Planning Classroom Units - Brainstorm individually first then
collaborate with other teachers. Goals in unit integration: - Web diagram would be helpful to identify - meaningful experience the subtopics and their relevance to each - improve the teachers curriculum planning skills other and to the major theme. - bring a closer relationship and collaboration to - Work your worldview topic to develop a line the teachers. of action (CREATION-FALL- Christ-Centered REDEMTION-FULFILLMENT) Teacher-Directed - Consider which aspects of reality are part of Student-Oriented the topic and issues. Community-connected - Your planning should do the following: - Designing and adapting units is probably the *Recognizing the significance of the topic for your students, and what enduring most significant component of your curriculum understandings you want them to grasp planning. *Identifying the values that you can weave into the unit Keep asking, where am I taking my students? *Determining which aspects of reality are relevant and can be an integral part of the Units can be in different sizes and forms. In terms unit of length and concentration of the topic. *Getting some ideas on how to help students learn through different modes of knowing Integrated Units the unit is multidisciplinary. (multiple intelligences) Integral Units is a portion of the course or * Choosing the skills that students can learn program that forms a unity with a clearly focused in a meaningful setting as part of the unit theme. *Seeing what types of activities are possible a. it has an internal unity. that would fit your topic and theme Integral Unit is Unified - it should contain main ideas and concepts, the 3. Formulate your unit focus (e.g., a thematic values and the dispositions you want to foster. statement, guiding questions, and intended - Thematic Statement it provides the learning outcomes). framework for the objectives, intended learning - You can make a storyline. outcomes, content, activities, and structure. "How the bean got to my plate: The story of b. it has an external consistency. a seed." c. includes pertinent and meaningful aspects of - Thematic Statement - describes your overall reality that are related to, and may even go goals, the basic values, dispositions, and beyond, the main discipline focus of the unit. commitments that you want to foster, the enduring understandings, major concepts, Nine Steps In Designing A Unit and key skills that you want students to 1. Consider the suitability of a proposed topic acquire. - A topic should be suitable for a particular - Guiding Questions - Open-ended why and grade level how questions can help students look for - But there are universal topics like family patterns and meaning, think about what they which can be used in all grade levels. It can be taught in different levels of depth. learn at higher levels and call for personal response. 2. Brainstorm ideas, possibly using a planning - Intended Learning Outcomes can also be chart or web diagram. called objectives. It specifies and extends your thematic statement. Carl Mendoza Notes for Steppingstones to Curriculum: Chapter 7 It should be precise and pre-specified 8. Plan student assessment. Throughout the unit, standards by which you measure whether consider what evidence will show that you students have attained each outcome. have met your intents. It should include content outcomes, ability - Emphasize formative assessment feedback. outcomes, value and disposition outcomes, - As much as possible, align learning and expressive-creative outcomes. outcomes, learning activities, student 4. Design, balance, and sequence learning products, and assessment strategies. activities. Include a motivational introductory - Use varied assessment strategies. activity and a culminating summative one. - Use state standardized tests as only one of a 5. Incorporate the governments standards and/or broad array of assessment strategies. curriculum guides, adding or revising learning 9. Review the effectiveness of your unit. activities accordingly. 6. Plan a schedule. To adapt a unit from other source( s ), first 7. Select your resources. determine your own focus and intents, and only then, use and adjust ideas from the source( s) that are available.