Unit Planning

Andrews University

Department of Teaching and Learning

Principles of Teaching

Presentation Developed by Mr. Bradley Sheppard

Board Work – Focus On Outcomes

The following examples of objectives DO NOT focus on intended learner outcomes. Rewrite them so they do represent intended learner outcomes.

Students will participate in a discussion on mammals.

Students will state how Roman civilization was like Greek civilization.

Students will demonstrate their enthusiasm for painting.

Students will play basketball.

Students will know all the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Students will go to the Museum of Fine Arts and write a paper on their favorite painting.

Unit Topics:Selected Content Areas

Art Home EconomicsWatercolors Nutrition

Perspective Fabrics

Pottery Money Management

Printmaking Baking

Physical Education MusicAerobic Exercise Rhythm

Tennis Jazz

Body Conditioning Wind Instruments

Swimming Classical Era

Do Activity

Write out four or five different unit topics for your own particular content area(s).

Share your unit topics with your partner.

Unit Plans – Benefits

For Teachers: Help bridge gap between long-term planning and daily lesson plans.

For Students: The components (goals, objective, content, activities) are tied together in a logical coherent manner, providing structure for the new material to be learned.

Unit Plan: Overview/Goal

Describes the purpose of the Unit

Starting point for unit planning process

Conceptual organizer for the rest of the planning process

Communicates instructional intent to students, teachers, and administrators.

Example: “This unit is intended to develop fourth-graders’ ability to use reference files, both in paper form and on computer. This unit will focus on titles, authors, and subject files.”

Teach This Concept To Your Partner

Do Activity

Write an overview/goal for one of the unit topics that you wrote a few minutes ago.

Share your overview/goal with your team.

Unit Plan: Rationale

Explains why the unit is important and how it will benefit students

Encourages teacher to be thoughtful and reflective while planning

Connects new content to other topics

Helps students see importance of topic and adds motivation

Example: “Understanding reference systems and how they’re organized is necessary for students using the library. They need to be able to locate desired materials to use in research projects, and eventually they need to be able to work independently. Because many libraries have both physical and computerized cataloging systems, students should understand

both.”

Teach this concept to your partner!

Do Activity

Write a rationale for one of the unit topics you wrote a few minutes ago.

Share your rationale with your partner.

Unit Plan: Objectives Deal specifically with “What do

I want my students to learn?” Involves translating general

goals into more specific objectives

Desired Educational Outcomes listed in specific terms.

A description of a content area or skill

A statement of what students will be able to do when they reach the objectives

Example: “Given a ruler and compass, geometry students will construct the bisector of an angle within 1 degree of error.”

Teach this concept to your partner!

Do Activity

Write two or three objectives for one of the unit topics you wrote a few minutes ago.

Share your objectives with your partner.

Unit Plan: Content

Describes what students will actually be studying

The information students will know or understand, or the skills they will develop

The way information is organized

Examples: Schematic Diagrams, Hierarchies, and Outlines are all effective ways of organizing and communicating the way the content is organized.

Teach this concept to your partner!

Do Activity

Write one “small” segment of the course content section for a unit plan from one of the topics you chose a few minutes ago. – You may create brief outline or diagram. – Do not write anything elaborate right now.

Share your “Content” section with your partner.

Unit Plan: Learning Activities

Most important part of the Unit

Elementary or Secondary Methods

“What you teach should influence how you teach and how your students should learn”

Example: Cooperative Lessons and Today’s Lesson called Say-See-Do.

Teach this concept to your partner

Do Activity

Brainstorm with your partner a list of ways you can teach the objectives you wrote a few minutes ago.

Unit Plan: Evaluation

Provides students with feedback and feedback facilitates learning

Provides teachers with information about students’ learning progress

Allows teachers to make decisions about what to do next

Connected to all other parts of the unit plan

The way you measure student learning depends on what you want students to learn (objectives) and the learning activities involved.

Teachers test what they have taught.

Unit Plan: Evaluation

Example: “What are the three kinds of reference systems?” OR “Go to the card catalog and locate the author’s name and call number for each title listed below.”

Teach this concept to your partner

Do Activity

Write ONE evaluation question for one of the unit topics you wrote earlier in the period.

Share your question with your partner.

Unit Components

Components Function

Overview/General Summarizes the general Goal purpose of the unit

Rationale Answers the question, “Why is this topic important?”

Objectives Describe the specific outcomes expected from the unit

Unit Components

Components Function

Content Identifies and organizes the topics that are included in the unit

Learning Activities Describe the experiences that will be used to help learners reach the unit objectives

Evaluation Identifies ways that learning will be measured

Andrews UniversityDepartment of Teaching and Learning

Unit Planning Guide

Subject: Grade:

Overview/General Goal:

Rationale:

Objectives Content Activities Learning Activities Days

Evaluation: