Sherry TCSS11

UPLAN - Unit Plan

Purpose
To plan a unit consisting of ten lessons and assessment(s) you could use with your (anticipated) placement class Big Questions: What are the characteristics of a good ELA unit plan? What makes good ELA practice?

Rationale
Like the sentences in this paragraph, each lesson in a unit contributes to the whole; each is influenced by the previous and influences the next. In addition, each lesson should connect to students and their interests and needs as the unit progresses. This assignment is intended to give you practice in planning for alignment, coherence, and flexibility.

Assignment
Use your genre study of Unit Plans at http://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/VirtualLibrary/index.html; for models of what to include and how; at minimum your Unit Plan should include the following: Cover Page that briefly describes your topic, audience, context, and trajectory in the year Rationale that thoroughly describes your choices for this audience/context with regard to o Big Question(s) that provide a coherent inquiry for students o Goals that break down Big Question(s) into parts and align with assessment(s)/standards o Objectives that break down goals into lesson-size parts and align with/build toward assessments o Assessment(s) that measure whether/how students learned (include handout for students) o Overview that outlines and explains the sequence of lessons (can be in calendar form) You should draw on Smagorinskys TETPP ch. 2, 4-5, Milners BE ch. 2, 13, and other relevant sources Lessons (10) that sequence activities to align with objectives/goals and build toward assessments; lessons typically include the following sections: o Objectives I recommend the formulation Students willin order to. o Materials List texts or resources; include actual handouts; cite sources o Activities Include estimated time and brief description o Assessment(s) Describe how you will know whether students have addressed objectives (be specific: its not enough to write, I will know by their participation in discussion.) o Modifications Include special needs accommodations Reflection that explains how the unit addresses the rubric, how you incorporated instructor/colleague feedback, and what you learned from this process

Sherry TCSS11 Model Rubric (developed by TCSS11 based on Unit Plan Genre Study)
Criteria/Grade Diversity Addresses learners of a variety of backgrounds and learning styles; includes special needs accommodations Relevance Has value for the discipline(s) as well as to student needs and interests Coherence Connects standards, goals, lesson activities, assessment(s), and potential modifications Alignment Scaffolds connection among standards, goals, lessons, assessments Conventions Maintains consistent and appropriate structure, format, and language 4 3 2 1

Checklist: Rationale (addressing the categories below) Big Questions/Standards/Goals/Objectives Assessment(s) (including handouts) Lessons o Objectives o Materials o Activities o Assessment(s) o Modifications Reflection (on UPLAN assignment)

Total score: Comments: