In preparation for the Common Core State Standards I did a lot of research, and I started with the CCSS website.  I found this overview of the CCSS to be very important... 

The Common Core State Standards:

• Are aligned with college and work expectations

• Are clear, understandable and consistent

• Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills

• Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards

• Are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society

• Are evidence-based

As you can see I bolded, "Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills," this in turn, inspired me to learn more about Webb's Depth of Knowledge & The Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Below is a summary of each, and a comparison of the two.

Taken from: http://www.corestandards.org 

Webb's Depth of Knowledge (a summary)

• DOK-1 - Recall & Reproduction - Recall of a fact, term, principle, concept, or perform a routine procedure

• DOK-2 - Basic Application of Skills/Concepts - Use of information, conceptual knowledge, select appropriate procedures for a task, two or more steps with decision points along the way, routine problems, organize/display data, interpret/use simple graphs

• DOK-3 - Strategic Thinking - Requires reasoning, developing a plan or sequence of steps to approach problem; requires some decision making and justification; abstract, complex, or non-routine; often more than one possible answer

• DOK-4 - Extended Thinking - An investigation or application to real world; requires time to research, problem solve, and process multiple conditions of the problem or task

Taken from: What exactly do “fewer, clearer, and higher standards” really look like in the classroom? Using a cognitive rigor matrix to analyze curriculum, plan lessons, and implement assessments Karin K. Hess, Dennis Carlock, Ben Jones, and John R. Walkup 

The Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (a summary)

• Remembering: can the student recall or remember the information?

  • Define, duplicate, list, memorize, recall, repeat, reproduce state

• Understanding: can the student explain ideas or concepts?  

  • Classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognize, report, select, translate, paraphrase

• Applying: can the student use the information in a new way?  

  • Choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write

• Analyzing: can the student distinguish between the different parts?

  • Appraise, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test

• Evaluating: can the student justify a stand or decision?

  • Appraise, argue, defend, judge, select, support, value, evaluate

• Creating: can the student create a new product or point of view?     

  •  Assemble, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, write            

Bloom's Taxonomy vs. The DOK (a comparison)

• Bloom's Taxonomy categorizes the cognitive skills required of the brain to perform a task, describing the “type of thinking processes” necessary to answer a question.

• Depth of knowledge, on the other hand, relates more closely to the depth of content understanding and scope of a learning activity, which shows in the skills required to complete the task from the beginning to the end (e.g., planning, researching, drawing conclusions).

Taken from: What exactly do “fewer, clearer, and higher standards” really look like in the classroom? Using a cognitive rigor matrix to analyze curriculum, plan lessons, and implement assessments Karin K. Hess, Dennis Carlock, Ben Jones, and John R. Walkup

Almost every unit, lesson or activity I create is written with the CCSS in mind. I use Bloom's Taxonomy and the DOK to be sure my lessons are rigorous and tap higher-order thinking skills. Stay tuned for example lesson plans on how I incorporate Bloom's Taxonomy and the DOK to enhance balanced literacy!

In the meantime, download my Bloom's Taxonomy Ladder & Webb's DOK Reference Charts.