Week 1 – Assignment

• Due Monday by 11:59pm
• Points 13
• Submitting an external tool

Practice: “Life” Standards Alignment

Prepare

• Read the Weekly Lesson and Chapter 7: Standards Alignment and the Appendix: Standards Alignment section in the Lopez (2013) text.
• Review the Speed Map Template.
• Review the Sample Speed Map. 
• Read the Wiggins and McTighe (2005) Introduction, including the section titled The Twin Sins of Design.

Reflect

• For this assignment, identify a specific and practical life skill as the “standard” your learner needs to master. Refer to Lopez’s example table in Chapter 7 under the heading Two Activities to Get Started.
• Specific guidance on how to write specific, student-centered, attainable, observable, and measurable learning outcomes are presented in the Weekly Lesson. This is important to know as it applies directly to the second column in the template: Specific Skills.

Content Instructions

Your assignment should consist of a single document (Speed Map Template) including two parts:

• Five-column table (Speed Map Template)
  • Practical Life Standard: Identify one specific life skill.
  • Specific Skills: Identify 1-2 specific skills needed to master the identified life skill/standard. Phrase the skills as statements of learning outcomes/objectives as modeled in the Week 1 Weekly Lesson.
  • Assessments: Select at least two ways to assess the skill(s). In other words, how will the learner show what he/she knows?
  • Instructional Methods: Describe at least one engaging method for teaching the identified skills.
  • Resources: List at least one source to support your instruction.
• Written Reflection: Below your table, include a brief, but specific explanation of the following:
  • Explain in your own words why it is important to align standards for learning with measurable learning outcomes (skills), instruction, assessments, and resources.
  • Describe how your previous understanding of standards alignment has shifted as a result of creating a Life Skills Speed Map.

Written Communication Instructions

• Length Requirement: Two to three pages including the five-column template and reflection, title, and references pages.
• Syntax and Mechanics: Display meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling and grammar.
• Source Requirement: Reference both assigned resources: Chapter 7 in Lopez (2013) and the assigned pages from the Wiggins and McTighe (2005) Introduction. Exemplary assignments will include at least one other resource from your own research, from those listed as a Recommended Resource, or found in the Weekly Lesson.
• APA Formatting: Use APA formatting consistently throughout the assignment. Refer to the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.) for assistance with APA style and formatting.

Submitting Your Assignment

• Submit your assignment for evaluation. Include the link to your ePortfolio in the comments box when uploading. Instructions for creating or accessing an ePortfolio through Folio can be found in the Weekly Lesson.
• Archive your assignment in your ePortfolio by uploading to your Folio account. Once assignments are uploaded to your ePortfolio, they are considered artifacts and will be referenced as such.
• Once in your Folio account, select “Add Work.” Follow the step-by-step instructions.
• Once uploaded, add a title (e.g., Speed Map: Aligning Standards) and a one- to two-sentence description.
  • Select “Education” as the category and give it the same title as the previous step.
  • Your artifact should now be viewable in your Portfolio.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.