
assertiveness skills to make and
maintain healthy choices
related to tobacco use and
recognize factors that can
influence decisions to smoke or
abstain from smoking
Know
Do
Be
Vocabulary
 Tier 2 words
 General academic words that are far more likely to appear in
written text than speech
 Often represent subtle or precise ways to say relatively simple
things (saunter instead of walk)
 Tier 3 words
 Specific to domain or field of study
 Key to understanding the new concept within text
 Can be viewed as “new” and “hard’ words by students
 Often explicitly defined by author and repeatedly used
Try This!
In early times, no one knew how volcanoes formed or
why they sprouted red-hot molten rock. In modern
times, scientists began to study volcanoes. They still
don’t know all the answers, but they know much about
how a volcano works.
Our planet is made up of many layers of rock. The top
layers of solid rock are called the crust. Deep beneath
the crust is the mantle, where it is so hot that some rock
melts. The melted, or molten, rock is called magma.
Volcanoes are formed when magma pushes its way up
through the crack in the Earth’s crust. This is called a
volcanic eruption. When magma pours forth on the
surface , it is called lava.
Try This!
 Tier 2 words
Early times
 Formed
 Sprouted
 Red-hot
 Modern times
 Layers
 Solid
 Eruption
 Pours forth
 Surface

• Tier 3 words
• Volcano
• Lava
• Mantle
• Molten
• Magma
• Crust
Grade 2 Cluster 3
Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for
multiplication.
2.0A.3
Determine
whether a group
of objects (up to
20) has an odd or
even number of
members, e.g. by
pairing objects or
counting them by
2’s; write an
equation to
express an even
number as a sum
of two equal
addends.
Determine if a
group of
objects has an
odd or even
number of
members by
pairing or
counting
Write an
equation to
express an
even number
as the sum of
two equal
addends
Use concrete
materials ( ex:
linking cubes) to
model even and odd
numbers (odd
always has one left
over)
Skip count by 2s
with and without
manips
Use linking cubes or
drawings to model
an even number as
the sum of two equal
addends
5 + 5 = 10
Cluster 3
Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.
2.OA.4
Use addition to
find the total
numbers of
objects
arranged in
rectangular
arrays with up
to 5 rows and
up to 5
columns; write
an equation to
express the
total as the
sum of equal
addends.
Use addition
to find the
total number
of objects in
rectangular
arrays
Model/construct arrays
using concrete materials
and relate to repeated
addition
3+3+3=9
Write an
equation to
express the
total as the
sum of equal
addends
Connect arrays and
repeated addition to
multiplication
3+3=6
2 groups of 3 = 6
Cluster 3
Work with equal groups of objects to gain foundations for multiplication.
Use concrete
materials ( ex:
linking cubes)
to model even
and odd
numbers (odd
always has one
left over)
E 5-6
HOS p.92-93
GQ p. 37, #2
GQ p, 38, #1
TSCM p. 292
Even Steven
and Odd
Todd
Skip count
by 2s with
and without
manips
GQ p. 37, #4
Use linking cubes
or drawings to
model an even
number as the sum
of two equal
addends
TSCM, p. 292
Bumpy or Not
Bumpy
Model/construc
t arrays using
concrete
materials and
relate to
repeated
addition
E 4-2
HOS p. 54-55
GQ p. 41, #6
Connect arrays
and repeated
addition to
multiplication
E 4-1
E 4-3
E 4-4
HOS p. 54-55
HOS Gr 3-4,
p. 24-25
TSCM p. 84
Vocabulary
Tier 2 Words
Objects
Pairing
Counting
Arranged
Columns
Rows
Total
Tier 3 Words
Multiplication
Equal
Odd
Even
Equation
Sum addends
Rectangular
Array
Sum
Test Your Knowledge of ELA
True or False
Each of the 3 sections is divided into strands, which
are further divided into clusters.
2. The Common Core Standards for ELA contain a
total of 32 Anchor Standards
3. The Common Core State Standards for Literacy in
History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical
Subjects contain a total of 2 strands.
1.
English Language Arts Design and Organization
Four Strands
 Reading (includes
Foundational Skills)
 Writing
 Speaking and Listening
 Language
Three Main Sections
 K-5 (cross disciplinary)
 6-12 ELA
 6-12 Literacy
in history/Social Studies,
Science, and Technical
Subjects
Activity
USING THINKING MAPS TO UNPACK
COMMON CORE ANCHOR READING
STANDARDS
Directions
 1. Each table is given a set of Anchor Standards for
Reading.
 Unpack the Anchor Standards by placing each
standard under the appropriate cluster(heading).
 Share any discoveries regarding the Anchor
Standards.
College and Career Anchor Standards
Key ideas and
details
Read closely to determine
what the text says explicitly
and to make logical
inferences from it; cite
specific textual evidence
when writing or speaking to
support conclusions drawn
from the text
Determine central ideas or
themes of a text and analyze
their development;
summarize the key
supporting details and ideas
Analyze how and why
individuals, events, and ideas
develop and interact over the
course of a text.
Craft and
Structure
Interpret words and phrases as they
are used in a text, including
determining technical , connotative,
and figurative meanings, and analyze
how specific word choices shape
meaning or tone
Analyze the structure of texts,
including how specific sentences,
paragraphs, and larger portions
of the text (e.g., a section,
chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to
each other and the whole
Assess how point of view or purpose
shapes the content and style of a text
Integration of
Knowledge and
Ideas
Integrate and evaluate
content presented in
diverse media and formats,
including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in
words
Delineate and evaluate content
presented in diverse media formats,
including the validity of the reasoning
as well as the relevance and
sufficiency of the evidence
Analyze how two or more
texts address similar
themes or topics in order to
build knowledge or to
compare the approaches
the authors take
Range of Reading
and Level of
Complexity
Read and
comprehend
complex literary
and informational
texts independently
and proficiently.
Standard RL 2
RL2 CCR Anchor Standard
Determine central ideas or themes of a text and
analyze their development, summarize the key
supporting details and ideas
Unpacking A Standard- Reading Literature
RL 1 CCR
Tier 2
Tier 3
Group Work
1. Read the standard individually.
2. What does the standard ask students to know?
3. What does the standard ask students to do?
4. What does the standard assess?
5. Identify Tier 2 and Tier 3 words .
6. Discuss in your group.
Vocabulary
Tier 2 Words
Determine
Analyze
Summarize
Reflect
Tier 3 Words
Central ideas
Themes
Key Details
Drilling Down
5 R. L.2
Supporting Standard
Think about what students need to know and be able to do
Determine the theme of a story, drama, or poem from
details in the text, including how the characters in a
story or drama respond to challenges or how the
speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize
the text.
Determine the theme of a story, drama, or poem from the details in the text,
including how the characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how
the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text
Determine a theme
details
in a
story
details
in a
drama
characters
respond to
challenges
summarize
details
in a
poem
speaker
reflects upon
a topic
the text
Reading Literature (RL)
LEVELS OF RIGOR
K-12
Deconstruct: Standard to Standard
Grade Level Below
Grade Level Standard
Grade Level Above
What do students need to know?
What do students need to know?
What do students need to know?
What do students need to be able
to do?
What do students need to be able
to do?
What do students need to be able
to do?
Examine the
structure of the
CCSS
Drill down to
supporting
standard level
Select a standard
to unpack
Analyze the levels
or rigor across the
grade levels –
before and after
Identify Tier 2
and Tier 3 words
Discuss
performance tasks
as aligned with
Treasures
Helping Each Other to Help Our Schools