6+Teaching+Unit

Materials for Teaching Unit and Sample Curriculum Mapping for 6/20/2011 [|Teaching Unit Rubric.doc], [|Binko2010 Spring.doc], Sample Unit [|1920s unit.doc]
 * 1) **Curriculum Mapping input and groups for discussion **
 * 2) **Curriculum Mapping Purpose Statement **Students should know where they are going, why they are going there, and what is required of them to get there
 * 3) **[] **
 * 4) **[] **
 * 5) **Objectives K-W-L and Blooms **
 * 6) **[] **

Blooms Input [|B1 BloomsDomainsOverview.pdf][|B2 ObjectivesAndQuestions.pdf][|B3 BloomsMethods.pdf] [|B4 Ecology Sample and Special Needs.pdf][|B5 Writing Objectives Specifics.pdf]


 * Bullets for Thematic Text ** and Curriculum Mapping to be posted here.

Example of Curriculum Mapping-Mike Bensley On the site for curriculum mapping I found an actual map of a geometry course that was integrated into the building of a frame for a ceiling and a roof. The mapping gives a time table for teaching, the tasks for each unit, the objectives for each unit, the standards that each unit meets, the key teaching points and finally the assessment techniques. I found that this was only one specific aspect of curriculum mapping: the map itself. I believe that the other aspects of the curriculum mapping had taken place at another time and the many person involved had brought their ideas together to form the map. Several Examples are listed at: http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/Curriculum+Documents+and+Resources/Teaching+Tools/Curriculum+Maps/default.htm

Notes For Ch. 1 Thematic Unit- Mike Bensley

-Multilevel instruction is the simultaneous use of teaching and learning in the same classroom with students working on different objectives or different tasks leading to the same objective (p. 6). This concept is amazing when done well but is extremely hard to plan and seems like it might require more than one teacher per classroom.

-Traditional curriculum has been largely a fragmented set of subjects as teachers present them (p. 8). This is evident by looking through any textbook. The links between chapter and units are not clear and are presented in fragments. It is very hard to piece such material together without clear transitions. Any learner needs transition and cohesiveness between topics.

-Interdisciplinary curriculum reflects the real world better than single-discipline-based instruction, and translates into greater student interest and higher academic achievement (p. 8). Student interest is stimulated by real world applications.

-Not all educators believe there is adequate time or resources to plan and implement an ITU (p. 8). ITUs have many facets that require a lot of planning to execute correctly. Students must have access to many resources based on the amount of research that each student must conduct.

-Going up the levels of the Continuum of Curriculum Integration the discipline boundaries are to be blurred and eventually disappear (p. 10). This is to say that the students are to become more and more their own conductors of learning.

-Accordingly, you will want to have an assortment of classroom learning materials available for the students to touch, manipulate, explore, and use in experiments (p. 11). By giving students access to multiple resources they become their own guides in learning.

-You’ll realize that membership and roles within the groups will vary, depending both on the activity and on each student’s interest (p. 16). Controlling the balance between group interaction and individual learning seems like it can be hard to find in such an environment.

-You’ll realize that all students do not have the same interests, abilities, backgrounds, or learning styles or capacities (p. 16). How do teachers recognize and adjust their presentation all in one step.

-The different learning styles described on page 16 talk about different teaching styles that will lose different learners.

Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit- Chapter 2- Ryan Chauncey

-First the instructor must pick a theme of study and after selecting a theme develop a rationale for it. pg.55 This allows for both the teacher and student to know just what the lesson is about and why it is important to cover.

-The theme criteria must then be made to satisfy the sequence of mandated content, and also be of interest to the students. pg 55 The criteria will be based around whether the students will be primarily working independently or in small teams.

-Next the focus, scope and sequence of the unit theme must be taken into account. pg.61 What will be the main focus, and how broad of a scope range, including content order, will the theme encompass.

-Finally the development of student focus questions and learning experiences are used to promote meaningful understanding of the theme. pg.67
 * Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit- **** Ch 2 Cana Trahan **

1. NCLB (No Child Left Behind) requires measurable accountability assessments. Teachers are accountable for the education of all students. This is measured through state testing. Teachers are also evaluated on a stricter basis and have to meet certain goals and standards. Parents have more say in the education of their children.

2. Curriculum standards guide educators in teaching what students should know and be able to do. Such standards come from state and national levels and are tested likewise.

3. As there are score requirements for high-stakes testing, there has also been an increase in “teaching the test.” Not meeting the necessary score can lead to a cut in federal and state funding as well as replacement of teachers, who may or may not have been teaching as the state deemed appropriate.

4. Developing a thematic unit requires choosing a topic that is both in the scope and sequence of mandated content and of interest to the students. The scope and sequence can be found by subject under each state’s Department of Education website (or should be there).

5. Choosing and critiquing a theme can be done by the teacher with the aid of other teachers and with the students. The diagram on page 59 is a great template for judging the many aspects that a theme should include. (Ex: Active learning? A proper length? Materials and resources? Motivation for students?) The list of sample theme words is also useful (Figure 2.7).

==== 6. Integrating content areas in the classroom is a representation of the way daily life is an integration of topics, interests, and activities. It is done naturally. For example, students can study about Indians while learning grammar and practicing reading skills. They can also engage in many hands-on activities. ====

Interdisciplinary Thematic Unit - Ch. 3 Eric Clifford -Aims are even more important than general goals -Teachers need to consider the areas of intellectual, physical, emotional, social and moral or ethical areas for instructional situations. -Teacher needs to be familiar with the age group for which they will be writing objectives. -Precision performance deals with the proficiency of a student’s action without the aid of written or verbal directions or a visual model. -Teachers should direct their planning so that students are guided from lowest to the highest levels of operation.