This document discusses how Depth of Knowledge (DOK) and Bloom's Taxonomy can be used as tools to increase cognitive rigor in the classroom and better align instruction and assessments with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). It defines DOK as referring to the complexity of thinking required rather than difficulty, and outlines the four DOK levels - from basic recall to extended thinking. The document provides examples of how to create tasks at higher DOK levels and emphasizes the need to routinely operate students at the higher levels of thinking to prepare them for 21st century jobs.

1. Depth of
Knowledge
(DOK)
Higher Level Thinking
Applied
CCSS
Connection

2. What can we do NOW to
prepare our students for major
shifts in CCSS?
.

3. Today’s Essential Question
� How can DOK and Blooms serve as tools
to raise and promote rigor in our
curriculum and classroom?
� identify elements of Bloom’s Taxonomy and
Webb’s DOK for Depth and Complexity in the
CCSS.
� judge quality prompts that lead students to
problem solving, analysis and creative
production.
� create Up-Leveled Tasks that require students to
operate at Levels 3 and 4 of DOK

4. Create a caption that relates to
education today!

6. Why do we need to bring
more rigor to our classrooms?

7. Bloom’s Taxonomy DOK
Because most jobs in the 21st century
will require employees to use the four
highest levels of thinking—application,
analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, we
must expect students to operate
routinely at the higher levels of thinking
and rigor.
It is about our students’ futures!

8. Before we begin….
• Take a minute to write your definition of
“cognitive rigor” as it relates to instruction,
learning, and assessment.
• Now apply your rigor definition:
Your class has just read Little Red Riding Hood
a) What is a basic comprehension question
you might ask?
b) What is a more rigorous question you
might
ask?

9. Who are these
people?
And why
do we
care?

10. DOK is about intended outcome,
not difficulty.
DOK is a reference to the complexity of
mental processing that must occur to
answer a question, perform a task, or
generate a product.
DOK is NOT a verb.

11. The degree of depth or complexity of
knowledge reflected in the standards/
learning expectations and assessments
How deeply a student needs to
understand the content for a given
response/assessment
It is a scale of cognitive demand.
WHAT
IS
DOK?

12. DOK in NOT About Difficulty
Who was the 16th president of the United States?
If you know the answer the question is an easy
question.
Who was the 16th president of the United States?
If most of you do NOT know the answer,
this question is a difficult questions.

13. DOK IS About Complexity
�Every standard has a DOK
level
�Instruction and classroom
assessments should reflect
the DOK level of the
objective.

14. DOK is Not a VERB alone
Describe…
� how many apples you use in the picture
� the process of photosynthesis
� how the political parties are alike
� your analysis of the literary elements of
Snow Falling on Cedars as the novel
reflected the effect of WWII on
Americans

15. Use Caution!
� Be careful not to rely solely on the action verb;
verbs are not as important as the words that
follow them.
� Consider what the task is asking the student to do.
Example:
“Explain to me where you live” does not raise the DOK
of a simple rote response.
Even if the student has to use addresses or landmarks,
the student is doing nothing more than recalling.

19. DOK are Levels of Increasing
Cognitive Demand
� common language
to understand
"rigor," or cognitive
demand, in
assessments, as
well as curricular
units, lessons, and
tasks.
� provide educators
a lens on creating
more cognitively
engaging and
challenging tasks

20. Level 1
Can you name all
4 DOK levels with a
short description?
� Think-pair-share
QUESTION

21. POP QUIZ
On a piece of paper define
each DOK
Level 1:
Level 2:
Level 3:
Level 4:

22. Depth of Knowledge
� Level 1 — Identify this utensil. (fork)
� Level 2 — Explain the function of
the fork.
� Level 3 — Identify two examples of
when a fork would not be the best
utensil for a type of food and
explain why.
� Level 4 — Design an investigation
to determine the optimal number
and length of tines for a salad fork.

24. Depth of Knowledge
� . � Level 1 — Identify the tree.
� Level 2 — Explain the
function of the leaves.
� Level 3 — Explain how a
drought might affect the
growth of the tree.
� Level 4 — Design an
investigation of seedling
growth to determine the best
fertilizer for this type of tree.

25. Q. So how do the CCSS go
beyond the lower levels of
Bloom’s?
A. CCSS are based on
Depth of Knowledge. Each test
item is assigned a DOK level.

26. Analyzing

28. Revised
Bloom’s
Webb’s DOK levels
Level 1 –
Recall &
Reproduction
Level 2 –
Skills and
Concepts
Level 3 –
Strategic
Thinking
Reasoning
Level 4 –
Extended
Thinking
Remember
Understand
Apply
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
Notice that “Create” can be attributed to all
levels of DOK, even Level 1, if it is simple
reproduction

30. • Bloom focuses on “type of thinking”; are
you analyzing, evaluating
• Webb 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”
Differences Between Webb’s Depth of
Knowledge vs. Bloom’s Taxonomy
Karin Hess’

31. Keep in Mind...
� DOK is a tool to promote student
achievement•
� DOK is a scale of cognitive demand•
� DOK level is determined by the
item/standard, not the • students’ ability
� DOK is determined by the context, not the
specific verb • being used
� DOK 1 + DOK 1 does not equal DOK 2 •

32. What Level?
1. Gather, analyze, organize and interpret
information form multiple (print and non
print) sources to draft a reasoned report.
2. Analyzing author’s craft (e.g., style, bias,
literary techniques, point of view)
3. Create an exercise plan applying the
“FITT” (Frequency, Intensity, Time, Type)
Principal

33. Let’s Practice
Insects unit: Determine the DOK by looking at the
verbs in context with the cognitive demand.

34. DOK Identify the Democratic and
Republican party platforms by viewing the
series of debates. (This activity could be DOK 2
if students have to infer the issues.)
DOK ? Explain four issues identified by the
Democratic and Republican party platforms by
viewing the series of debates.
DOK ? Justify the Democratic and/or
Republican party platforms expressed in the
series of debates.
DOK ? Create your own party and party
platform. Include three to five issues and be
prepared to present and debate those issues.
btw…DOK with the same content
AKA as Tiered Activities in GATE
?

35. Assessments and DOK:
Formative Levels 1 & 2 -
varied, on-going, on the spot
Summative Levels 2 & 3 –
standardize, unit’s end
Performance-Based Levels 3 &
4 – complex, CCSS aligned,
inquiry-based projects

36. Turn and Talk (TNT)
� 3 things you have learned so far
� 2 things that you can actually use when
preparing yourself and your students for
the CCSS
� 1 thing that you are still wondering about
36

37. Creating High Level Tasks
1. Start with the standard.
2. Determine DOK level at which you want your
students to operate.
3. Determine the Context (the higher the level of
thinking, generally the more steps involved).
4. Choose a product or products to demonstrate
learning.

38. A Simple Lesson
Lower-order thinking
(remember/understand/ apply) and
simple task (process and product).
e.g. 6th grade HSS 6.1.1:
Describe early hunter-gatherer tool
making and list three tools they made.
Write a paragraph that describes early
tool making and lists three or more
early tools.
A Higher-Level Lesson
Higher-order thinking (analyze/evaluate/create)
but still relatively simple task.
e.g. 6th grade HSS 6.1.1:
Evaluate early hunter-gatherer tool making
and judge what you think were the three most
important tools they made.
Write a paragraph that describes how tool
making helped to improve the lives of early
hunter-gatherers, and lists in order the three
most important early tools.
A Simple Lesson with
Added Depth & Complexity
Lower-order thinking
(remember/understand) and relatively
simple task, but added depth and
complexity by using one or more
icon(s). e.g. 6th grade HSS 6.1.1:
Describe some patterns in
early hunter-gatherer tool making.
Write a paragraph that
describes patterns in early tool making,
such as materials used, purposes, how
they helped, etc.
A Higher-Level Lesson with
Added Depth & Complexity
Higher-order thinking
(analyze/evaluate/create) and more
challenging task, with added depth and
complexity by using one or more icon(s).
e.g. 6th grade HSS 6.1.1:
Compare patterns in tools and
tool making of early hunter-gatherers and
modern society over time
Create a Venn diagram that shows
similarities and differences between early and
modern tools and tool making.
or Create a flow chart showing that
early tools have “evolved” into modern
equivalents.
“BYRD WALK” Ian Byrd
www.byrdseed.com

39. Create tasks that ask
your students to
operate at high levels
of thinking
Huddle Up

40. Your Turn
� With a partner, write 2 Task Cards that ask
students to use HOTS, DOK Level 3 or 4
Use a content area, a piece of literature
or informational text that you are
currently studying.
Your choice of structure:

41. “The farther backward you
can look, the farther forward
you can see.”
~Winston Churchill
Let’s not forget where we have been
as we move forward.

42. Credits
� A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A
Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives.
Anderson, L.W., Krathwohl, D.R., et al. (2001).
� http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Bloom
's_Taxonomy#Revised_Bloom.27s_Taxonomy_.28RBT.29 ,
� http://wat.wceruw.org/TILSA%20Dissemination%20Webb
%20presentation%20for%20Training%20%20July%2024%20
%2020
05.ppt,
� http://dese.mo.gov/divimprove/sia/msip/DOK_Chart.pdf
http://www.paec.org/delta/mathhighquality/Levels.pdf

43. More credits:
� Ian Byrd www.byrdseed.com
� Smarter Balanced: http://www.smarterbalanced.org/
� http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/CommonCoreLibr
ary/ProfessionalLearning/DOK/default.htm
� Power Curriculum
https://sites.google.com/a/bay.k12.fl.us/power-
curriculum-test/documents
� Karen Hess
http://static.pdesas.org/content/documents/M1-
Slide_22_DOK_Hess_Cognitive_Rigor.pdf