Transforming IS Social
Science Curriculum
with Common Core
Activities &
Assessments
presented by
Debbie Latteri
Principal of Independence High School
Roseville, CA
Difficulty
vs.
Cognitive Complexity
Difficulty refers to how many
students answered the question
correctly.
Cognitive Complexity refers to how
many steps it takes to answer the
question.
DOK IS NOT…
About the verbs
About making it
more difficult
Same Verb With…
Three Different DOK Levels
DOK 1- Describe the Federal Reserve Act.
(DOK1 because it requires simple recall.)
DOK 2- Describe the steps Wilson took to increase the
government’s role in the economy.
(DOK2 because it requires cognitive processing to determine
the different steps and then explain each step.)
DOK 3- Describe how the goals and actions of Wilson’s
New Freedom were both similar and different to the goals and
actions of Roosevelt’s New Nationalism.
(DOK3 because it requires deep understanding of both the
New Freedom goals and actions and New Nationalism.)
 40% DOK 1
 30% DOK 2
 30% DOK 3
 Once in a course DOK 4
DOK Level Activity
What is the Supreme Law of the Land?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
California legislature
the Supreme Court
the president
Constitution
President
DOK Level Activity
According to Document D, what caused
the shift of population from the cities to the
suburbs?
A. The availability of affordable housing.
B. Fewer apartment buildings were built.
C. People saved more money to buy a home.
D. Cities provided good public transportation.
History questions on Martin
Luther King, Jr. categorized by
DOK Levels
DOK 1:
Was Martin Luther King, Jr. a
peacemaker or a
protester?
DOK 2:
How can you be both a
peacemaker and a protester at
the same time?
DOK 3 :
After reading Martin Luther King,
Jr.’s “I Had a Dream Speech,” write
an essay in which you analyze the
man, the dream, and evaluate
whether or not we have achieved
his dream in 2016.
Use direct quotes from the speech
to support your position.
DOK 4:
After having read Martin Luther King
Jr.’s “I Had a Dream Speech”, find 3
other countries in the world who had
a leader with a dream. Write a
report in which you evaluate the
leader, the dream, and whether that
leader’s dream has been achieved
in his/her country.
“This all is fine and dandy, but it won’t work for independent
studies.”
“We have too much to ‘cover’ in one hour and don’t have
time to get to these complex questions.”
“Our students are below grade level and won’t be able to do this.”
“We have a lot of second language students for whom
the language and assignment would be too difficult.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
Glenn Miller
Adolf Hitler
Audie Murphy
Franklin Roosevelt
Tokyo Rose
1. Why did some Americans oppose American involvement in World
War I?
2. Why did Herbert Hoover’s policies fail to solve the country’s
economic crisis?
3. What major issues did the second New Deal address?
4. What was the goal of the Manhattan Project?