Unit Planning - What it's made of!

Unit Planning is hard work! Some of the things to include are NYS & National standards, performance indicators, evaluation, and activities. It has been a bit difficult for me to grasp the whole idea of what to include, but I think that this past class helped a lot. The Bloom's Taxonomy exercises in class showed me that I need to get more familiar with each level. It is a little confusing though because some are interchangeable. Like Dr. Smirnova says, Practice, Practice, Practice. I know I'll get it.

Success is failure turned inside out.
~unknown author

How do you analyize content?

This week we discussed content analysis and our Unit Plan design. I would have never thought that there was so much to the structure of knowledge. Beginning at the bottom of the pyramid with the basic facts, the mind begins to conceptualize and then generalize about the learning that takes place. The top of the pyramid holds the highest level of metacognition where the student is able to reflect about what they have learned. Content analysis is directly related to this because content includes key facts,ideas and values. The way a student receives this information is processed through the structure of knowledge. There are different ways to break down a concept i.e. a graphic organizer or concept map. Content analysis helps classify information and align them with learning outcomes. This is extremely important when teaching because you want to make sure your students are getting the information that is in line with the standards, and hopefully a bit extra to make it challenging. I really enjoyed the Think Pair Share exercise. When it was time to share, my partner and I really uncovered the root of what Dr. S was looking for. We were able to clarify it and help each other uncover concept words. I am excited to be able to "visualize" my teaching and can't wait for that moment when it all comes together.

Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.

~John Dewey

It is important for teachers to realize how very powerful they really are in the lives and development of children. With one word a teacher can crush the aspirations and creativity of a child, or make her hate a subject forever. Conversely a teacher can elevate the hopes and dreams of a child, empower her, and make her love a subject for a lifetime. Many teachers don't realize that their actions and words make deep, lasting impressions, and can in essence, reach far into the future and beyond.


~Leslie Owen Wilson

Activities are hands on fun!

I have been compiling tons of information on my topic of Native Americans. My next task is to organize this information so that I can match the standards, both NY and National, so that the Plan that I prepare is fully functional and well-rounded. I think the best part of this Unit Plan will be choosing activities that coincide with this topic. When I was younger, my dad, who was a town historian for many years, would take us to fields and we would look for arrowheads. We found a number of them and it was so exciting to have a material object that could connect to the past. I hope to be able to instill the same excitement in my students. Activities and hands on projects make learning much more memorable. These are the things that make kids remember. It worked for me.

By George...I think I've Got It!

State and National Standards was the topic tonight. Through quick memorization and funny phrases, our group was able to come up with a "device" for learning the Social Studies Standards.

Standard 1: History of US and NY
One Nation Under God

Standard 2: World History
Two Worlds Apart

Standard 3: Geography
1, 2, 3, G-O!

Standard 4: Economics
A $4 bill doesn't exist!

Standard 5: Civic Citizenship & Government
Five people driving in a civic to apply for citizenship at the government center

I tried repeating these on the drive home and was amazed that I remembered each and every one of them.

Through discussions tonight with regard to the design of the Unit Plan, I realize that in order to figure out the level which the student is at, you must see where they came from. In order to not go above their level, you must also study the standards for the higher grade so that you teach them accordingly. Key ideas name the goals you intend for your student to reach while the performance indicators are more like objectives. Something clicked tonight and things started to become a bit clearer. I'm hoping that I can pull the appropriate ideas from the State and National Standards and make them coincide with each other and also be in sync with my intentions. A tough task but I think once it's done I can say without any reservations that I've Got It!!