Concept-Based Literacy Lessons

Designing Learning to Ignite Understanding and Transfer, Grades 4-10

Lois A. Lanning, Tiffanee Brown

• Publisher: Corwin
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781544318578
• eBook ISBN: 9781544318554
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Teaching Methods

Literacy is not a decontextualized drill of skills or learning just about "a book." You will highlight, ponder, and tab as you read about the design of Concept-Based literacy lessons. All students deserve the best literacy instruction—and this IS the BEST.
—H. Lynn Erickson

The guide for designing and implementing Concept-Based literacy lessons

A Concept-Based Curriculum is designed to help students uncover important, transferable understandings about what it means to be a capable reader, writer, speaker, viewer, listener, and thinker. But, too often, a well-designed, conceptual curriculum does not translate into conceptual teaching. Concept Based Literacy Lessons helps bridge that divide, and provides practical support for teachers implementing Concept-Based literacy lessons.

This essential guide picks up where the book, Designing Concept-Based Curriculum for English Language Arts left off. Authors Lois Lanning and Tiffanee Brown explain how to move from design to actionable practice by providing tools and examples straight from the classroom. They'll also show teachers how to use common literacy instructional practices (such as Socratic Seminar, close reading, think aloud, explicit instruction, and so forth) to support students? transfer of conceptual understanding.

Written especially for literacy teachers, readers will find

• Step-by-step help with lesson planning for conceptual understanding and transfer
• Ideas for supporting inductive learning
• Classroom Snapshots that showcase familiar literacy practices in Concept-Based classrooms
• Strategies to promote critical, reflective, and conceptual thinking
• Model elementary and secondary Concept-Based lesson and unit plans
• A chapter devoted to answering frequently asked questions 

For educators looking for practical ways to implement a Curriculum and Instruction Model that's more inquiry-driven and idea-centered, look no further than this book.

Chapter 1 Curriculum Is the Foundation

Figure 1.1

Think about how you feel when fully immersed in a good book, when you are in writing flow, or when you sense listeners hanging onto every word as you share a story. We want our students to wholeheartedly embrace their literacy learning so they, too, know what it feels like to be capable and confident readers, writers, presenters, thinkers, and discussion partners. Both authors (Lois and Tiffanee) think the design of a literacy lesson is how we can put students on a path toward gratifying success. We need high-quality, conceptual lessons that provoke thinking, facilitate inquiry, keep students engaged, and, ultimately, result in deep, transferable literacy learning. This book is about how to do that.

This chapter gives some background knowledge about Concept-Based Curriculum before we move into the primary purpose of this book, which is to teach the specifics of Concept-Based literacy lesson planning. The WHAT, WHY, and HOW of Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBCI) will be a review for readers familiar with CBCI. If you are new to CBCI, please know that much more in-depth information about designing curriculum units is provided in other resources written for that purpose and will help you see how this book is the logical next step. But, before we share some of the basics about Concept-Based, we begin with a quick discussion about the importance of a system-wide curriculum.

Maximizing Learning Through a Coherent Curriculum

A district-wide, Concept-Based Curriculum, comprising units of study, is the critical first step that precedes lesson planning. The book Designing a Concept-Based Curriculum for English Language Arts (Lanning, 2013) makes a case for curriculum serving as the master plan for improving teaching and learning. The book also extends the original Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBCI) work, developed by our dear friend and mentor, Dr. H. Lynn Erickson, by analyzing and adding the components of Concept-Based to process-oriented disciplines (English language arts, world language, fine arts, and music). Let’s review a few of the key points from the 2013 book that address why curriculum design needs to come before thinking about lesson planning.

First, the definition of “curriculum” needs clarification because the term is often treated differently. Some educators refer to state or national standards as “the curriculum.” Others say, “We use the expectations in our required assessments as our curriculum.” Sometimes educators consider textbooks and programs by various companies and publishers as “the curriculum.” On a daily basis, marketers and the Internet flood us with ads about quick, easy, ready-to-use “curricula” with a variety of promises. All these different references to “curriculum” breed confusion!

We characterize a Concept-Based Curriculum as the system-wide defined course of study, comprising approximately 4−8 instructional units across a school year, which teachers use to design lessons in the subject(s) they teach. A quality, district-wide curriculum articulates student learning targets by grade level and discipline. The curriculum also offers suggestions for designing learning experiences, timelines for rolling out each unit, ideas for differentiation, assessments to help monitor student progress, and resources available to support instruction. When teachers do not have an inclusive, viable, relevant curriculum to inform and guide their work, their jobs become even more stressful, demanding, and unclear. Left to their own devices, it is no wonder hardworking teachers often turn to textbooks, the Internet, software programs, or other prepackaged lessons and use their best judgment as to whether these resources will help their students meet standards. Acute differences among teachers’ daily lesson plans mean students receive uneven experiences across classrooms, grade levels, and schools within the same system. As students move from one grade or course to the next, the disparities become more problematic. In this scenario, the lack of quality, coherent curriculum results in lower-than-expected student performance on standardized tests, even though teachers and students put in significant effort.

Students also benefit from a defined curriculum. As research indicates, students of all ages are likely to learn when their experiences connect and build on one another (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999). In other words, when learning experiences are disconnected, it is not easy to realize growth. Coherent lessons help students see the bigger whole, which fuels motivation and engagement.

A “master” curriculum creates a ripple effect. Assessments and instruction, aligned with the curriculum, better inform decisions about appropriate resources, student interventions, and professional development needs. Creating strong coherence through a system-wide curriculum should not be translated to mean there are regimented lessons where every teacher is on the same page on the same day at the same time. There needs to be flexibility in the curriculum units while still following a collective road map. An overly prescriptive curriculum forces all teachers to be clones of each other. We don’t want that. But a sustained, coherent focus is lost if the curriculum is too loose or vague about expectations.

WHAT Is Concept-Based Curriculum?

There are two Structures that complement each other and graphically represent the critical components of CBCI. In Figure 1.2, the Structure of Knowledge shows how content-heavy disciplines are structured. The Structure of Process shows how process-heavy disciplines are structured. Definitions of each component of the Structures are in the sidebars. We read the graphics from the bottom up.

Figure 1.2 The Structure of Knowledge and the Structure of Process

All subjects are made up of both disciplinary content and processes, but one Structure reflects different disciplines more than the other. For example, social studies, science, and economics are primarily structured by content (Structure of Knowledge) because there is so much subject matter knowledge to be learned. Subjects such as English, world languages, the fine arts, and music are organized primarily by processes/strategies/skills (Structure of Process). You can see this distinction by reading the state or national standards for each of these subjects. The standards for process-heavy disciplines almost always begin with a verb. Standards in process disciplines do not emphasize the content to be taught; rather they articulate what students need to be able to do: to construct meaning; to generate a response; to critique what is viewed, read, or heard; and to produce text (print or nonprint) or a piece of music or art.

In keeping with the integrity of the discipline, most, if not all, of the generalizations found in a literacy curriculum unit will represent important understandings about a process, strategy, or skill.

The expectation in CBCI is that students will not only learn facts and skills but take learning another step and be able to construct generalizations (conceptual understandings) that transfer. When looking over the 5−9 generalizations in a curriculum unit of instruction, you may find some of the generalizations represent essential conceptual understandings of the content under study (Structure of Knowledge). For example: Family, friends, and community help shape a person’s cultural identity may be a central understanding drawn from the unit topic (title) or from texts used in the unit. Other generalizations in this same unit may represent essential understandings about processes (Structure of Process). For example: Readers make inferences about people and characters using background knowledge and text evidence. Depending on the subject, the majority of unit generalizations will be either process or knowledge.

As we move teaching and learning from the bottom of the Structures up to the Generalization level, we move student thinking and learning from a lower level (facts and skills) to a higher level (conceptual understandings). Learning transfers at the conceptual level. Deeper understanding and transfer are the goals of Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction. The curriculum and the lessons written from them are designed to deliberately and systematically develop students’ intellect and conceptual minds. We don’t assume engaging instructional strategies will yield this outcome.

What Are the Differences Between a Concept-Based Curriculum and a More Traditional Curriculum Design?

A Concept-Based Curriculum departs from traditional curriculum designs that are based primarily on topics, facts, and skills. Concept-Based Curriculum goes beyond, because it includes a focus on the transfer of the essential conceptual understandings of a discipline and facilitates synergistic thinking. Here are definitions of these three important terms:

These are just some of the attributes that distinguish Concept-Based Curriculum from other designs. “A Concept-Based curriculum raises the bar for curriculum, instruction, and assessment” (Erickson, 2008, p. 28). In other words, when key concepts (ideas) and generalizations of a discipline become the “drivers” for learning, we lead students to deeper understandings that transfer across different and more novel situations. Foundational skills and critical content knowledge (facts) are still important components of a Concept-Based Curriculum; however, the inclusion of conceptual understanding leverages student thinking and facilitates the retention of learning by requiring a deeper level of mental processing.

A word of caution: Merely providing teachers with a list of transferable understandings does not directly translate to a quality Concept-Based Curriculum either. If only life was so simple! Each curriculum component contributes to the coherent “whole” that articulates what students need to Know, Understand, and be able to Do. There are multiple layers in the process of writing Concept-Based units of instruction. This is why writing in teams makes so much sense. Solo writers are denied the insights and contributions of others, and the end product often reflects this disadvantage. The bottom line is that a well-designed curriculum does directly impact student performance results.

Table 1.1 serves as a quick review of the components of a Concept-Based Curriculum unit. It also summarizes some of the characteristics between a Concept-Based versus a more traditional curriculum unit. You may want to reference this chart to make better sense of the five model Concept-Based Curriculum units found in Resource A.

Table 1.1

Transfer means students can apply what they learn to new situations. When learning is understood (versus merely memorized), one can make connections and applications to novel situations that are somewhat different (or far) from the initial experience. Perkins and Salomon (1988) distinguish far transfer from near transfer. Near transfer also requires prerequisite understanding but describes learning applied to a new situation that more closely resembles the original learning. (See Lanning, 2009, for more about transfer.)

Conceptual Understandings is another term for Generalizations. Concepts are mental constructs (ideas) that frame a set of examples sharing common attributes. Concepts are timeless, universal, and abstract to varying degrees (Erickson, 2008). Generalizations are defined as two or more concepts stated in a sentence of relationship, using a strong verb. A conceptual understanding transfers across cultures, time, and situations. For example, The setting of a mystery supports the plot and provides the context for suspense.

Synergistic Thinking: Erickson (2008) defines synergistic thinking as the interactive energy that occurs between the lower- and higher-order processing centers of the brain. CBCI is deliberately planned to create a “synergy” between the lower levels of thinking (facts and skills) and the higher levels of thinking (concepts and generalizations) to develop the intellect and increase motivation for learning.

WHY Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction?

When we see the transformation that takes place in CBCI classrooms, we get excited! Here are a few answers to the question, WHY Concept-Based?

Because Concept-Based …

• develops structures in the brain (brain schema) for sorting, organizing, and patterning incoming information, and for transferring knowledge and skills through to the conceptual level.
• requires students to process facts and skills at a deeper intellectual level as they relate them to significant concepts, generalizations, and principles.
• engages and develops the intellect on two levels—factual/skill and conceptual.
• supports “synergistic thinking”—the cognitive interplay between the factual/skill and conceptual ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series
• Half Title
• Acknowledgements
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables by Chapter
• Acknowledgments
• About the Authors
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 Curriculum Is the Foundation
• Chapter 2 Designing Concept-Based Literacy Lessons
• Chapter 3 Learning From Model Literacy Lesson Plans
• Chapter 4 Designing Learning Experiences That Develop Conceptual Understanding
• Chapter 5 Frequently Asked Questions
• Resources
• Resource A: Model CBCI Curriculum Units
• Resource B: Sample Graphic Organizers
• Resource C: Student Reflection and Self-Assessment of Process
• Resource D: Other Tools to Support Concept-Based Literacy Lesson Design
• Resource E: Developing Concept-Based Teacher/Student Rubrics
• References
• Index
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