Chelsea Griffith

EDUG 506
September 22, 2016
PRQ #3: How can I ensure I teach the Common Core Standards to all students?
Ann S. Epstein, author of The Intentional Teacher states, To be intentional is to act
purposefully, with a goal in mind, and a plan for accomplishing it. Teachers can be intentional
by identifying a clear curricular goal taken from the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and
then developing an appropriate plan to help students master that goal. I will use backward design
to plan my lessons by identifying the desired learning goals, determining acceptable evidence of
achievement, and planning instruction that incorporates 21st century skills to ensure that I teach
the CCSS to all students.
To ensure that I teach the CCSS to all students, I will construct my lessons utilizing the
steps of backward design. Wiggins and McTighe (2005) define backwards design as thinking a
great deal, first, about the specific learnings sought, and the evidence of such learnings, before
thinking about what we as the teacher, will do or provide in teaching and learning activities (p.
14). Backward design is centered around specific curricular goals that students should achieve.
The first step is to determine what goal from the CCSS I intend my students to master. Wiggins
and McTighe (2005) describe, We consider our goals, establish content standards (national,
state, district), and review curriculum expectations (p.18). I will use the CCSS to begin
designing my lesson. The second step of backward design is to decide what assessments will
provide adequate evidence to determine if students have reached the identified goal. Wiggins and
McTighe (2005) state, This approach encourages teachers and curriculum planners to first
think like an assessor before designing specific units and lessons, and thus to consider up front
how they will determine if students have attained the desired understandings (p.18). Thinking
like an assessor is a necessary step because knowing what will be required for students to

demonstrate their mastery of the content will provide a clear roadmap as to what specifically
needs to be taught. The third step of backwards design is to determine what type of instruction
will take place during the lesson to ensure mastery of the curricular goals. Wiggins and McTighe
(2005) note, Specifics of instructional planningchoices about teaching methods, sequences of
lessons, and resource materialscan be successfully completed only after we identify desired
results and assessments and consider what they imply (p.19). By planning the specific
instructional strategies at the end of designing a lesson, teachers are able to see the goals first and
are then able to effectively align their teaching and instructional activities to support these goals.
An example of backward design is my BST Direct Instruction Lesson Plan for module
506. I began the design by my BST lesson plan by first determining which CCSS I would be
using. I chose RL.1.2, which states, retelling stories, including key details, and demonstrating
understanding of their central message or lesson. Next, I determined what assessment would
provide adequate evidence of students mastery of that standard. The summative assessment that
I decided to use was an audio retell students would submit on Seesaw.me. Finally, the
instructional activities I selected were completing a retell story map with illustrations, modeling
a retell, and oral practice retelling the story utilizing pair sharing. Backward design has expanded
my understanding of TPE 3.1, which states that teacher candidates demonstrate knowledge of
subject matter, including the adopted California State Standards and curriculum frameworks
(Commission on Teaching Credentialing (CTC), 2016) by helping me to see the connection
between the goals I set for my students and the standards. I have a better understanding of how
the subject matter standards drive my goals and instructional activities.
In addition to backwards design, I will infuse 21st century skills into my lessons. Burden
and Byrd (2015) define 21st century skills as skills such as communication, collaboration, critical

thinking, problem solving, and creativity that will prepare students today to be successful in the
future of the competitive world as citizens and workers. These skills are aligned with the CCSS
and promote college readiness and future success for students. Learning about 21st Century Skills
has deepened my understanding of TPE 3.4, which states that teacher candidates individually
and through consultation and collaboration with other educators and members of the larger
school community, plan for effective subject matter instruction and use multiple means of
representing, expressing, and engaging students to demonstrate their knowledge (CTC, 2016). I
understand the importance of integrating communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and
creativity into the curriculum and lessons while using multiple means of representing,
expressing, and engaging students in order to prepare students to be successful citizens.
A classroom example of 21st century skills properly executed along with the CCSS would
be assigning students to collaborate in small groups to analyze a poem and identify its figurative
language before creating their own original poem. The groups will communicate their ideas and
suggestions before coming to a consensus about the topic. Once they have decided as a group
what the poem will be about, they will collaborate to create an original poem using figurative
language. Once completed the groups will be using their communication skills to present their
poem as a group to the class. This lesson illustrates the 21st century skills of communication,
collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.
In conclusion, using these specific and strategic methods will help guide teachers and
keep them focused on the purpose of their teaching. Implementing backward design and
including specific 21st century instruction will ensure that all of my students receive effective
instruction to ensure equal access to the Common Core State Standards.

Reference Page
Burden, P.R., & Byrd, D.M. (2015). Methods for effective teaching: Meeting the needs of all
students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2016). Preliminary multiple subject and single subject
credential program standards. Retrieved from http://www.ctc.ca.gov/educatorprep/standards/PrelimMSstandard.pdf
Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.