Seven Steps to Students
Co-Shaping Curriculum
Using Materials from Toolkit 4.0
You’ll find there are many ways to engage students in justice-centered
learning–as it will look different depending on subject area, grade level,
student population and school climate. A tougher question becomes this:
how can students, especially chronically-disengaged youth, co-construct,
co-implement, and co-assess their own skills-based, justice-based, and
locally relevant learning and action? In essence, how will students help
shape their own learning?
Although not fullproof by any means, below is a seven-step unit
development process to guide educators in using Toolkit handouts with
and for your students. Through an intensive process of utilizing these
selected documents, learning is rightfully situated in both students’ and educators’ hands–especially at the start of
a class or unit. These handouts should provide a praxis-based path for building more culturally relevant, justicecentered, student-centered unit(s) from inquiry setting to assessment to continual learning & action.
Decide for yourselves (and together) what documents you think are beneficial for students, particularly those in
grades 4 to 12, with age-appropriate supplementing needed. This seven-step process also prepares students to
make powerful contributions to future grassroots curriculum releases. For the location of documents, please note
the correct Element and refer to the Toolkit’s table of contents.
Step 1: Re-think and Re-imagine Curricula with Students
These readings, activities and tools, among others, help us make the paradigm shift towards local, learner and justicebased curricula. Students will respect and appreciate this shift - especially when strong learning purpose, expectations,
decision-making parameters, and knowledge of curriculum development processes are better understood by each of
them. Do the following:
Read / Discuss: Introduction to Toolkit 4.0
Do Activity: Curriculum Acuerdos (establishes priority & “agreements” when involving students in curriculum design) Ele. 3
Read / Discuss: CGCT Pedagogical Approaches (provides a general theoretical look) Ele. 1
Read / Prioritize: Critical Approaches & Practices (supports student/teacher dynamics and overall learning contexts) Ele. 6
Read / Discuss: Relevant Brain-Based Learning (supports curriculum development & meta-cognition) Ele. 3
Review / Discuss: Grassroots Unit Planning Maps A & B, Ele. 4
Step 2: Students Help Decide Content (Theme, Problems, Essential Questions)
These tools help center student voice into content selection – including Chicago topics. For higher retention of learning
to occur, brain-based researchers note that students must feel connected to and develop emotional ties to classroom
content. This is most critical for urban students who often find schooling & traditional subjects to be “boring”, “irrelevant”
or “useless”. Do the following:
Complete / Review: the Critical Learning Survey, either version, Ele. 3
Complete / Review: Determining “Relevance” and Examining Purpose, Ele. 3
Review / Discuss: Critical Themes and Threads for Locally Relevant Unit Topic Development, Ele. 2
Review / Choose from: the 180+ Chicago Topics List, Ele. 2
Read / Review appropriate learning standards (CCSS) with students so they become familiar
Work on: Unit Map development (content-based parts of the map), Ele. 4
Step 3: Students Help Decide Learning Approaches, Competencies, Projects
Differentiated instruction, multiple intelligences, and brain-based learning all begin with this premise: students learn in
different ways, have particular strengths, and need a variety of experiences to be fully engaged. Students should help
shape their own classroom activities, culminating project, group roles, and focal skills. Do the following:
Review / Select from: List of Assessments (100+; also see Project List file and see Assessment Examples folder), Ele. 5
Review / Select from: Project Ideas (30+ performance-based assessments – some overlap w/ Assessments list), Ele. 5
Refer back to: Critical Learning Survey, Ele. 3
Read / Review / Choose from: appropriate Common Core Standards, Illinois Learning Standards, or others
Work on: Unit Map development (instruction and activity-based parts of the map) Ele. 4
Step 4: Unit Begins: Students Share Prior Knowledge & Experiences on Topic(s)
Finding out what students already know about the chosen theme or topic(s) is not only a good practice, it is vital to
student centered learning. Once elicited, the educator can refine and guide the most relevant and important content for
and with students. There are many creative ways to elicit knowledge from students. Doing so means a serious
commitment by the educator to review, respond to, and follow the natural implications of students’ existing knowledge.
Do the following:
Review / Select: Prior Knowledge (e.g., Anticipation Guide, Brainstorm Maps, Journaling, Drawing) Ele. 6
Do Activity: KWL / KNL (Know, Need to Know, Learned – learner goal setting) – please find online
Step 5: Students Offer Critical Reflection & Action Proposals During Unit Study
Even with student input, learning (content and activities) can be exciting for some, intense or intimidating for others,
robotic for many, and simply boring or not interesting to any number. Obtaining regular student feedback, offering new
challenges, and providing avenues for students to stay engaged helps keep learning interesting and relevant for all.
These tools should assist along the way – however it is vital for educators to craft even more relevant tools with
students. Do the following:
Complete: Daily Reflection Slips (2 to 4 min. at end of each class) Ele. 6
Revisit Activity: KWL / KNL
Step 6: Assessing Unit Learning & Action and Adding to Shared Knowledge
Students rarely get to shape their assessments – especially in schools entrenched in standardized tests. Additionally,
students rarely get to evaluate and learn from these assessments. The grade simply gets recorded and everyone
moves on. These tools help students to better understand, appreciate, self-prioritize, and even help select their
assessment(s). Do the following:
Revisit Activities: KWL / KNL revisited and Anticipation Guide revisited
Complete / Review: Unit Evaluation Form (important for student-based evaluations and opinions) Ele. 3
Step 7: Continuing Learning & Action by Adding to Grassroots Curriculum
Even when the unit is completed students should be encouraged to continue their own investigations, studies, followups, etc. Their work can be improved for a better grade (teacher discretion), for public presentation, and for submission
to CGCT for publication in an upcoming book or on the website. The bottom-line is this: all avenues of continued
learning should be encouraged. Do the following:
Reach out to CGCT and send student work, curriculum designs, feedback, etc. in order to strengthen all our
practices and add to the Grassroots Clearinghouse; email us at [email protected] or call 773.387.1844
Ultimately, help students follow up on their justice-based plans of action and be there for them. Celebrate their work,
critique your own practices, and make adjustments for next time!