Writing+A+Unit


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Read Me! ** Educators generally agree there are three basic parts of teaching:
 * WHAT you teach (this is the curriculum, the content, the knowledge and skill base we want our students to know and demonstrate understanding);
 * HOW you teach the content (this refers to the teaching strategies you use to dissimentate the curriculum, i.e., lecture, cooperative grouping, project-based instruction, etc.); and
 * WHO you teach it to (the relationship you develop with your students, your classroom management style and strategies)

This assignment will deal with the WHAT you teach. It is VITAL that you understand that this lesson IN NO WAY reflects the depth or breadth curriculum design. Curriculum design and writing incompassing a deep understanding of semester storyboarding, unit design, lesson plan development, and assement (all of which are taught at MSCD in your teacher education). The purpose of this assignment is to get you thinking about the content inclusions and how that might be taught as you look at the standards for your content/grade area.

**Show Me! ** There are many different ways to design curriculum. At MSCD, we embrace Backwards Design (a design strategy by Wiggins and McTighe as found in their Understanding By Design publications). On a professional level, I find this to be an exemplary design and the one that "makes most sense." We will not be exploring that design in this course, but here are the foundational questions to ask yourself REGARDLESS of the design principals:  1. What do I want the students to learn or be able to do? (standards) 2. How will I know they have learned it (assessment) 3. What activities will lead them to this understanding (lesson plans) 4. What will I do if they have not gained the understanding (remediation)

Now, take a look at some appropriate grade level on-line units (not particularly written in a UBD framework) and ask yourself:

Is this “good” curriculum? Is it clear how to implement the curriculum? Is there an authentic (real world) element? Would you teach this unit? If not, what would you change in order to adopt it?

|| [|Human Body] || [|Ancient Egypt] ||  || || [|Slavery] || [|Endangered Animals] || http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/all/alltg.html || || [|Tall Tales] ||  || http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/Units/Links/Links.html ||
 * Lower Elementary || Upper Elementary || Middle School || High School ||
 * [|Bears]
 * [|Apples]
 * [|Very Hungry Catepillar]
 * [|Dinosaurs] || [|Ancient Egypt] || || http://www.kenton.k12.ky.us/tr/hsthematicunits.html ||

**Teach Me! **The document you will be using in this assignment to design a unit for this course is NOT a unit design document, but more a brainstorming framework. The purpose of this assignment is to get you thinking about what content/knowledge/skills need to be taught in a unit that addresses standards. For example, if you are writing a unit on Evoluation for a 9th grade Biology course, what content and skills do students need to master? If the standards call for Colorado History in the 4th grade, what is the content and skills that students need to know/be able to do in order to meet the standard? If the Middle East is the area of focus for 7th grade social studies, how will you decide (from a vast knowledge base) what is critical for the students to know to understand the Middle East? These are the very beginning questions for designing a unit.

The links below are from one website and provide you with a format and basic inclusions that will be in your unit. Take a look at these links to get a feel as to the inclusions and the depth and breadth of descriptions of lessons.

[|4th Grade Rocks Unit] [|High School Unit on Dafar] [|Middle School Study Skills Unit] [|Slavery] **Try Me! **  1. Reflect on the scope and sequence for your content area/grade level and choose one unit you would like to write.

2. Open this document and complete the inclusions. I KNOW you will struggle with this--but you have to start somewhere and this is a good start. THIS ONE IS DUE NEXT SUNDAY. 3. Open this document (which will be the unit outline you will write that will include all your technology inclusions). Know that this unit design WILL change through the course of the semester, so do NOT attempt to complete it right now!!!!! I am providing it to you so you can open it and THINK about it and start to jot idea in it--NOT COMPLETE IT THIS WEEK! Do not turn it in, but do know that it is a large document and you will be using it throughout the semester to design projects that are teaching or learning tools and you should be working on it EVERY week.

Your unit should be two weeks in duration and all your technology projects will be created for use in this project. At the end of the semester, you will have a unit ready to share with a hiring committee and one ready for implementation in your first classroom!

HINT: as you are thinking about inclusions in your unit, consider that you will be including a mapping activitie, a research project, podcasting series (like a radio show), storytelling, and a timeline. But, since each of these will be something we will learn in the semester (see navation bar), you aren't expected to incorporate them immediately into the "Unit Outline" document--just think it about it for now and try thinking like a teacher (i.e., how will I teach the concepts, skills, and understandings of the unit I have chosen".