How to Unpack Standards for Better Lesson Planning in K-12 Mathematics

In math education, there are a lot of terms that get used interchangeably—unpacking standards, planning units, designing lessons. But for many teachers, it’s not always clear how these pieces fit together. Are they all the same thing, or is there an important difference that impacts how we teach? At first glance, it might seem like lesson planning is simply following a resource or turning the page in a curriculum. But without a clear understanding of the standard—the destination we’re aiming ...