Model Unit Plan

When working on your plans you will need to consider how much time to allow for the following four categories:

• identify (introduce, read about , explain)-basic information
• understand (explore,discuss, relate)-essential themes, ideas, concepts
• synthesize (research, compare/contrast)-in depth research to prepare a presentation or report
• apply (select, speculate, create)-creative application or research beyond what's in the textbook

Unit plans need to have the components listed below:

Unit Topic-name of Unit

Grade Level-grade level of participants in the unit

Unit Length-how long you will be working on the unit

Abstract-a short paragraph describing your unit

Universal Concept-(change, interdependence, system, balance, survival, patterns, traditions,challenges, explorations, cooperation, conflict, cycles, discovery, diversity, relationships)

Generalizations-generalizations that your students could possibly develop as a result of participating in this unit

Goals and Objectives -for concepts/skills, knowledge (content), attitudes (dispositions, habits of mind). What do you expect your students to remember and apply elsewhere a year from now? What is essential?

Hawaii Performance Standards-show how your unit plan supports the Hawaii state standards

Your personal stake-Why do you as a teacher care about this unit? Why is it important to you and your students?

Hook questions-questions aimed at immediately engaging your students in the learning process. These questions are open ended and give your students an opportunity to start thinking about and forming opinions about what they're about to learn.

Hook questions:

• have no "right answer"
• lie at the heart of the subject or unit
• are phrased in simple, direct, understandable language
• deal with issues to which your students have direct access
• offer choices in how to respond
• encourage students to become investigators
• involve thinking, speculating, not just answering
• provide a sense of fun and adventure

Materials and Resources-what materials and resources will you use. Don't limit yourself to only using familiar items.

• print-handouts, newspapers, dictionaries, encyclopedias
• computer and cd-rom-specify applications
• internet-give URL's
• audio-visual-videos, overhead transparencies, presentations, records, cassettes, CD's
• community-guest speakers, field trips
• instructional television
• literature-fiction, non-fiction, poetry

Technology used and rationale for its use-be able to explain how technology will support your students' learning in this unit and why you chose to use the technology you plan to use.

Link to Sustainable Futures-how does your unit plan support sustainable futures?

Students working together to make choices-How are you going to provide opportunities for students to work together and make choices with their learning within this unit?

General activities (lessons)-use the lesson plan design format as you design your lessons for this unit

Literature selections-literature selections from a variety of genre that will support your unit plan

Culminating activity-a project or activity that will engage students in summarizing their discoveries and develop new ideas understandings and connections.

Performance assessment-assessment is an ongoing part of the learning process rather than an end result.. How will you give students opportunities to select, speculate, create, and apply during the learning process. How will you document student learning?

Evaluation-explain how will you evaluate student progress throughout the unit.

Related works of literature-books that relate to the unit that will be available for students to read.

  This Unit Plan Model was based on models created by Elizabeth Miller and Robert L Fried.

Miller, Elizabeth.The Collaborative Thematic Unit Model [Online} Available http://www.libsci.sc.edu/miller/Model.htm, July 2, 1998.
Fried, Robert L.The Passionate Teacher. Beacon Press, 1995.

This site was developed as a training site for
the 1998 Technology Literacy Challenge Fund Summer Institute training on Maui.
Any questions regarding this training may be sent to Debi Tisdell or Lynn Yamauchi.