The School Curriculum of ______________________________________
Describing the learning Architecture of our school
Vision for Learning
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Articulates who we want our students to be and what we want our students to learn (Melbourne
Declaration)
Is clear and shared by all members of the school community
Values
(For example)
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Excellence
Innovation, inquiry
and curiosity
Diversity
Equity
Community and
participation
Ecological
sustainability
Integrity
Respect
Key Competencies for the 21st
Century
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(For example)
Critical thinkers
Problem solvers
Good communicators
Good collaborators
Information and technology
literate
Flexible and adaptable
Innovative and creative
Globally competent
Financially literate
Informed and responsible
citizens
Learning areas
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English/EAL
The Arts
Health and Physical
Education
LOTE
Mathematics
Science
Humanities (History,
Geography, Economics)
Technology
Leadership for learning
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Principles
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High expectations
Cultural diversity
Inclusion
Learning to learn
Coherence
Future focus
Esther Weichert
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Curriculum leadership
o What is worth teaching?
Aligning contextual characteristics and needs with
system standards (Begin the Curriculum Mapping
process)
Pedagogy leadership
o Who are our learners? How do learners learn (Are we
engaging learners with 21st Century learning?)
Assessment leadership
o Connecting to what learners know and are able to do
o Multiple entry points
o Clear learning intentions
o Monitoring the learning, timely/relevant feedback
(peer, student to teacher, teacher to student, self
reflection, development of metalanguage)
o Multiple exits from the learning
estherweichert@gmail.com
Curriculum Maps
Learning Area Curriculum Map 7-10
(Subject Co-Ordinator’s copy)
Template
Broad Principles
Year 7
Term
1
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Topic:
Topic:
Topic:
Topic:
Big Ideas / Enduring
Understandings
Big Ideas / Enduring
Understandings
Big Ideas / Enduring
Understandings
Big Ideas / Enduring
Understandings
Essential Questions:
Essential Questions:
Essential Questions:
Essential Questions:
Timeline:
Timeline:
Timeline:
Timeline:
Standards Addressed
Standards Addressed
Standards Addressed
Standards Addressed
Key skills/Knowledge
Key skills/Knowledge
Key skills/Knowledge
Key skills/Knowledge
Assessment:
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Formative
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Summative
Assessment:
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Formative
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Summative
Assessment:
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Formative
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Summative
Assessment:
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Formative
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Summative
Term
2
Term
3
Term
4
Esther Weichert
estherweichert@gmail.com
Unit Design Template
Subject
Year level
Unit title (catchy to attract interest and
raise curiosity)
Timeline (How much time will we spend on
this unit)
Learning goals of the unit (what aspects of
the standards will this unit address? What
standards will be integrated?)
Each unit should draw from the three stands of
VELS to address the Knowledge, Skills, and
general capabilities/ behaviours/dispositions
required, or from the Australian Curriculum
subject standards and General Capabilities, so
that each student can achieve their personal
best.
Key skills and knowledge
Big Ideas
Enduring Understandings
Essential Questions (to guide and provoke
inquiry; to stimulate curiosity)
Formative Assessment evidence
Summative Assessment: Describe the
tiered common assessment task
Moderation (making consistent
judgements for fairness and equity)
How will teachers moderate?
Targets
Do I need to target the learning of any
specific students? What will guide my
decisions?
Esther Weichert
estherweichert@gmail.com
Learning Sequence Design
A translation of the Unit design into teaching, learning and assessment experiences for students
Who are my learners? What might my four learning
(instructional) groups be? (Use data and evidence to
determine this. For example, students’ learning
styles/multiple Intelligences, learning needs, previous
achievement data, prior experience you might have had
with this cohort, information from Special Needs Coordinator, EAL Co-ordinator, Heads of School, Wellbeing
Co-ordinator, Transition Co-ordinator ...)
What have I learnt from previous learning sequences
and/or from data and evidence I have collected to
help me determine specific targets and intervention?
What does the evidence I have on my learners so far
tell me about:
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the impact of my teaching
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my learning needs?
Planning for learning
Phase One (Can be supported by Bloom’s taxonomy – Remembering)
Teachers do:
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Introduce the topic for study, the enduring
understandings and big ideas
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Introduce and negotiate the essential questions
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Explain the taxonomy used to structure the learning
sequence and inform students of the assessment
processes you will use
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Use questioning to broaden students’ understanding of
the dimensions of a new topic
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Use a variety of methods to determine prior knowledge
(what does the learner bring to the learning?)
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use questioning to determine conceptions and
challenge misconceptions
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Introduce appropriate tools and strategies for learning
(collaboration, peer feedback, reflection, teacher
feedback)
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Reinforce appropriate behaviours for learning (agreed
protocols, class norms, Personal
Learning/Interpersonal Development)
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What are the foundational literate practices that
students will need to access the learning of this unit?
(Four Resources Model)
Literacy practices in
All domains.doc
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What thinking skills can support the learning and
promote inquiry?
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What specific assessment For Learning (formative) will
be used?
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What resources are needed?
Esther Weichert
estherweichert@gmail.com
Students do:
Phase Two (Can be supported by Bloom’s taxonomy - Understanding)
Teachers do:
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Students do:
Introduce the new learning
Differentiate your method of introducing new
knowledge so that every learner can access the
learning
Continuously monitor student’s level of
understanding (give timely and relevant feedback,
structure opportunities for peer feedback and self
reflection)
Assist students to select strategies and activities that
will help them to make connections with prior learning
and extend their knowledge of the new topic
Give students choices to represent their learning in
multiple ways
Use inclusive, collaborative, and literacy rich
Learning Strategies to support positive learning
dispositions
Support students to critique one another’s ideas to
increase the intellectual rigour of their conversation
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What literacy practices will support students to
access the learning and achieve their personal
best?
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What resources are needed?
Phase Three (Can be supported by Bloom’s taxonomy – Applying)
C level of VELS/Australian Curriculum
The Common Assessment Task begins here.
The CAT has been designed at three levels of complexity.
Teachers do:
Student do:
First exit from the learning
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Provide opportunities and assist students to make
connections between the ideas and concepts of the
new learnings
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Assist students to apply learning to new authentic
situation
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Challenge, and provide opportunities for students to
represent their understanding in multiple ways
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Guide students to establish independent practice
routines to reinforce and extend their level of
understanding
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Support students to use the language of the
discipline, to select the mode of language appropriate
to the task and to meet the literacy demands of the
task
Esther Weichert
estherweichert@gmail.com
Phase Four (Can be supported by Bloom’s taxonomy – Analysing)
CAT continues
B Level of VELS/Australian Curriculum
Teachers do:
Students do:
Second exit from the learning
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Support students to provide evidence of learning in
new contexts
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Structure opportunities for students to demonstrate
their deepening individual and/or collective
understanding (comparing, deconstructing, making
attributes, finding relevance, integrating
parts/aspects)
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Continuously monitor student progress and provide
feedback that enables each student to understand
what they need to do to improve and to achieve their
personal best.
Phase Five (Can be supported by Bloom’s taxonomy – Creating/Evaluating)
CAT Continues
A level of VELS/Australian Curriculum
Teachers do:
Students do:
Third (last) exit from the learning
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Structure opportunities for students to demonstrate
their deepening individual and collective
understanding
Students at this level of exit from the learning Judge
the value of ideas, materials and methods by
developing and applying standards and criteria, put
together ideas or elements to develop an original idea
or engage in creative thinking
Continuously monitor student progress and provide
feedback that enables each student to understand
what they need to do to improve.
Unit design and Learning Sequence evaluation
How will the success of the unit design be determined?
What are the evaluation criteria?
How will the success of the teaching and assessment strategies be monitored?
What needs to be improved?
Esther Weichert
estherweichert@gmail.com