Unit of Study Design Project

The unit of study design project contains detailed information that will guide the course of a one-week study. This extensive unit plan provides thorough information that demonstrates effective instructional design. See the rubric page for the evaluation tool. Students in the SED Alternative Licensure Program will create a unit for secondary (7-12) students. Nursing students will create a unit for future nursing students. In other words, you will design instruction for the students you plan to teach.

Begin this assignment during the second module of class. The template: Unit of Study Design Project Template.docx download

Unit of Study Design Project Requirements

Title: Create a title for the unit

Grade Level or Classification: For whom is the unit intended?

School or Institution: Where will the unit take place or potentially occur?

Subject and Topic: Identify your discipline and topic (ex. Earth Science: Erosion)

Rationale

Explain the justification of the unit in a well-written paragraph. Discuss the purpose and clarify why this unit of study is important to the lives of your students beyond the classroom or formal education content. Make a connection to other disciplines. Discuss the reasons your students must encounter these learning experiences and know this information to improve their quality of life.

Standards (Module 3)

Use a list to present the standards that will be met during this unit.

What specific standards will be met through this unit of study?
List the two to three standards that will be the primary focus of the unit
Examples of standards:
Common Core State Standards (CCSS)
New Mexico Standards and Benchmarks, as appropriate
Next Generation Science Standards
National Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources (AFNR) Career Cluster Content Standards
International Society for Technology in Education (ITSE) Standards
Society of Health and Physical Educator (SHAPE) Standards
New Mexico Early Learning Guidelines (ELGs)
New Mexico Music Educators Association (NMMEA) Standards
Nursing standards
http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/curriculum-standards (Links to an external site.)
http://www.nln.org/facultyprograms/competencies/index.htm (Links to an external site.)
Objectives must be aligned with the standard(s).
Must write out the entire standards and codes, not just the code.
Be specific; more is not merrier in this case; use only the standards that apply.
Identify two to three standards targeted in this unit; do not simply list the code.
Scope and Sequence (Module 3)

In a well-written paragraph, address the questions below:

What prior concepts must students know before encountering this unit?
What prior skills (not courses) must students know before encountering this unit?
What knowledge is essential to ensure the success of this learning journey?
What time of the year or semester will the unit occur? Why?
Possible Misconceptions (Module 4)

In a well-written paragraph, discuss the following:

What concepts may cause difficulty for students?
What misunderstanding might occur in this unit?
How will you modify the instruction to account for misconceptions? Provide examples
Use the chart in the assignment template to complete the next four sections.

Objectives (Module 3)

Use the chart in the assignment template to present your daily objectives.

After the lesson on that day of the unit, what will students cognitively accomplish?
TSW (verb from chart; non-observable, cognitive behavior) (concept to be learned) ‘by’ or “using” (verb; observable behavior) (method).
ABCC
Audience: students
Behavior: cognitive verb from Bloom’s chart
Concept: what the students will be learning
Context: how the learning will occur
Do not use non-specific words: learn, know, imagine, understand, appreciate, explore, comprehend, realize, discover, see, exposed to, or familiar with.
Label the level of Bloom’s taxonomy and/or Webb’s depth of knowledge (DOK).
Refer to the course module for more information.
Instructional Strategies (Module 6)

Use the chart to present a detailed description of your instructional strategies.

Using eclectic instructional strategies throughout your unit will provide an enriched learning experience for your students.
Indicate what strategies will be used on certain days throughout the unit of study.
Include a description of the instructional strategies for each day.
Do NOT copy and paste from day to day; each day is an original lesson
Day 5 is NOT for summative assessment; the final assessment follows the five days of the unit
Formative Assessment Strategies (Module 4)

Use the chart to present a detailed description of your formative assessment strategies.

How will you use formative assessment data to guide the teaching-learning process?
Formative assessment is the key to a successful lesson. How will you KNOW that your students understand what is expected of them to accomplish the objective? How will you assess their THINKING throughout the unit of study?
Use a variety of descriptive feedback to assess student learning.
Do NOT copy and paste from day to day; each day is an original lesson.
Determination if the students have “got it” before proceeding to the next step of the lesson.
Indicate what adjustments you will make if they do not understand.
Checking for understanding must be a natural part of the learning-teaching process.
Other methods: sampling, questionnaire, quiz (electronic or paper-pencil), teacher observation of specific behavior (describe it), “thumbs up/down,” peer or self-assessment, etc.
Provide a detailed description of what you will be focusing on in the formative assessment strategy.
Guiding questions

Use the chart to present guiding questions that will be used for each day of the unit.

Plan questions that inspire student engagement.
These questions are used as a formative assessment strategy to determine if your students understand the content.
Purposeful questions lead to powerful learning experiences.
Use multiple levels of thinking (Bloom’s or DOK).
Peer/Self-Assessment (Module 4)

In a well-written paragraph, describe how students will assess peers and/or self.

How will students hold themselves accountable for the learning?
How will students participate in the formative assessment process?
Indicate the process for peer and/or self-assessment.
Technology (Module 7)

Use a list to present the technology that will be used during the unit.

How will technology be used to empower your students to accomplish the objective?
Using multiple technologies supports the learning-teaching process.
Be sure to include any links to websites you will use.
If you are using a PowerPoint, Prezi, or other electronic presentation, you must include this as an additional attachment to your assignment.
Consider how your students will use technology!
Resources (Module 6)

Use a list to present the resources that will be used during the unit.

How will resources be used to empower your students to accomplish the objective?
Provide a list of resources other than technology resources included in the chart
Using multiple resources supports the learning-teaching process.
List of all materials and resources needed to meet the objectives in the unit.
Student Grouping (Module 5)

In a well-written paragraph, describe how you will purposefully group students

How will students be purposefully grouped throughout the unit of study?
Remember that variety is important when meeting the needs of all learners
Use one or more of the following and list in your plan:
Whole group, large group, small group, or partner.
What procedure will you use to group students?
Vocabulary/Academic Language (Module 3)

Use a list to present the vocabulary and academic language students will learn

What terms must students know to be successful throughout the unit of study?
Define each term
Include the essential content vocabulary
Include the academic language for process learning
Refer to the CCSS or other standards for academic language
Be sure to connect written and verbal language; they must hear and see the terms
Differentiated Instruction/Access for All (Module 5)

In a well-written paragraph, describe how and in what ways you will differentiate instruction.

How is the unit of study designed to meet the needs of ALL students?
In a well-written paragraph, describe how you will provide differentiated instruction for this unit of study
Include focus on learning styles and modalities
Visual, auditory, and tactile/kinesthetic learning
Examples: Gardner’s multiple intelligences, McCarthy 4-mat system, Hart’s brain compatible learning, and Burn’s “resilience”
Identify how the lesson will be changed or adapted to meet the needs of English Language Learners (ELL)
Consider how culturally sensitive strategies can be used to support the learning experience
Modifications (Module 5)

In a well-written paragraph, describe how and in what ways you will modify or change lessons to meet the needs of students with special needs.

How will you modify the unit of study for specific students to be successful in meeting the objective?
In a well-written paragraph, describe how you will accommodate for students with special needs for this unit of study
Notice the correct descriptor used: “students with special needs”; never use “SPED students”; the student always comes first
Identify how the lesson will be changed or adapted to meet the needs of students with special needs.
What modifications and/or accommodations are identified in the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) and/or 504 plan?
Describe the deliberate actions you will take to provide the context for individual student success.
Summative Assessment (Module 4)

Use an attachment to provide the actual document that will be used by students

How will the objective be assessed at the end of the unit of study?
Day 6: does NOT count as part of the five days of the unit plan
Indicate how students will demonstrate mastery of this objective at the end of the unit.
This may include individual or group presentations, portfolios, exams, essays, etc.
Make sure your summative assessment is aligned with your standards and the objectives for the unit.
You will create an actual student assessment that will measure student understanding of all objectives addressed by the unit.
This will provide evidence that will demonstrate how students met the standards (CCSS or other) of the unit.
Rubric, exam, self-assessment, checklist, etc.
Only one summative assessment tool is necessary for this one-week unit.
The assessment document that would be given to students must accompany this assignment.
Establishing what students will be accountable at the end of the unit is important for proper alignment and effective backwards design.
Summative assessment is aligned with lesson objectives.
Lesson objectives and activities are aligned with standards.

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