Overarching Understanding Goals "The thing I most want my students to understand after this course or year are..." Become an excellent observer by using the sixth sense (emotions) as well as the basic five senses. (Observations are the foundation of science.) Look for and attempt to understand connections in the world. (Everything is influenced by other things, everything is somehow connected.) Consider and assess how she/he personally connects to the world. (Understanding personal connections helps one understand themself and his/her environment.) Record, contemplate and communicate her/his findings to others. (Sharing is an essential human trait.)
Generative Topic The Human Body	Unit-Long Understanding Goals "Students will understand..." The five levels of organization found in living things: cells, tissues, organs, system, organisms The Respiratory System The Circulatory System The Nervous System
Performances of Understanding "Students will build toward achieving the understanding goals by..." Learning new vocabulary words Taking a quiz on "The Living Condition/Levels of Organization" Experimenting with the Respiratory System in a Lab Experimenting with the Circulatory System in a Lab Completing a Blood Flow Activity Experimenting with the Nervous System System in a Lab Writing Up all Labs Collaborating with Classmates during the labs.   Think about it for your work: 1. How might experimenting with information in a laboratory setting help your students explore the subject matter you are teaching?	Ongoing Assessment "Students will get feedback on their performances by ..." Teacher feedback on "The Living Condition/Levels of Organization" quiz Peer and Teacher evaluation of notebooks Peer and Teacher feedback on the labs Think about it for your work: 1. How do/could peer evaluations play a role in your curricula?

Pictures of Practice Contents Introduction The Colonial Biography Unit (7th Grade History) A Year of Seventh Grade English A Year of Eighth Grade Science The Jazz Unit Snapshot Using the CCDT to Develop Generative Topics