Dive In & Try it Out

In this section, you’ll review your district’s current unit plans and reflect on how well they align with LX Key Characteristics.

After that, you’ll explore examples of LXs from XQ to see how these principles come to life in real-world educational settings.

This will help you identify opportunities for enhancing alignment and improving student engagement through meaningful learning experiences.

Unit Plan Checkpoint: Assessing Alignment with LXs

Start by reviewing a current unit plan your district is using.

Use the graphic organizer to reflect on how well your plan aligns with the key characteristics of Learning Experiences (LXs).

This activity will help you assess the strengths and areas for growth. In the next step, you’ll apply the same reflection process to an XQ project plan to compare approaches and identify ways to enhance your unit design.

Dive In: Explore High-Quality LXs

This section is all about diving into examples of top-tier learning experiences and crafting a shared vision for your own project.

Use the same graphic organizer from the first activity to evaluate the key characteristics of an XQ example project. This will help you analyze what makes these experiences effective and provide insights into how you can design similar impactful projects for your students.

Project Plan 1.  
Life on Mars

Content Area: Biology: 9th grade biology • Math: statistics, probability • World geography

Description: Students explore sustaining life on Mars by choosing and researching a topic, working in pairs, and presenting their findings at a community exhibition.

Project Plan 2.  
Through the Eyes of Refugees

Content Area: ELA: rhetoric, speaking and listening • Social Studies: human geography

Description: Students learn about migration and refugees by interviewing members of the Memphis community, conducting background research, and sharing their findings through an interactive community exhibition.

Pause and discuss with your team:

What differences and similarities did you notice between your current district plan and the XQ example?

Brainstorm a Pilot

After reviewing the project plans, reflect on your insights and use the guide below to craft a cohesive vision for piloting a learning experience in your community.

Use this guide