Teachers of social studies and the arts are challenged to develop standards-based curriculum that integrates current local and global issues into instruction. Doing so engages students in applying content knowledge to real-world problems. To develop a standards-based curriculum, educators must first research grade-level specific state academic standards for social studies in order to align learning objectives with required learning standards.

The Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels are an extension of the Know, Understand, and Do guidelines and activate complexity in thinking, rather than just focusing on content.

There are four levels that allow students to engage with content in various ways:

• Recall and Reproduction
• Skills and Concepts/Basic Reasoning
• Strategic Thinking/Complex Reasoning
• Extended Thinking/Reasoning

Use the “Unwrapping the Standards” template to complete this assignment.

Part 1: Video Evaluation

View a social studies activity video segment found in the Topic Materials. In 250-500 words, reflect on the following:

• Has the teacher modeled academic language and critical thinking skills while addressing social studies standards and current events? Provide examples for why or why not.
• What questioning strategies does the teacher incorporate into social studies instruction to increase students’ critical thinking skills and depth of knowledge?

Part 2: Writing Learning Objectives

Using the standards from your state, select one social studies standard and one art standard. Write one measurable learning objective to the standard for each DOK level using “Students will be able to” language.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

Here is a video to watch