Complete guide to Webb's DOK Level 1 (Recall & Reproduction). Definition, action verbs, 40+ question stems by subject, common mistakes, and how much recall to include in each assessment type.
Webb's Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Level 1 is the recall and reproduction level. Unlike Bloom's Taxonomy — which classifies the type of thinking — DOK measures the depth of understanding required to answer a question.
DOK 1 items have one right answer, require students to recall a fact or reproduce a well-rehearsed procedure, and take no strategic thinking. They're essential (students need vocabulary and background to reason with), but they're also the most-overused item type in teacher-made assessments. This guide gives you 40+ DOK 1 question stems by subject and the placement rules that keep recall from crowding out strategic thinking.
Norman Webb defined DOK 1 as recall of a fact, term, principle, concept, or simple procedure. Key markers: one correct answer, no reasoning steps, familiar context, and can be answered by anyone who has learned the material. Time to answer: typically under 30 seconds for MCQ, under 60 seconds for short-answer recall.
DOK 1 is NOT the same as low Bloom's. A student solving 3 × 4 = ? by recalling the multiplication table is DOK 1 (Bloom's Apply). A student solving 3 × 4 = ? by drawing 3 groups of 4 objects and counting is DOK 2 — the depth is higher because the student must construct the operation, not just retrieve it.
AssessmentWiz's Quiz Generator lets you set a target DOK distribution — pick "20% DOK 1, 40% DOK 2, 30% DOK 3, 10% DOK 4" and the tool builds a balanced set of items with matching answer keys.
Webb's Depth of Knowledge Level 1 is recall and reproduction. Students recall a fact, definition, or well-rehearsed procedure. Items have one correct answer, no reasoning steps between cue and response, and take under 30-60 seconds to answer.
"What is 8 × 7?" "Define ecosystem." "Name the three branches of the U.S. government." "Identify the mitochondrion in the diagram." "List the phases of the moon in order." Each has one correct answer and can be answered by recalling learned material.
They overlap heavily but aren't identical. Bloom's Remember classifies the *type* of cognitive process (recall). DOK 1 measures the *depth* of understanding required (one right answer, no reasoning). A DOK 1 item is almost always at Bloom's Remember or Understand, but Bloom's Apply items can also be DOK 1 (e.g., solving 3 × 4 by recall).
About 20% on unit tests, 40% on quizzes, 30% on exit tickets, and 10% on performance tasks. DOK 1 is essential for measuring vocabulary and background but shouldn't crowd out strategic thinking.
No — DOK level depends on the cognitive demand, not the item format. A well-written multiple choice item can be DOK 2 or DOK 3 if it requires reasoning between the options (e.g., "Which of the following best explains the pattern in the data?").