Navigate Your Way to Thematic Units F119

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Navigate Your Way to Thematic Units -- F119

• Kentucky Teaching Learning Conference
• March 2000

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Presenter Sonia M. Kohn

• Director of Instruction
• Campbell County Schools
• 101 Orchard Lane
• Alexandria, Kentucky
• 606.635.2173
• skohn_at_campbell.k12.ky.us

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Objectives of Workshop

• Understand purpose and process of Standards-Based
  Unit Development
• Gain knowledge of Web resources
• Use tools to begin planning a unit

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How can the web help?

• In planning

• In delivery

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In planning the unit the web can provide teachers

• tools for unit planning
• sources for units and lessons
• sources for activities in specific subject areas

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During the unit the web can provide students

• information/resources
• interactive learning activities
• interactive projects
• with an audience for their projects and products

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Planning Standards-Based Curriculum Units
Starting with student issues, questions, and
concerns
Starting with existing units of study
3 Approaches
Starting with standards
Adapted from How to Use Standards in the Classroom
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Planning Standards-Based Curriculum Units

• Starting with standards

• Disadvantages
• May overwhelm teachers if they perceive all units
  of study must be new.
• May lack relevance to student questions, issues,
  and concerns.

• Advantages
• Stimulates development of activities and
  assessments.
• Ensures focus on standards.

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Planning Standards-Based Curriculum Units

• Starting with student questions, issues, and
  concerns

• Disadvantages
• May conflict with state, district, or school
  curriculum.
• Students may not have the knowledge to raise some
  essential questions.

• Advantages
• Helps ensure relevance, enhance student interest,
  and motivate students to learn.

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Planning Standards-Based Curriculum Units

• Starting with existing unit of study

• Advantages
• Allows you to use familiar materials while
  learning the skills of standards-based curriculum
  and assessment design.

• Disadvantages
• Its hard to scrap favorite activities and
  assessments.

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Tools for Unit/Lesson Planning

• See handout
• On-Line Resources for "Navigate Your Way to
  Thematic Units
• for a variety of resources

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Tools for Unit Planning Used in this Workshop

• Kentucky Dept. of Education
• How to Develop Standards-Based Units of Study
  (handout)
• Transformations
• Core Content for Assessment
• Program of Studies
• Implementation Manual

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Design Elements

• Grade Level
• General Focus/Theme
• Planned Time Span
• Content Areas and Teachers Involved

These are your initial thoughts and may change as
you develop the unit.
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Design Elements
EXAMPLE

• Grade 7
• Transactive Writing - Persuasion
• Four weeks
• Language Arts/Reading teacher(s) and possibly
  other content teachers on team

• Grade Level
• General Focus/
• Theme
• Planned Time Span
• Content Areas and Teachers Involved

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Planning begins with identification of
instructional activities
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Begin with the End in Mind

• Planning begins with identification of what
  students are to know and do as a result of the
  unit

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Design Down
Deliver Up
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Major Focus

• Establishes the context for the learning
• Identifies what students are to know and be able
  to do at the end of the unit

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Major Focus

• Three Components
• Organizer
• Targeted Standards
• Essential Questions

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Organizer

• Should be an issue, question, problem, concern,
  topic, or theme which will
• organize instruction and
• engage students
• promote thinking, decision-making, or
  problem-solving
• encourage students to apply content to realistic
  situations in their lives

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Major Focus
EXAMPLE
Organizer How is writing used to get things done
in the real world?
Targeted Standards
Essential Questions
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Targeted Standards

• Identify content and skills/processes to be
  taught and assessed
• Academic Expectations
• Core Content for Assessment
• Kentucky Program of Studies
• National Standards and/or
• District or School Curriculum

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Major Focus
EXAMPLE
Targeted Standards Academic Expectations 1.1
Reference Tools, 1.2 Reading, 1.11 writing, 1.16
technology Core Content RD-M-x.01, RD-M-x.0.8,
RD-M-x.0.9, RD-M-x.0.10, RD-M-3.0.11,
RD-M-3.0.12, RD-M-3.0.13, RD-M-3.0.14,
RD-M-3.0.15, RD-M-3.0.16, RD-M-3.0.17 WR-M-1.4
Organizer How is writing used to get things done
in the real world?
Essential Questions
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Guiding or Essential Questions

• Definition
• the essence of what students should examine and
  know
• linked to outcome
• from Mapping the Big Picture by Heidi Hayes
  Jacobs, 1997

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Guiding or Essential Questions

• Break the organizer into logical, sequenced parts
  for instruction
• Encourage higher order thinking and promote
  in-depth investigation
• Focus instruction and learning
• Should be posted in the classroom

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Major Focus
EXAMPLE
Targeted Standards Academic Expectations 1.1
Reference Tools, 1.2 Reading, 1.11 writing, 1.16
technology Core Content RD-M-x.01, RD-M-x.0.8,
RD-M-x.0.9, RD-M-x.0.10, RD-M-3.0.11,
RD-M-3.0.12, RD-M-3.0.13, RD-M-3.0.14,
RD-M-3.0.15, RD-M-3.0.16, RD-M-3.0.17
WR-M-1.4
Organizer How does writing influence people in
the real world?

• Essential Questions
• What forms of writing persuade us to do or
  believe things?
• What is the difference between informative and
  persuasive passages? Between fact and opinion?
• What specific techniques are used by writers to
  persuade us?
• How can I use those techniques to affect others?

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Culminating Performance/Product

• Final assessment piece for the unit
• Demonstrates and extends students learning

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Culminating Performance/Product

• Must Identify
• Task
• Role
• Purpose
• Audience

More Student Choice More Ownership
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Task
EXAMPLE

• Student will write a persuasive
• review
• proposal
• brochure and/or
• editorial
• to an authentic audience for a real purpose
• (identified by the student)

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ReviewsPossible Audiences/Purposes
EXAMPLE

• Language Arts
• Of books compile student writings to publish
  classroom version of The New York Times Book
  Review prepare TV book reviews to encourage
  others to read the books.
• Of movies and restaurants publish in school
  newsletter.

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ProposalsPossible Audiences/Purposes
EXAMPLE

• Language Arts - to school administrators for
  changes in policy, procedure, activities
• Science - to local politicians and companies
  suggesting changes that can be made to improve
  environment.
• Social Studies - to local government suggesting
  changed or additional services such as improved
  park facilities
• ...and more

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BrochuresPossible Audiences/Purposes
EXAMPLE

• Language Arts - to persuade students to stay away
  from drugs, follow school rules
• Science - to promote environmentally friendly
  consumer decisions
• Social Studies - to persuade public to register
  to vote, appreciate diversity
• ...and more

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EditorialsPossible Audiences/Purposes
EXAMPLE

• Language Arts - editorial for school newsletter
  on school issues
• Social Studies- letter to editor of local
  newspaper to respond to current problem or issue
• Science - letter to editor of local newspaper to
  react to current scientific issue or concern
• ...and more

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Scoring Guide
EXAMPLE

• 4 - Writes from perspective of an informed writer
  to less informed reader. Narrows topic. Focuses
  on purpose. Anticipates readers reactions,
  questions. Lead gives reader a reason for
  reading. Conclusion leaves reader with something
  to think about. Uses appropriate tone and correct
  form for review, proposal, brochure or editorial.
  Develops ideas connected to core content.
  Demonstrates knowledge of difference between fact
  opinion. Evidence of logical reasoning and
  persuasive techniques. Few errors.

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Scoring Guide
EXAMPLE

• 3 - Narrows topic. Focuses on purpose.
  Anticipates readers reactions, questions. Writes
  beginning which gives reader some reason for
  reading. Leaves reader with something to think
  about. Uses appropriate tone and correct form for
  persuasive review, proposal, brochure or
  editorial. Supports ideas with two or three
  specific, relevant details. Shows evidence of
  logical thinking. Develops ideas with
  explanations. Places ideas and details in
  meaningful order. Few errors in spelling,
  language, usage, capitalization.

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Scoring Guide
EXAMPLE

• 2 - Narrows topic but may lose focus. Attempts to
  write to appropriate audience. Attempts to write
  beginning which gives reader context for reading
  and to leave the reader with something to think
  about. Attempts to use some of the features of a
  review, proposal, brochure or editorial. Supports
  ideas with some details, but they may not all be
  relevant. Some ideas may lack development or may
  not be developed logically. Errors in
  correctness.

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Scoring Guide
EXAMPLE

• 1 - Topic is unfocused. Audience and purpose are
  unclear. Form for review, editorial, proposal, or
  editorial is not followed. Ideas are not
  developed and/or organized. Many errors.

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Enabling Knowledge and Enabling Skills/ Processes

• Identified based on major focus and culminating
  performance/product of the unit
• What students have to know and be able to do to
  successfully complete the culminating
  performance/product

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Instructional and Assessment Activities

• Daily, on-going classroom activities
• Help students develop responses to the essential
  questions
• Delivery mechanism for the identified knowledge
  and skills/processes
• Should address multiple intelligences and
  learning styles - provide for differentiation
• Incorporate development of portfolio,
  open-response, and performance tasks

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Critical Resources

• Used by teacher and students for instruction and
  learning
• Focus of unit must be remembered
• Select resources that support the identified
  student learning

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Web Sources for Units and Lessons

• See handout
• On-Line Resources for "Navigate Your Way to
  Thematic Units
• for a variety of resources

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Look for Resources
EXAMPLE

• The Gateway to Educational Materials Project
• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
• Scholastic
• Blue Web'n
• PBS Teacher Source
• The Discovery Channel
• Ed's Oasis

Use Search Terms Persuasive Writing
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Are Existing Units of Study Up to Standards?

• Use the handout Assessing/Revising a Unit of
  Study to evaluate, analyze and/or revise a unit
  of study you create, find on the web, or have in
  your files