---
title: Connecting the Common Core Standards with Webb’s Depth of Knowledge & Bloom’s Taxonomy
description: To effectively meet the CCSS, use this Revised Bloom's Taxonomy Ladder and Webb's Depth of Knowledge Levels Chart while planning your lessons!
---

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# [Connecting the Common Core Standards with Webb’s Depth of Knowledge & Bloom’s Taxonomy](https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/common-core-standards-dok-blooms-taxonomy-0)

 Written by [Erin Lynch](https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/author/erin-lynch) | Jul 22, 2020 9:30:00 PM

In preparation for the Common Core State Standards I did a lot of research, and I started with the [CCSS website](http://www.corestandards.org).  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](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            

*Taken from: *[*Bloom Taxonomy’ by Richard C. Overbaugh & Lynn Schultz*
](http://www.odu.edu/content/dam/odu/col-dept/teaching-learning/docs/blooms-taxonomy-handout.pdf)

 

## 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***.](https://go.sadlier.com/blooms-taxonomy-ladder-dok-chart)

 

 

 

[View full post](https://www.sadlier.com/school/ela-blog/common-core-standards-dok-blooms-taxonomy-0)

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