Curriculum Development and Design Flashcards

Which curriculum model emphasizes starting with clear end goals and working backward to design instruction?

Answer: Understanding by Design (UbD)

Understanding by Design, developed by Wiggins and McTighe, uses backward design—starting with desired outcomes, then planning assessment, then instruction.

A teacher is designing a unit where students revisit a concept at increasing levels of complexity each year. This approach is best described as:

Answer: Spiral curriculum design

Spiral curriculum, associated with Jerome Bruner, revisits concepts repeatedly with increasing depth and complexity across grade levels.

In curriculum design, 'scope' refers to:

Answer: The breadth and depth of content covered at any given level

Scope refers to the breadth and depth of the content to be covered, while sequence refers to the order of that content.

Which of the following best describes a 'hidden curriculum'?

Answer: Unofficial norms, values, and behaviors implicitly conveyed through school culture

The hidden curriculum refers to the unintended lessons—values, norms, and behaviors—that students learn through the school environment and culture, not through formal instruction.

A school team is mapping out which standards will be addressed in each grade level to avoid gaps and unnecessary repetition. This process is known as:

Answer: Vertical alignment

Vertical alignment ensures that curriculum content is sequenced coherently across grade levels to build upon prior knowledge and avoid gaps or redundancy.

Which of the following is an example of interdisciplinary curriculum design?

Answer: A unit where students analyze the mathematics of population growth in a history context

Interdisciplinary curriculum intentionally connects two or more subject areas around a common theme, concept, or real-world problem.

When a curriculum document specifies what students should 'know, understand, and be able to do,' it is describing:

Answer: Learning outcomes or objectives

Learning outcomes or objectives specify the intended knowledge, understandings, and skills students are expected to acquire through instruction.