This presentation discusses Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels and how they relate to standards and assessments. It presents the four DOK levels - recall and reproduction, skills and concepts, short-term strategic thinking, and extended thinking. Examples are provided for each level to illustrate the cognitive demands. The presentation notes how DOK levels can be used to align standards and assessments and provide various ways the levels can be integrated into instructional activities involving art, discussions, simulations, and analyzing multiple perspectives.
2. Presentation
Materials
All materials available at:
www.symbaloo.com/mix/
DOK-CommonCoreLA-SS
3. The Basics
Depths of Knowledge developed
by Norman Webb
Examines alignment between cognitive
demands of standards and cognitive
demands of assessments
4. Overview of
DOK Levels
DOK Level Title of Level
1 Recall and Reproduction
2 Skills and Concepts
3 Short‐term Strategic Thinking
4 Extended Thinking
5.
6. Level 1:
Recall and Reproduction
Requires students to recall or
reproduce knowledge and/or skills
May involve use of simple procedures
and/or formulas.
A student answering a Level 1 item either
knows the answer or does not; that is, the
answer does not need to be “figured out” or
“solved.”
7. Examples of
Level 1 Tasks
Define Compromise.
Identify two examples of political conflict among
individuals and/or groups in the United States
during the colonial time period.
Identify how scarcity forces people and societies to
make choices.
List three physical characteristics of a region of the
United States.
Identify figurative language in a reading passage.
Use punctuation marks correctly.
8. Level 2:
Skills and Concepts
Requires students to:
contrast or compare people, places, events and
concepts;
convert information from one form to another;
classify or sort items into meaningful categories ;
describe or explain issues and problems,
patterns , cause and effect, significance or
impact, relationships, points of view or
processes
9. Examples of
Level 2 Tasks
Explain the causes and effects of the Revolutionary War.
Explain the reasons why discrimination developed in the United
States prior to the Civil Rights Movement.
Compare and give examples of how scarcity required the North and
the South to make decisions about how their productive resources
should be used.
Explain how interaction between the supporters of slavery and those
opposed to slavery led to political conflict and competition during the
1850s.
Use context cues to identify the meaning of unfamiliar words.
Predict a logical outcome based on information in a reading selection.
Identify and summarize the major events in a narrative.
Write summaries that contain the main idea of the reading selection
and pertinent details.
10. Level 3:
Short-Term Strategic Thinking
Demand a short‐term use of higher
order thinking processes to solve real‐world
problems with predictable outcomes
Justifying answers is a key marker
Tends to require coordination of knowledge
and skill from multiple subject‐matter areas
to carry out processes and reach a solution in
a project‐based setting
11. Examples of
Level 3 Tasks
Citing evidence, evaluate monarchies, democracies,
republics, and dictatorships in terms of their effectiveness in
establishing order, providing security, and accomplishing
common goals.
Analyze the causes of the rapid population growth of the “Sun
Belt” states, and explain the economic impact of this growth on
those regions where population patterns have shifted.
Determine the author’s purpose and describe how it affects the
interpretation of a reading selection.
Summarize information from multiple sources to address a
specific topic.
Use voice appropriate to the purpose and audience.
12. Level 4:
Extended Thinking
Students are engaged in conducting
investigations to solve real‐world problems
with unpredictable outcomes.
Employing and sustaining strategic thinking
processes over a longer period of time to
solve the problem is a key feature.
13. Examples of
Level 4 Tasks
Create and participate in a simulation of a
Congressional hearing.
Plan and develop a solution to a problem/issue in
your community.
Examine and explain alternative perspectives across
a variety of primary/secondary sources.
Analyze and synthesize information for multiple
sources.
Describe and illustrate how common themes are
found across texts from different cultures.
14. Complexity vs.
Difficulty
Same DOK, Different Level of
Difficulty
Level 1 DOK - Who is the current President of the
United States?
Level 1 DOK – Who was the 19th President of the
United States?
15. Bloom and Webb
DOK 1- Describe three characteristics of dictators.
Requires simple recall
DOK 2- Describe the difference between the Axis and
Allied Powers in World War II.
Requires cognitive processing to determine the differences
in the two groups
DOK 3/4- Describe the most significant effect of World
War II on the nations of Europe.
Requires deep understanding of the effects of World War II
and a determination which of these effects was most
significant among many different nations
16. Take a Look
Examine the 4 cards in your
envelope.
Can you determine which task
represents each Depth of
Knowledge level?
Be prepared to explain your
reasoning.
17. The Standards
Take a look at the Common Core
Reading Standards for your grade level.
What Depth of Knowledge level would you
assign to each standard?
Look at the “Historical Understandings”
Georgia Performance Standards for your
grade level. What Depth of Knowledge level
would you assign to each standard?
18. Integration
Possibilities
Art and Text Analysis
Shared Inquiry Discussions
Tug-of-War
Circle of Viewpoints
19. Art and Text Analysis
Related Common Core Anchor Standards:
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly
and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific
textual evidence when writing or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and
analyze their development; summarize the key
supporting details and ideas.
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse
media and formats, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.
20. From Slave Ship to
Freedom Road Task
1. Present students with an image from the text.
2. Students discuss what they:
See (only direct observations, no interpretations yet),
Think (What do you think is going on?)
Wonder (What questions come to mind?)
3. Students read the corresponding text and select a
sentence, phrase, and word that reflect the most
important idea presented in the text.
4. Groups discuss their selections and justify their
thinking.
21. Other Possibilities
Picture Puzzle
Connect with different types of writing
(songs, poetry, diary entries, letters,
etc.)
22. Shared Inquiry
Discussions
Related Common Core Anchor Standards:
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly
and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific
textual evidence when writing or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the text.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas
develop and interact over the course of a text.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the
content and style of a text.
9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar
themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to
compare the approaches the authors take.
23. Columbus:
Hero or Villian?
Read the book Encounter by Jane Yolen to the
class.
As you read, have students take notes on a two
column T-chart showing examples from the text of
times when Columbus came across as a hero, and
times when he came across as a villain.
Read Columbus’ letter to King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella and his diary entries. Continue
adding to the T-chart with examples from these texts.
Students must choose a side and will participate in a
shared inquiry discuss supporting their chosen side
with evidence from the texts.
24. Tug-of-War
Related Common Core Anchor Standards:
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly
and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific
textual evidence when writing or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the text.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas
develop and interact over the course of a text.
25. Japanese-Americans
After Pearl Harbor
Be fearful of Don’t be fearful
Japanese of Japanese
Americans Americans
Reason Reason Reason Reason Reason Reason
that that that that that that
Japanese Japanese Japanese Japanese Japanese Japanese
Americans Americans Americans Americans Americans Americans
should be should be should be should not should not should not
feared. feared. feared. be feared. be feared. be feared.
26. Circle of Viewpoints
Related Common Core Anchor Standards:
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly
and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific
textual evidence when writing or speaking to support
conclusions drawn from the text.
3. Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas
develop and interact over the course of a text.
6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the
content and style of a text.
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse
media and formats, including visually and
quantitatively, as well as in words.
28. Presentation
Materials
All materials available at:
www.symbaloo.com/mix/
DOK-CommonCoreLA-SS
Hinweis der Redaktion
Webb (1997) developed a process and criteria for systematically analyzing the alignment between standards and standardized assessmentsThe model is based upon the assumption that curricular elements may all be categorized based upon the cognitive demands required to produce an acceptable response.http://www.aps.edu/academics/common-core-state-standards/documents/Webbs%20Depth%20of%20Knowledge%20Guide.pdfFour Depth of Knowledge (DOK) levels were developed by Norman Webb as an alignment method to examine the consistency between the cognitive demands of standards and the cognitive demands of assessments. Introduction to Depth of Knowledge (DOK) - Based on Norman Webb’s Model(Karin Hess, Center for Assessment/NCIEA, 2005)The DOK level assigned should reflect the level of work students are most commonly required to perform in order for the response to be deemed acceptable.
Little transformation or extended processing of the target knowledge required
Develop a concept map showing a process or describing a topic. Make a timeline Write a list of keywords you know about… Make a chart showing… Recite a fact related to… Write in your own words… Cut out, or draw a picture that illustrates an event, process, or story. Report or present to the class. Make a cartoon strip showing the sequence of an event, process, or story. Write and perform… Write a brief outline and explain the event, process, or story. Write a summary report of the event Prepare a flow chart that illustrates the sequence of events. Paraphrase a chapter in the book Retell in your own words Outline the main pointsRecall, restate, remember, or recognize a fact, term, or property(Recognizing, listing, describing, identifying, retrieving, naming, locating, finding) Using basic calculation tasks involving only one step (i.e. addition, subtraction, etc), complete the following… Locate or retrieve information in verbatim form. Straight‐forward recognition tasks related to identifying features, objects and/or steps that don’t vary greatly in form (i.e. recognizing features of basic tools). Writing tasks that involve applying a standard set of conventions and or criteria that should eventually be automated (i.e. using punctuation, spelling, etc) Basic measurement tasks that involve one step (i.e. using a ruler to measure length) Use this simple formula where at least one of the unknowns are provided to… Locating information in maps, charts, tables, graphs, and drawings
Level 2 “describe or explain” would require students to go beyond a description or explanation of recalled information to describe or explain a result or “how” or “why.” The learner should make use of information in a context different from the one in which it was learned.
Classify a series of steps Construct a model to demonstrate how it looks or works Practices a play and perform in class Make a diorama to illustrate an event Write a diary/blog entry Make a scrapbook about the area of study Make a topographic map Make up puzzle or game about the topic Write an explanation about this topic for others Make a model… Routine application tasks (i.e. applying a simple set of rules or protocols to a laboratory situation the same way each time) Explaining the meaning of a concept and/or explaining how to perform a particular task Stating relationships among a number of concepts and or principles More complex recognition tasks that involve recognizing concepts and processes that may vary in how they “appear” More complex calculation tasks (i.e. multi‐step calculations such as standard deviation) Research projects and writing activities that involve locating, collecting, organizing and displaying information (i.e. writing a report with the purpose to inform; meeting all steps of the writing process) Measurement tasks that occur over a period of time and involve aggregating/organizing the data collected in to basic presentation forms such as a simple table or graph
Applying information to solve ill‐defined problems in novel situations Tasks that require a number of cognitive and physical skills in order to complete Writing and/or research tasks that involve formulating and testing hypotheses over time Tasks that require students to make multiple strategic and procedural decisions as they are presented withnew information throughout the course of the event Tasks that require perspective taking and collaboration with a group of individuals Creating graphs, tables, and charts where students must reason through and organize the information without instructor prompts Writing tasks that have a strong emphasis on persuasion Devise a way to… Develop a menu for a new restaurant using a variety of healthy foods Sell an idea Write a jingle to advertise a new product Conduct an internship in industry where students are faced with real‐world, unpredictable problems
The DOK level should reflect the complexity of the cognitive processes demanded by the task outlined by the objective, rather than its difficulty. Ultimately the DOK level describes the kind of thinking required by a task, not whether or not the task is “difficult”.
There is no one-to-one mapping between the two levels because the role of each rigor model is distinct. Bloom’s Taxonomy, for instance, more closely describes the type of thinking required to answer a question. On the other hand, depth of knowledge correlates to the level of understanding required of students to complete an activity.Bloom focuses on “type of thinking” are you analyzing, evaluatingWebb focuses on “how deeply do you have to know the content and what mental processes do you need to engage in to be successful”Webb is not about difficulty but about complexity” The objective’s central verb(s) alone is/are not sufficient information to assign a DOK level. Developers must also consider the complexity of the task and/or information, conventional levels of prior knowledge for students at the grade level, and the mental processes used to satisfy the requirements set forth in the objective.
