CALI unit structure: Connect, Clarify, Research, and Apply lessons cycling through disciplinary-specific practices over 3-week units.¶
Design · All designs
Evidence · no claims cited
Description¶
Each CALI unit follows a four-phase lesson framework delivered over three weeks, four days per week. Connect lessons link content to students' lives; Clarify lessons focus on reading secondary sources; Research lessons teach primary sources (social studies) or experiments (science); Apply lessons focus on making connections through projects and writing. An initial fifth Appraise phase was dropped and incorporated into Apply. The framework builds on a prior 5-E learning cycle unit and was adapted across grades and disciplines.
Design Implications¶
Context¶
Requirements¶
- Semi-scripted lesson plans
- Leveled readers, graphic organizers, and scientist notebooks
- Flexible learning groups of no more than 5 students
Constraints¶
- Unit length settled at 3 weeks after finding 2 weeks too short and 4 weeks interrupted by school calendars
Target Learners¶
- Kindergarten through fourth grade students
Learning Goals¶
- Content knowledge in science and social studies
- Reading and learning from expository text
- Disciplinary practices (primary sources, experiments)
Claims¶
Related Designs¶
Examples¶
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Key Sources¶
- Dombek, J., Crowe, E. C., Spencer, M., Tighe, E. L., Coffinger, S., Zargar, E., Wood, T., Petscher, Y., & Connor, C. M. (2017). Acquiring Science and Social Studies Knowledge in Kindergarten Through Fourth Grade: Conceptualization, Design, Implementation, and Efficacy Testing of Content-Area Literacy Instruction (CALI). Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(3), 301-320. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000128
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
design |
id |
cali-connect-clarify-research-apply-units |
title |
CALI unit structure: Connect, Clarify, Research, and Apply lessons cycling through disciplinary-specific practices over 3-week units. |
description |
Each CALI unit follows a four-phase lesson framework delivered over three weeks, four days per week. |
status |
review |
generated |
by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-24 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — dombek-2017 |
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