1. Planning for CFUs
Please have out:
-Laptop
-Bloom’s Taxonomy Document
-Tomorrow’s objective or lesson plan
-Pick a partner for this session

2. Quick Whip
 What are some questions you’ve asked your
students?
 What is the downside of having ineffective
CFUs (any questions?, does this make sense?,
basic fact recitation)?

3. Objectives
 Will understand the components of and
benefits behind strong CFUs
 Will understand levels of questioning and
strategies for asking questions
 Will plan CFUs for a future lesson

4. Effectively Checking for CFUs
 Check all students: Consider different methods for
selecting student responses (whole class, targeted, random,
etc.)
 Probe beneath the surface: Consider different types of
questions (open, closed, etc.) and ask questions that will
tell you if, how much, and why students do or don’t
understand
 Ask often about the key ideas: Focus questions on what is
most critical to mastering the objective and ask questions
throughout the entire lesson
 Respond instructively: Explain why a student response is
right or wrong and hold students accountable for high-
quality responses

5. To what use can having frequent,
scaffolded CFUs be?
 To what use can having frequent, scaffolded CFUs
be?
 Determine extent of mastery
 Quickly assessing understanding so you can adjust
course quicker
 Engage more students
 Call on a variety of students
 Cause students to answer different types of questions
so they are thinking of materials in multiple ways up
Bloom’s Taxonomy.

6. Reflection
 Reflect on your recent lessons and consider if
and how well you took the four steps outlined
above to check for understanding. What did
you do well, and what do you need to
improve?
 Briefly note your thoughts.
 Think, pair, share

7. Bloom’s Taxonomy
 Why is this useful when you think of the types
of Checks for Understanding you will ask?
 Discuss the highest level to which you
regularly question your students. Discuss
when during the lesson you ask these
questions.

9. Bloom’s Taxonomy
 http://
www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

10. Bloom’s Taxonomy
 What do you notice about the questions the
higher you go on Bloom’s taxonomy?
(requires deeper understanding of the same
concept, requires different types of thought,
etc.)

11. Ways to Ask CFUs
 Open Up Best Practice Document
 Take a look at these!
 Note: Checks for understanding are highly dependent
on the context and content you are teaching.
However, there are several basic methods that will
help ensure that you are checking for understanding
of all students and responding appropriately, and
these methods can be adapted to fit the particular
needs of your lessons. Are there any other ways you
can think of to CFU?

12. Mini-Practice
 Take one concept or problem that you will
teach your students soon. Create questions at
each level of Bloom’s taxonomy for this
situation.

13. Knowledge

14. Comprehension

15. Application

16. Analysis

17. Synthesis

18. Evaluation

19. Mini-Practice
 Take one concept or problem that you will
teach your students soon. Create questions at
each level of Bloom’s taxonomy for this
situation.

20. Group Step Back
 What was challenging about this? How was this
similar to what you already do? How was this
different? How would this change how your
classroom operates if you regularly scaffolded
questions up to high levels each day?
 During which times in the lesson would you ask
certain levels? What is the benefit of asking different
levels of questions at various points in the lesson?
What is the pitfall of only asking questions at the end
or beginning, or right before work time, or only
asking low level questions early and saving the high-
level questions for the very end?

21. Impacting Tomorrow- Putting Into
Practice
 Using an upcoming draft lesson plan, revise or
insert specific checks for understanding
(including likely student responses and the
correct answers you are expecting), using
methods that reflect the elements of effective
CFUs. Scaffold your questions throughout so
you are getting the extent of understanding.
You may want to adapt a method or two from
the “best practices.”

22. Utilize One Another
 Share LP and CFUs with a partner. Give
feedback (10 minutes)
 Make revisions (10 minutes)

23. Closing
 What was most challenging about thinking of
questions in this way?
 To which level of Bloom’s will you struggle
questioning on a regular basis? What can you do to
remain consistent?
 What impact will this have on your students’
learning?
 What would prevent you from planning out CFUs?
 What can you do to counteract this?

24. Other Resources
 http://www.teachingasleadership.org/execute-effec