UNITLESSON PLANNING 101 What is a unit plan

UNIT/LESSON PLANNING 101

What is a unit plan? � A series of lessons generally related to a theme or having a common thread.

What is a lesson plan? � An outline or guide to help the teacher structure the learning experience.

Developing a unit and lesson plans � � Start with the goals or objectives – what do you want the students to learn? In North Carolina the Standard Course of Study (NC SCOS)specifies the goals and objectives for each grade and subject. � Visit LEARNNC for the NC SCOS � http: //www. learnnc. org/

Developing a unit and lesson plans � � Next outline the activities you will use Consider the following as you are writing your activities � What do students already know? � How long do I have for the lesson? � What approach(es) might be best to use e. g. will students work alone, in groups, whole class?

Developing a unit and lesson plans � � Determine/find resources you can use to teach the lesson. Decide how you will assess the student’s learning – did the students learn what you wanted them to learn? � Formal (e. g. a test, a product) � Informal (e. g. discussion with students) � Link to a presentation on assessment Note – this was a workshop I presented at the Florida Educational Technology Conference. You may find some of the information helpful.

Examples & Additional Resources � LEARNC has a database of unit and lesson plans correlated to the NC SCOS � http: //www. learnnc. org/ � The Educator’s Reference desk provides an overview and resources for lesson planning � http: //www. eduref. org/Virtual/Lessons/Guide. shtml

Examples & Additional Resources � Thinkfinity (formerly Marco Polo) provides lesson plans and educational resources, many that align to national educational organization standards � http: //www. marcopolo-education. org/

Another approach …. � …. suggested by Wiggins and Mc. Tighe in Understanding by Design is backwards design. � Indentify results � Determine assessments � Design activities � Check it out from the ASU library