Depth of knowledge in reading literacy

DOK-4: How else can the knowledge be used? At this level, students are encouraged to extend their thinking deeper within the subject they are learning, across the curriculum, and even beyond the classroom. These learning experiences focus heavily on developing and demonstrating metacognition – specifically, conditional and contextual knowledge and self-knowledge. Students are asked to think critically about the impact, implications, and influence ideas and information have on a much grander scale. They are also encouraged to express and share their own perspectives and points of view about a text or topic using oral, written, creative, or technical communication. These learning experiences are time and thought-intensive and are typically presented and provided as active and authentic learning experiences such as project-based or problem-based learning that require in-depth research, examinations, investigations, and demonstrations of learning through design.
The Webb’s Depth of Knowledge Ceiling Context and the driving questions at the top of each ceiling provides administrators, teachers, and hopefully even students and parents an understanding of how deeply and extensively students will be expected to demonstrate and communicate their learning. The question stems within the ceilings actually encourage more flexibility in the level of thinking students are expected to demonstrate within these levels. However, as Walkup (2014a) says in his blog, “With Depth of Knowledge, context (notably absent in the wheel chart) is everything” – or, as Hess simply puts it, “what comes AFTER the verb” in a performance objective or academic standard establishes the DOK. When planning for teaching and learning for depth of knowledge, consider how deeply or extensively you want your students to go with their learning. Establish the scenario, setting, or situation teaching and learning will be developed, delivered, and demonstrated.