Developing High Ability Curriculum with Depth and Complexity:
- Dr. Brian Scott
- 12 hours ago
- 4 min read
Creating Cross-Curricular Concept-Based Units
By Dr. Brian Scott
In today’s classrooms, educators face a triple imperative:
Teach content knowledge aligned to rigorous standards
Foster conceptual understanding that transfers across disciplines
Provide opportunities for students to apply learning in meaningful, real-world ways
One of the most effective ways to meet this challenge is by blending Project-Based Learning (PBL) with Concept-Based Curriculum and Instruction (CBCI)—a framework that not only addresses standards but also develops deeper thinking, inquiry, and application.
This approach is at the heart of my book, Concept-Based Instruction: Building Units with Depth and Complexity, which emphasizes designing units that promote both rigor and relevance, while focusing on thinking over task completion and transfer over recall.
Step 1: Map the Standards Across Disciplines
Start by identifying priority academic standards across subject areas—ELA, science, math, social studies, and the arts. Look for overlap in content and skills, then cluster those standards to form a coherent unit plan.
For example:
A science standard on environmental systems
A social studies standard on civic responsibility
A math standard on analyzing and interpreting data
An ELA standard on persuasive writing
This standards map becomes the foundation of your unit. It’s critical to align what students must know and do with enduring ideas that help them make sense of the world.
Step 2: Choose a Conceptual Lens to Unify the Learning and the curriculum
Next, shift from planning around topics (e.g., “pollution” or “government”) to universal concepts that transcend disciplines—such as systems, interdependence, power, change, or identity.
For example, a unit could be framed by the concept of interdependence, with the essential question: “How do systems depend on and influence one another?”
This lens brings cohesion to the unit, allowing students to explore relationships between human actions and natural environments, government systems, or economic interconnections—making learning more meaningful and transferable.
Step 3: Use Essential Questions and Enduring Understandings to Guide Inquiry
Effective concept-based units use Essential Questions to spark curiosity and Enduring Understandings to articulate lasting insights.
Essential Questions are open-ended and cross-disciplinary:
“How do systems maintain balance—or break down?”
“What are the consequences of power in human and natural systems?”
Enduring Understandings express key generalizations:
“Systems consist of interdependent parts that affect each other.”
“Power can be used to inspire, control, or resist.”
These elements help frame not just what students learn—but how they think about what they learn.
Step 4: Assess What Students Should Know, Understand, and Be Able to Do
To ensure learning is rigorous and meaningful, assessments must measure all three dimensions:
What Students Should KNOW (Facts, Terms, Procedures):
Examples: vocabulary, laws of motion, reading strategies, math formulas
Assessment Tools:
Quick checks & exit slips
Multiple-choice quizzes
Concept maps or graphic organizers
Vocabulary journals
These tools assess factual recall and procedural fluency, aligned with content standards.
What Students Should UNDERSTAND (Big Ideas, Generalizations, Concepts):
Examples:
“Energy moves through systems in predictable ways.”
“Conflict can lead to change or reinforce the status quo.”
Assessment Tools:
Written reflections or blog posts
Socratic seminars or concept discussions
Short-answer prompts connecting content to concepts
One-pagers synthesizing an enduring understanding with examples
These tools probe how well students grasp conceptual relationships and can articulate deeper meaning.
What Students Should BE ABLE TO DO (Transfer and Application):
Examples:
Analyze data to make decisions
Communicate a persuasive argument
Design a solution to an environmental issue
Assessment Tools:
Performance tasks and real-world projects
Presentations or debates
Student-created products (infographics, models, simulations)
Rubrics that assess process, product, and reflection
These tools capture transfer—the ultimate goal of concept-based PBL—by asking students to apply learning in unfamiliar or authentic contexts.
Step 5: Design an Authentic Project That Integrates It All
Now, tie everything together in a rich project that asks students to engage in meaningful, standards-aligned problem-solving.
Example Project: Students research a local environmental issue (e.g., urban heat islands, polluted waterways), analyze its causes and consequences, and propose a solution to present to city council. Throughout the unit, they:
Apply scientific knowledge of ecosystems
Use math to analyze local data
Write persuasive letters or editorials
Examine social and political factors in environmental justice
Because the unit is framed conceptually, students understand their project isn’t just about “doing something cool”—it’s about exploring how systems function, fail, and can be improved.
Final Thought:
Teaching for Transfer, Not Just Coverage
When we blend Project-Based Learning with Concept-Based Instruction, we move beyond coverage and compliance. We design for transfer, engagement, and deep understanding.
By mapping standards, framing learning around enduring concepts, asking essential questions, and using a variety of assessments to evaluate what students know, understand, and can do, we empower students to think critically, communicate effectively, and act meaningfully.
Great units don’t just teach students content—they teach them how to think across disciplines and apply their learning beyond the classroom.
Looking for Support?
Scott, B. (2020). Concept-based instruction: Building curriculum with depth and complexity. Routledge. https://amzn.to/3VABec1