Depth of Knowledge

(DOK)
Promoting Rigor and
Relevance in Learning
What is Depth of Knowledge?

Recall and Reproduction: Level 1
Skills & Concepts: Level 2
Strategic Thinking: Level 3

Extended Thinking: Level 4

Webbs DOK Levels
DOK: Depth of Knowledge
Most state/national tests have DOK 1,2,3;
however, the test in 2014-2015 will have DOK 4.

DOK is not an exact science.

DOK can help you determine the steps your
students must take to get the right answer.

DOK is not about difficulty but more about the
thinking process.
Recall and Reproduction
DOK Level 1
DOK 1 requires recall of information,
such as a fact, definition, term, or
performance of a simple process or procedure.

ELA Example:
What is the metaphor in the first paragraph of the novel?

Math Example:
Name all the parts of the circle shown.


As a group, create two other Level 1 questions.

Skills/Concepts
DOK Level 2
DOK 2 includes the engagement of some mental
processing beyond recalling or reproducing a
response. Items require students to make some decisions as to
how to approach the question or problem.

These actions imply more than one mental or cognitive
process/step.

ELA Example:
Identify and summarize the major conflicts in the literary
text.

Math Example:
Determine a strategy for estimating the number of pennies in
a jar.

As a group, create two other Level 2 questions.



Strategic Thinking
DOK Level 3
DOK 3 requires deep understanding as exhibited
through planning, using evidence, and more
demanding cognitive reasoning. The cognitive
demands at Level 3 are complex and abstract.

An assessment item that has more than one possible
answer and requires students to justify the response
they give would most likely be a Level 3.

Strategic Thinking
DOK Level 3
ELA Example:
Analyze or evaluate the effectiveness of
literary elements (e.g., characterization,
setting, point of view, conflict and
resolution, plot structures).
Math Example:
Create a unit of formal geometric
constructions.

As a group, create two other Level 3 questions.



Extended Thinking
DOK Level 4
DOK 4 requires high cognitive demand and is
very complex. Students are expected to make
connectionsrelate ideas within the content or
among content areasand have to select or
devise one approach among many alternatives
on how the situation can be solved.

Due to the complexity of cognitive demand,
DOK 4 often requires an extended period of time.

Extended Thinking
DOK Level 4
ELA Example:
Write and produce an original play.

Math Example:
Develop a rule for a complex pattern and locate
a phenomenon that exhibits this behavior.




As a group, create two other Level 4 questions.

The Depth of
Knowledge is
NOT determined
by the verb but
the context in
which the verb is
used and the
depth of thinking
required.

DOK 3- Describe how the author of a short story must be
cognizant of how much space he actually has to develop
the elements of the story because he is confined by that
space. (Requires deep understanding of the elements of a
short story and the definition of the short story genre)

DOK 2- Describe the difference between a short story and
a novel. (Requires cognitive processing to determine the
differences in the two genres)

DOK 1- Describe the characteristics of a short story.
(Simple recall)




Examine the DOK
DOK 4- Students will graph a variety of two-dimensional
figures and analyze them to determine classification.
(Requires deep understanding of the characteristics of various
two-dimensional figures and the ability to draw conclusions.)
DOK 3- Students will graph the vertices of a quadrilateral and
determine its classification.
(Requires a deep understanding of the characteristics of
quadrilaterals.)
DOK 2- Students will graph the vertices of a rectangle and
compare the diagonals.
(Requires cognitive processing to make a comparison.)
DOK 1- Students will graph the point (2/3, -4 3/8).
(Requires only simple recall.)




Examine the DOK
Remember . . .
Depth of Knowledge (DOK) is a scale of
cognitive demand.

DOK requires looking at the assessment
item/standard-not student work-in order to determine
the level.
DOK is about the item/standard-not the student.
The context of the assessment item/standard must
be considered to determine the DOK-not just a look at
what verb was chosen.

The task: The teacher and students will brainstorm
a list of very specific capitalization rules (at least
one rule per child). Examples: Names of rivers,
names of oceans, names of pets, etc. Each student
will choose or be assigned a rule for which he/she
will make a poster with the rule itself, pictures, and
examples. (For motivation, the teacher could make
this assignment into a contest with prizes for
winners.) Each student will present his or her poster
to the class and have the class give additional
examples of the given rule. These posters may be
displayed and reviewed each day for a period of
time before a final assessment. Differentiation:
Students may be given a choice of doing a poster, a
power point, a web page, an illustration, etc.
Evaluate the DOK: Elementary Task

The task: Every day this week two students will stand outside the classroom
for five minutes after the tardy bell rings and collect data concerning tardy
students. Each day these students will determine how many students arrive to
their classes late. Tardy students will be classified as male or female, and as 6
th

grade student, 7
th
grade student, or 8
th
grade student. The data collectors will
also record the classroom (101, 102, 103, 104, 105) each tardy student enters.
At the end of the week, the data collectors will tabulate their results for each
classification of student and for each classroom. Then, they will create a graph
to display their results for the class. Underneath the graph, the data collectors
will type a paragraph analysis of their results. Students will synthesize their
results in a brief class discussion on tardiness. Some questions to consider:
What type of graph will be the most effective?
Are more males or females tardy to class? What might this indicate?
Which grade level has the most number of tardy students? What might this
indicate?
Which classroom has the least number of tardy students? What might be the
reason?
What percentage of students in our school habitually arrive late?
What does this percentage indicate about the tardy policy at our school?

Evaluate the DOK:
Middle School Task
The task: The student focuses on one American
poet and creates a project board or a multimedia
presentation that illustrates understanding of
the poets subject matter and use of diction,
syntax, sound, form, figurative language, and
structure;
the characteristics of the poets particular style;
the poets life and times and the effect of these
factors on the poets work; and
the ways in which the poets work furthers and/or
breaks from prior literary traditions and informs or
affects the traditions and literary works that
follow.


Evaluate the DOK: High School Task