M-3 Standards-Aligned Lessons

Teachers know their curriculum, design relevant, purposeful lessons aligned to state standards, and communicate learning outcomes to students.

What does this look like in our schools and classrooms?

Use the NC standards and unpacking documents when designing lessons
Use the District pacing guide and instructional support materials when planning
Write the daily learning target/objective written on the board in student-friendly language
Collaboratively discuss curriculum in PLCs to ensure Horizontal/Vertical alignment
Plan units incorporating Backwards Design and M-Powerment Strategies
Activate prior knowledge in daily lessons
Post “I Can” statements on assignments and board
Design technology lessons aligned with SAMR / ISTE Standards
Provide real-world content application and examples to give meaning to learning
Study your curriculum objectives to understand how they build on each other and the level of understanding
Research best practices for teaching the standards
Align curriculum materials from outside sources (Teachers Pay Teachers, Pinterest, etc.) to local standards
Incorporate content from standards-aligned digital resources (iCurio, Discovery Education, SchoolNet, Mastery Connect, Study Island, etc.)
Design remediation based on standards that need additional work, based on individual students
Spiral warm-ups and assessment questions to review weak standards

Exemplar Lessons & Strategies

How Can Technology Support this M-Powerment Strategy?

SAS Curriculum Pathways
Interactive, standards-based resources in the core disciplines

Search lesson materials by standards
Explore best practices in instructional standards

SchoolNet
North Carolina assessment questions and resources

Browse assessment questions by standards to build CFAs
Build entry / exit tickets for quick checks

Discovery Education
Curriculum resources for NC standards

Create units by standards with learning materials, assessments, videos, etc.
Build Builder curation

For Future Reading, Exploration, & Learning

Educational Articles

Check out these additional research-based articles and books related to this M-Powerment Strategy.

Knowing Your Learning Target - Educational Leadership
Learning Targets on Parade - Educational Leadership
Every Lesson Needs a Storyline - Educational Leadership
Making Connections: Objectives & Standards - Edutopia
Start with Higher Order Thinking - Educational Leadership
9 Ways to Plan Transformational Lessons: Planning the Best Curriculum Unit Ever - Edutopia

Self-Paced PD

To explore more about this strategy, check out some of the sessions that have been offered at previous Summer Institutes related to this strategy. Each one contains lots of strategies you can implement and resources you can use to improve your practice.

Instructional Coach-Created Resources

Newsletters and contests created by our Instructional Coaches and School Library Media Coordinators have lots of resources and ideas you can implement. Here are a few that relate to this strategy.