ATSW Curriculum Design 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A curriculum designer is writing learning objectives. Which format most clearly communicates what students will be able to do?
- Students will understand the water cycle
- Students will appreciate the importance of ecosystems
- Students will label the stages of the water cycle on a diagram (Correct answer)
- Students will learn about weather patterns
Correct answer: Students will label the stages of the water cycle on a diagram
Effective objectives use observable, measurable action verbs like 'label' so student mastery can be assessed directly.
Question 2: Which term describes the breadth of topics covered and the depth to which they are explored in a curriculum?
- Pacing guide
- Scope and sequence (Correct answer)
- Learning progression
- Standards alignment
Correct answer: Scope and sequence
Scope refers to the range of content covered, while sequence refers to the order in which it is taught; together they form the scope and sequence.
Question 3: A teacher notices that state standards call for students to analyze primary sources, but the district's curriculum materials only include secondary sources. This gap is best described as a problem with:
- Vertical alignment
- Standards-based alignment (Correct answer)
- Pacing
- Interdisciplinary design
Correct answer: Standards-based alignment
Standards-based alignment requires that curriculum materials and tasks directly reflect the skills and content specified in the standards.
Question 4: Which curriculum model emphasizes student questions and real-world problems as the primary drivers of instruction?
- Tyler's Rational-Linear model
- Problem-Based Learning model (Correct answer)
- Subject-centered curriculum
- Core Knowledge curriculum
Correct answer: Problem-Based Learning model
Problem-Based Learning centers curriculum around authentic problems and student inquiry rather than predetermined subject-matter sequences.
Question 5: A curriculum team is evaluating whether their elementary math curriculum effectively prepares students for middle school algebra. This is an example of examining:
- Horizontal alignment
- Curriculum compacting
- Vertical coherence (Correct answer)
- Formative assessment design
Correct answer: Vertical coherence
Vertical coherence refers to how well a curriculum builds foundational skills across grade levels to prepare students for future learning.
Question 6: When a curriculum includes implicit messages about social norms and expected behaviors that are not explicitly taught, this is known as the:
- Null curriculum
- Hidden curriculum (Correct answer)
- Formal curriculum
- Supplemental curriculum
Correct answer: Hidden curriculum
The hidden curriculum encompasses unstated lessons about social norms, behaviors, and values that students absorb through the school environment.
Question 7: A high school redesigns its course sequence so that prerequisite skills from English 9 are explicitly taught before English 10 builds on them. This reflects which curriculum design practice?
- Curriculum mapping
- Intentional sequencing (Correct answer)
- Curriculum compacting
- Differentiated pacing
Correct answer: Intentional sequencing
Intentional sequencing ensures that prerequisite knowledge and skills are developed before students encounter more advanced content.
ATSW Curriculum Design 3
A curriculum designer is writing learning objectives.
Which format most clearly communicates what students will be able to do?