Session 1
Study Expectations
Please share the three or four items
of interest that you found in the
informational websites.
Depth of Knowledge
(DOK)
Promoting Rigor and
Relevance in Learning
What is Depth of Knowledge?
Webb’s DOK Levels
Recall and Reproduction:
Level 1
Skills & Concepts:
Level 2
Strategic Thinking:
Level 3
Extended Thinking:
Level 4
DOK: Depth of Knowledge

Most state/national tests have DOK 1,2,3;
however, the test in 2014-2015 will have DOK 4.

DOK is not an exact science.

DOK can help you determine the “steps” your
students must take to get the right answer.

DOK is not about difficulty but more about the
thinking process.
Recall and Reproduction
DOK Level 1

DOK 1 requires recall of information,
such as a fact, definition, term, or
performance of a simple process or procedure.
ELA Example:
What is the metaphor in the first paragraph of the novel?
Math Example:
Name all the parts of the circle shown.
As a group, create two other Level 1 questions.
Skills/Concepts
DOK Level 2
• DOK 2 includes the engagement of some mental
processing beyond recalling or reproducing a
response. Items require students to make some decisions as to
how to approach the question or problem.
• These actions imply more than one mental or cognitive
process/step.
ELA Example:
Identify and summarize the major conflicts in the literary
text.
Math Example:
Determine a strategy for estimating the number of pennies in
a jar.
As a group, create two other Level 2 questions.
Strategic Thinking
DOK Level 3

DOK 3 requires deep understanding as exhibited
through planning, using evidence, and more
demanding cognitive reasoning. The cognitive
demands at Level 3 are complex and abstract.

An assessment item that has more than one possible
answer and requires students to justify the response
they give would most likely be a Level 3.
Strategic Thinking
DOK Level 3
ELA Example:
Analyze or evaluate the effectiveness of
literary elements (e.g., characterization,
setting, point of view, conflict and
resolution, plot structures).
Math Example:
Create a unit of formal geometric
constructions.
As a group, create two other Level 3 questions.
Extended Thinking
DOK Level 4

DOK 4 requires high cognitive demand and is
very complex. Students are expected to make
connections—relate ideas within the content or
among content areas—and have to select or
devise one approach among many alternatives
on how the situation can be solved.

Due to the complexity of cognitive demand,
DOK 4 often requires an extended period of time.
Extended Thinking
DOK Level 4
ELA Example:
Write and produce an original play.
Math Example:
Develop a rule for a complex pattern and locate
a phenomenon that exhibits this behavior.
As a group, create two other Level 4 questions.
The Depth of
Knowledge is
NOT determined
by the verb but
the context in
which the verb is
used and the
depth of thinking
required.
Examine the DOK
• DOK 3- Describe how the author of a short story must be
cognizant of how much space he actually has to develop
the elements of the story because he is confined by that
space. (Requires deep understanding of the elements of a
short story and the definition of the short story genre)
• DOK 2- Describe the difference between a short story and
a novel. (Requires cognitive processing to determine the
differences in the two genres)
• DOK 1- Describe the characteristics of a short story.
(Simple recall)
Examine the DOK
• DOK 4- Students will graph a variety of two-dimensional
figures and analyze them to determine classification.
(Requires deep understanding of the characteristics of various
two-dimensional figures and the ability to draw conclusions.)
• DOK 3- Students will graph the vertices of a quadrilateral and
determine its classification.
(Requires a deep understanding of the characteristics of
quadrilaterals.)
• DOK 2- Students will graph the vertices of a rectangle and
compare the diagonals.
(Requires cognitive processing to make a comparison.)
• DOK 1- Students will graph the point (2/3, -4 3/8).
(Requires only simple recall.)
Remember . . .
Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is a scale of
cognitive demand.
• DOK requires looking at the assessment
item/standard-not student work-in order to determine
the level.
• DOK is about the item/standard-not the student.
• The context of the assessment item/standard must
be considered to determine the DOK-not just a look at
what verb was chosen.
Evaluate the DOK: Elementary Task
•
The task: The teacher and students will brainstorm
a list of very specific capitalization rules (at least
one rule per child). Examples: Names of rivers,
names of oceans, names of pets, etc. Each student
will choose or be assigned a rule for which he/she
will make a poster with the rule itself, pictures, and
examples. (For motivation, the teacher could make
this assignment into a contest with prizes for
winners.) Each student will present his or her poster
to the class and have the class give additional
examples of the given rule. These posters may be
displayed and reviewed each day for a period of
time before a final assessment. Differentiation:
Students may be given a choice of doing a poster, a
power point, a web page, an illustration, etc.
Evaluate the DOK:
Middle School Task

The task: Every day this week two students will stand outside the classroom
for five minutes after the tardy bell rings and collect data concerning tardy
students. Each day these students will determine how many students arrive to
their classes late. Tardy students will be classified as male or female, and as 6th
grade student, 7th grade student, or 8th grade student. The data collectors will
also record the classroom (101, 102, 103, 104, 105) each tardy student enters.
At the end of the week, the data collectors will tabulate their results for each
classification of student and for each classroom. Then, they will create a graph
to display their results for the class. Underneath the graph, the data collectors
will type a paragraph analysis of their results. Students will synthesize their
results in a brief class discussion on tardiness. Some questions to consider:
◦ What type of graph will be the most effective?
◦ Are more males or females tardy to class? What might this indicate?
◦ Which grade level has the most number of tardy students? What might this
indicate?
◦ Which classroom has the least number of tardy students? What might be the
reason?
◦ What percentage of students in our school habitually arrive late?
◦ What does this percentage indicate about the tardy policy at our school?
Evaluate the DOK: High School Task
The task: The student focuses on one American
poet and creates a project board or a multimedia
presentation that illustrates understanding of
 the poet’s subject matter and use of diction,
syntax, sound, form, figurative language, and
structure;
 the characteristics of the poet’s particular style;
 the poet’s life and times and the effect of these
factors on the poet’s work; and
 the ways in which the poet’s work furthers and/or
breaks from prior literary traditions and informs or
affects the traditions and literary works that
follow.
Your Turn!
As a team, take 10 – 15
minutes and assign a DOK
level to each of the ELA
and math standards on
the sample CCGPS sheet.
Please be prepared to
defend your choice(s)!
Grade
Standard
CC.6.NS.2.
Fluently divide multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm.
CC.3. RL.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to
the text as the basis for the answers.
CC. 9-10.L.1
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
a. Use parallel structure.*
b. Use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial,
prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial)
to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest
to writing or presentations
CCGPS.3.OA.1. Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects
in 5 groups of 7 objects each.
For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5
× 7.
CC.9-12.N.CN.7 Solve quadratic equations with real coefficients that have complex solutions.
CC.7. SL.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative
discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 7
topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study;
explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to
evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
b. Follow rules for collegial discussions, track progress toward specific goals and
deadlines, and define individual roles as needed.
c. Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others’ questions and comments
with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on topic as needed.
d. Acknowledge new information expressed by others and, when warranted, modify their
own views.
DOK
Level/Comments
Study Expectation
Participants should identify the
DOK for each standard listed on
one of the handouts provided and
briefly justify the level chosen.