Task Rotation
Making Students as
Important as the
Standards
KEDC
March 2007
Let’s take a minute to whine……
Why might teachers whine about the standards?
So many…
Frequently change…
Expectation of mastery level performance
Different levels of students…same standards
Teacher Accountability Pressure…
Motivation of students….
Think of a time you met someone that
at first you didn’t like that much, but
later grew to like…
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What had to happen to change your perspective?
How did you get to know the person?
How might standards seem cold and
unfriendly?
How can we make friends with the
standards?
Standard
Diversity
Two seemingly different ideas that work
together.
How might standards seem cold & impersonal?

Big Idea: Culture is the way of life shared by a group of people, including their ideas and traditions.
Cultures reflect the values and beliefs of groups in different ways; however, there are universals
connecting all cultures. Culture influences viewpoints, rules and institutions in a global society.
Students should understand that all people from cultural groups throughout the United States and the
World and the issues and challenges that unite and divide them.

A.E. 2.16.1 Students observe, analyze and interpret human behaviors, social groupings, and
institutions to better understand people and the relationships among individuals and among groups.
Students will:
 Analyze cultural elements of diverse groups in the U.S.
 Describe how belief systems, knowledge, technology and behavior patterns define cultures
 Analyze historical perspectives and events in the modern world and the United States in terms of
how they have affected and been affected by cultural issues and elements
 Describe and compare how various human needs are met through interactions with and among
social institutions in the modern world and the United States
 Explain or give examples of how communications between groups can be influenced by cultural
differences; explain the reasons why conflict and competition developed as cultures emerged in the
modern world and in the United States
 Describe how compromise and cooperation are characteristics that influence interaction in the
modern world and the United States
 Compare examples of cultural elements of diverse groups today and those of the past, using
information from a variety of print and non-print sources
Making Standards Personal
Mastery
What do I want
students to know?
Interpersonal
What do I want students
to be like/ what attitudes
do I want students to
develop?
Understanding
Self Expressive
What do I want
students to
investigate and
understand deeply?
What do I want students
to be able to do or
create?
Task Rotation: Alignment of Standards
and Diversity
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Mastery
Understanding
Self Expressive
Interpersonal
Oliver Wendell Holmes
There are one-story intellects,
two-story intellects, and threestory intellects with skylights.
All fact collectors who have no
aim beyond their facts are
one-storymen.
Two-story men compare,
reason, generalize, using the
labor of fact collectors as their
own.
Three-story men idealize,
imagine, predict--their best
illumination comes from above
the skylight.
Four Story Men……..
Four story men apply, connect,
reflect, personalize, and work
from their heart daring to make
the world a brighter and better
place to live.
On one hand there are the standards…
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SC-07-1.1.1 Students will:
classify substances according
to their chemical/reactive
properties;
infer real life applications for
substances based on
chemical/reactive properties.
Simple experiments should be
performed in order to provide
data to support the conclusion
that the chemical properties of
a substance cause it to react in
predictable ways with other
substances to form compounds
with different characteristic
properties. In chemical
reactions, the total mass is
conserved. Substances are
often classified into groups if
they react in similar ways. The
patterns which allow
classification can be used to
infer or understand real life
applications for those
substances. DOK 3
on the other is
diversity of
thought…
Task 1
Describe the
characteristics of
an acid or a base.
Task 4
Create a chart listing
practical applications of
different substances and
explain why those
substances would be
appropriate for the
applications you
suggest.
Task 2
After testing the
substances provided for
you at your stations,
create a classification
chart. Explain how the
groups are similar and
why you grouped the
substances this way.
Explain the causes for
the differences.
Task 3
Design and conduct an
investigation of different
chemicals to determine
which would be the best
choice for a specific
application, then test the
results, analyze the data
and form a conclusion.
What is Task Rotation?
Task Rotation Strategy is a
deliberate FOUR-STEP
approach to an aspect of the
curriculum.
In the Task Rotation Strategy,
the teacher plans to provide
students with a broad frame of
reference which results in
seeing and interacting with
the given content from four
specific orientations or styles.
Four Rs
 Remember
 Reason
 Relate
 Recreate
Four Learning
Styles
Task Rotation
Page 4-5
Review the
four types of
learning styles.
ry to personalize the content.
nspire students to use their
imagination
rovide questions that puzzle and
data that teases
tart with clear expectations
Goals
Extended Thinking
3 Strategic Thinking
2 Concept/Skills
1 Recall
4
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Depth

Thinking

Motivation

Flexibility
Four Thoughts
Four R’s
Mastery
REMEMBERING
 Observing
 Memorizing
 Sequencing
 Categorizing
 Describing
 Retelling
 Error Analysis
 Demonstrations
Understanding
REASONING
•Comparing
•Contrasting
•Analyzing
•Summarizing
•Explaining
•Arguing a stand
•Inferring
•Weigh evidence and
respond to
counterarguments
•Conclusions
•Problem solving
Four Thoughts
Self Expressive
RECREATING
 Imagining
 Suppositions
 Reorganizing, Recreating
 Hypothesizing
 Synthesizing
 Using Metaphors
 Design
 Perform
 Invent
 Create
 Interpret
Interpersonal
RELATING
•Feelings
•Empathizing
•Prefer
•Value
•Evaluate
•Judge
•Connect Personally
•Community service
•Project
•Decision Making
Examine Samples
What can you learn
from samples of other
teachers’ work?
How can you bring
the Depth of
Knowledge to the
work of Thoughtful
Education?
State Assessment, whose test is it?
The Declaration of Independence
states…”governments are instituted among
men, deriving their just power from the
consent of the governed…”
A democracy derives its power from its
citizens. Discuss in detail, THREE ways in
which the citizens provide the U.S.
government with its power.
Occupation % Change
Occupation
Change
%
Home Health Aides
138%
Medical Assistants
71%
Human Service Workers
Personal and Home Care
Computer Engineers
System Analysis
Physical Therapist
Paralegals
136%
130%
112%
110%
93%
86%
Detectives
Correction Officers
Child Care Workers
Travel Agents
Radiology
Research Analysis
70%
70%
60%
66%
61%
60%
The chart shows occupations in the U.S. that are expected
to experience the greatest rate of growth in the future.
Discuss TWO changes occurring in American society that
offer an explanation for the fast growth rate of TWO of
these occupations.
Kentucky Common Released Item
The diagram above shows a cell and its organelles. Select FOUR
of its organelles and explain how the structures and functions of
those organelles within the cell are similar to the structures and
functions of different parts of your school.
An Aspirin a Day
Consider a pregnant woman who is experiencing
extreme nausea and who has a family history of
heart disease.
A. Identify TWO pros and TWO cons from the article
that the woman and her doctor should discuss
when considering daily aspirin therapy.
B. Use evidence from the article to support your
answer.
A risk behavior is an action that can negatively
affect the health and safety of self and others.
A. Identify THREE risk behaviors and explain in
detail the potential impact upon the quality of life.
Constitutional rights in the U.S. extend to all citizens. The Bill of
Right guarantees: freedom of religion, freedom of speech,
freedom of the press, the right to assemble and to petition
the government, the right to keep and bear arms, freedom
from unreasonable search and seizure, the right to due
process of law, the right to counsel, and protection from
cruel and unusual punishment.
A. Select one of these Constitutional Rights listed that you
support or that you feel is particularly important. Discuss
TWO reasons for your position.
B. Select one of the Constitutional Rights listed that your DO
NOT support or that you feel should be amended. Discuss
TWO reasons for your position.
You are able to travel through time via a time
machine. You choose to travel to the decade of
the 1960s because you have a report due for
your humanities class. Since your report is about
the music of that decade, you visit several years
during the 1960s to listen to music of that period.
A. Describe TWO ways that the issues and or
B.
events of the 60s affected the music of that time.
Describe TWO effects the music had upon social
change and/or people’s beliefs in the 60s.
The city council in your town has decided that
“cruising” and loitering are problems they must
address.
A member of city council has said in the local newspaper, “Many people
have come to us complaining that the people cruising and loitering make
our town look bad and it hurts our environment. Others claim it is a
person’s right to drive back and forth through town or to stand in public
places talking. We have to make a decision and we need your input.”
Task: Prepare a speech to be given to the seven person city council outlining
your solution to either loitering, cruising or both, but convince the council to
try your plan.
Goals of Task Rotation: Depth and
Breadth
 To help students master basic factual material by asking
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them to recall facts or definitions, use sequences, use
categories, and or use procedures.
To help students increase understanding by asking them to
compare and contrast, summarize, prove, and/or establish
causal relationships.
To help students to reorganize content by asking them to
hypothesize, imagine and elaborate, use metaphors, and/or
synthesize.
To help students relate personally to the content by
describing feelings, empathizing, express a preference, or
make a value judgment or reflect upon decisions and
outcomes.
A Style Based Approach to Assessment
Read Richard J. Blaustein’s
paper, “Kudzu’s Invasion into
Southern United States’ Life and
Culture.”
Mastery
Use a graphic organizer to list the
advantages and disadvantages of
the introduction of this plant into
our ecosystem.
A Style Based Approach to Assessment
Make a Case
Agree or Disagree
The U.S. made a mistake in
introducing Kudzu as groundcover
to the United States.
Understanding
A Style Based Approach to Assessment
Interpersonal
Write a letter to your local
Department of Agriculture
explaining the impact of
introducing this plant to
the mountains of
Kentucky. Be sure to
explain what you think
should be done to control
the growth Kuduz in your
region.
A Style Based Approach to Assessment
Choose a metaphor…
The introduction of Kudzu to U.S. soil is a(n)….
• foreign invasion
• gift
• scar
• protective blanket
• ugly mask
Self
Expressive
because…….
OR
Explain how the introduction to Kudzu to the U.S.
was both a curse and a blessing.
Planning: Write Your Own

Collect your Standards
Choose a topic and standards you are
working on.
 Identify your Purpose
What do you want students to know,
understand, be like, and what skills are
you focusing the work on?
 Rotate tasks in all Four Styles
Establish activities or task for each of the
four learning styles.
 Create a Scenario and hook to arouse
interest and create meaning
Determine how you will connect the
information to prior knowledge,
experiences, and interests.
 Look for Criteria
Determine the standards by which the
work will be evaluated.
 Establish a Work Plan
Determine how students will complete
the task (i.e. individually, groups) and how
much time students will need.
Plan Your Task
Putting the Strategy to Work
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Clarify the learning goals.
Clarify the four tasks.
Provide opportunity for students to choose 2 or
more tasks to complete.
Give students time to complete the tasks.
Tie the tasks together, facilitate discussion by
analyzing advantages and disadvantages of doing
tasks that required different types of thinking.
Survey students’ attitudinal feedback on their
preferences and how it relates to style.
Thought is Dialogue with Self and
Others
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Is the purpose clear?
Do the tasks align to the
standards?
 Do the tasks deepen understanding?
 Are the tasks well defined so students
know what the expectations are?
 Are the tasks age appropriate?
 Do the tasks align to different styles of
thought?
Task Rotation
Questioning in Style
Better Questions ….Better Responses
Think of a unit or a lesson you
are presently working on in
class.
Write six to eight questions you
might ask of your students in
this study.
Four Kinds of Questions
Four Kinds of Thought
What are three changes
brought about by
Columbus’ discovery of a
new world?
Is Columbus more like or
more different than an
astronaut?
Suppose Columbus landed
on the west coast of the
United States. How would
our history be different?
How can Columbus’
discovery of America be
viewed as both
exploration and
exploitation?
Think about the questions….
How did the questions invoke different kinds of thought?
Did some questions take more time to think about than others?
Which questions were you most comfortable/uncomfortable
with?
What are the advantages of questioning around the wheel of
style?
Look back over the questions you ask of your students. How
balanced are your questions with learning styles? Do you
prefer certain types of questions more than others?
Questioning Around the Wheel of Style
Mastery Question
What is the function of
government as defined by
the Preamble to the U.S.
Constitution?
Understanding
Question
Explain why “We the
PEOPLE..” are considered
the most important words
in the Preamble?
Interpersonal
Question
Rank the Bill of Rights in
order of most important to
least important. Explain
which rights are most
important to you and give
reasons for your choices.
Self Expressive
How is the U.S.
Constitution a contract that
is both liberating and
restrictive?
 Select a standard
and design
questions around
the wheel of
style.
 How well did you
balance style,
standards and
depth of
knowledge?
Looking Back
What?
So What?
Now What?