CURRICULUM INTEGRATION TO
PROMOTE STUDENT OUTCOMES
By Jorge Romero II
THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING UNITS,
RATHER THAN SIMPLY INDIVIDUAL LESSONS
• Planning with the final outcome in mind (Backwards
design)
• Unit/lesson objectives that students will achieve
• How they will demonstrate it in each lesson/whole unit
through formal/informal assessments
• What does the student need to know and what ways will
he/she learn it
• Gives room for improvement, modifications, plan B or C.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING UNITS,
RATHER THAN SIMPLY INDIVIDUAL LESSONS
• The three steps of backwards design:
D ES I G N I N G I N S TR U CT I O N A L U N I T S T H AT E MB O D Y
H I G H EX PE CTATI O N S FO R ST U D E N T LE A R N I N G
A N D A LI G N W I T H A C A D E M I C STA N D A RD S
• Independence and personal accountability opportunities
• Clear expectations and success rubric/criteria
• Be a facilitator
• Student prior knowledge and interests
• Open question/critical thinking assignments
D ES I G N I N G I N S TR U CT I O N A L U N I T S T H AT E MB O D Y
H I G H EX PE CTATI O N S FO R ST U D E N T LE A R N I N G
A N D A LI G N W I T H A C A D E M I C STA N D A RD S
• Diverse pace of learning
• Diverse learning strategies to align with students’ learning style
• Build lessons where students take an initiative to learn and grow
academically.
P LA N N I N G D I F F ER EN TI ATE D I N ST RU C TI O N A L
ST RATE G I E S A N D T EC H N O LO G I E S T H AT CA N BE
U S ED TO M A X I M I Z E H I G H - Q U A L I TY I N ST RU CT I O N
• Differentiated grouping
• Student’s current readiness (Not too easy, not too hard)
• Group students by interests
• Cube activities
• Station activities
P LA N N I N G D I F F ER EN TI ATE D I N ST RU C TI O N A L
ST RATE G I E S A N D T EC H N O LO G I E S T H AT CA N BE
U S ED TO M A X I M I Z E H I G H - Q U A L I TY I N ST RU CT I O N
• Videos, visuals, audio
• Google Drive, Microsoft Office, PowToon, poster boards
• Give students freedom to choose how they will demonstrate their
learning and knowledge for lessons and units.
ENSURI NG THAT CURRICULUM AND
I NSTRUC TIONAL P RACTIC ES ARE CULTURAL LY
INCL USIVE
• Gain an understanding/self-assessment on culture awareness
• Cultural classroom culture and environment
• Open-ended projects
• Students discussions and sharing background/culture expertise
ENSURI NG THAT CURRICULUM AND
I NSTRUC TIONAL P RACTIC ES ARE CULTURAL LY
INCL USIVE
• Multicultural events
• Communication with families
• Local diverse community resources
• Attend local cultural events to learn
About the school community.
INCORPORATING THE SCHOOL'S
VISION AND GOALS INTO INNOVATIVE
INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS
• After-school programs
• Parent-child events
• Peer tutoring
• Parent tutoring
• Social emotional learning
REFERENCES
• Arnold, J. (1997). High expectations for all: perspective and practice. this we believe and now we must act. Middle School
Journal, 28(3), 51–53.
• Bowen, R. S. (2017). Understanding by design. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved from
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/understanding-by-design/.
• Cox, S. G. (2008). Differentiated Instruction in the elementary classroom. Education Digest, 73(9), 52.
• Jones, K. A., Vermette, P. J., & Jones, J. L. (2009). An integration of “backwards planning” unit design with the “two-step”
lesson planning framework. Education, 130(2), 357–360.
• Montgomery, W. (2001). Creating culturally responsive, inclusive classrooms. Teaching Exceptional Children, 33(4), 4.
https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/004005990103300401
