Writing Units

CREATE THE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
Essential questions will guide your unit and keep you on track. They will provide the basis for student assessment as students should be able to answer them using the factual information from the unit and more importantly from their world. These can NOT be “yes” and “no” questions.

  • The questions will show themselves through discussion of the curriculum map.
  • Typically, essential questions go through many drafts.
  • Some essential questions will have secondary questions to assist in focusing the students understanding; they are not necessary, but can be helpful)
  • The culminating project will bring forth and summarize student understanding of the questions and, therefore, the concept.

Eight criteria for strong questions:

  1. Students must be able to understand the questions.
  2. Questions should be written in broad, organizational terms as they are the umbrella.
  3. Questions should reflect the conceptual priorities.
  4. Questions should be distinct and substantial.
  5. Questions should have a logical sequence.
  6. Questions should not be repetitious.
  7. Questions need to be realistic given the amount of time allocated for the unit.
  8. Questions should be posted in all classrooms throughout the course of the unit.

Examples of Essential Questions:

  • Strong:
    • Unit Title: Scope and Vastness
    • Concept: Perceptions
      • Questions:
        1. What is perception?
        2. What forms our perceptions?
        3. How are perceptions altered?
  • Weak: (questions 1 & 2 are repetitious)
    • Unit Title: Change and Exploration
    • Concept: Change
      1. Questions:
      2. What is change? IS change always desirable?
      3. What are the effects of change?Are the changes of the past, present and future connected?

WRITE THE OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES:
Objectives are what you want the students to learn or walk away with at the completion of the unit and should fall out of the essential question dialog. It is in the objectives that you will state the specific factual information, learning and skills you want the students to achieve.

  • Sometimes the objectives come first during the essential question dialog.
    That will work as well and typically define the questions.
  • Examples of strong objectives are:
    • Students will be able to use a ruler to measure items 12” or under.
    • Students will be able to use the library card catalog.
    • Students will gain an understanding of the development of civilization.
  • I find it helpful to begin the list of objectives with a statement like (Through observation and discovery, students will… or.. Through prediction and procedure students will…)

CURRICULUM PLANNING AND ACTIVITIES:
This component is the most fun! In this step you will use your concept web and your essential questions.

  • Choose specific curriculum you would like to incorporate.
  • Discuss resource classes that would or could participate in parallel teaching.
  • Decide upon a variety of activities both group and individual.
    • Utilize cooperative grouping strategies and co-teaching?
  • Discuss and decide upon the culminating project.
  • Create time-line for the unit.
  • Type up the unit overview

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:

  • Prepare all worksheets, resources and materials needed for teaching .
  • Create the student & teacher folders with all worksheets, resources and reflections needed to complete the unit.
  • Set a time for students to demonstrate or display their culminating project.