Electronic version available at: www.uwosh.edu/stemlab
Blank Unit Planner Template
Title: Grade: Time: Discipline(s): Unit of Study: Goals to be Addressed: State content standards, district goals, departmental objectives, student outcomes Science: CCSS: ELA CCSS: Mathematics What do we want to learn? Big Ideas: I want students to understand that: Do: I want students to be able to: Know: What are the basics? Technology and the Nature of Science: Adapted from: Brunsell, E., Kneser, D. & Niemi, K. (in press). Introducing Teachers and Administrators to the
NGSS: A Professional Development Facilitator’s Guide. NSTA Press: Arlington, VA
Electronic version available at: www.uwosh.edu/stemlab
How will I reinforce or build literacy or mathematics skills? How will I know what students have learned? Performance Expectation: Activity: Other Evidence: What learning experiences will encourage student engagement in the essential questions (what we want to learn)? Adapted from: Brunsell, E., Kneser, D. & Niemi, K. (in press). Introducing Teachers and Administrators to the
NGSS: A Professional Development Facilitator’s Guide. NSTA Press: Arlington, VA
Electronic version available at: www.uwosh.edu/stemlab
Annotated Unit Template
Title: Grade: Time: Discipline(s): Unit of Study: Goals to be Addressed: State content standards, district goals, departmental objectives, student outcomes Science: CCSS: ELA CCSS: Mathematics What do we want to learn? •
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What provocative question(s) will foster inquiry, understanding, and transfer learning? What question can you use to connect this unit to a Cross-­‐Cutting Concept? Focus on “Why is this important?” Written in question form. Big Ideas: I want students to understand that: •
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What scientific explanations and/or models are critical for student understanding of the content? So what? Who cares? What is most important for students to understand about this topic? Know: What are the basics? •
What vocabulary, formulas or other facts do students need to know in order to understand the big ideas? Do: I want students to be able to: •
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What scientific practices will we explicitly focus on in this unit? What key knowledge and skills will students develop as a result of this unit? Written as verb phrases. Technology and the Nature of Science: •
What connections are there between the unit content and technology or nature of science? How will I reinforce or build literacy or mathematics skills? How will I know what students have learned? Performance Expectation: •
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Does the performance expectation require students to show their understanding in an observable way? Does it make students’ thinking visible? Are there criteria and are the criteria relevant to the big ideas for the unit? Activity: Other Evidence: Include multiple types of learning to give a more accurate picture of learning. What learning experiences will encourage student engagement in the essential questions? •
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How shall we teach for understanding? Incorporate different learning styles. Hands-­‐on and engaging. Consider using a learning cycle or BSCS 5E model for planning your instructional sequence. Adapted from: Brunsell, E., Kneser, D. & Niemi, K. (in press). Introducing Teachers and Administrators to the
NGSS: A Professional Development Facilitator’s Guide. NSTA Press: Arlington, VA
Electronic version available at: www.uwosh.edu/stemlab
Completed Unit Planner Template
Title: Cells to Organisms: Relationships in Structure and Function Grade: Middle School Time: 4 weeks Discipline: Science Unit of Study: This middle school unit of study will focus on the generalization that all living things are made up of cells. In this study students will address the idea that cells have structures that are responsible for specialized functions and a group of cells operates a system. Student understandings will also address that the body is a system of multiple interacting subsystems. Goals to be Addressed: State content standards, district goals, departmental objectives, student outcomes LS1.A: Structure and Function MS-­‐LS1-­‐1, MS.LS1-­‐2, MS.LS1-­‐3 CCSS: ELA •
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RI.6.8 Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not. (MS-­‐LS1-­‐3) WHST.6-­‐8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline content. (MS-­‐LS1-­‐3) WHST.6-­‐8.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-­‐generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. (MS-­‐LS1-­‐1) SL.8.5 Integrate multimedia and visual displays into presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims and evidence, and add interest. (MS-­‐LS1-­‐2) CCSS: Mathematics What do we want to learn? Essential Questions •
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How is cell structure related to cell function? (Structure & Function – crosscutting) What is the relationship of cells, multicellular organisms, and other systems in the body? Big Ideas: I want students to understand that: Do: I want students to be able to: • Observe cells with a microscope • there is a basic structure and function(s) of the • Develop and use a model to describe a cell cell. The cell structure can be visualized, modeled, and used to describe how a cell’s and the relationship among its parts function depends on the relationship among its (Practice 2) parts • Use evidence to support how the body is a • multicellular organisms are made up of different system of interacting subsystems (Practice 6 types of cells with specialized functions & 7) • the body is a system of multiple interacting subsystems • all living things are made up of cells, which is the smallest unit that can be said to be alive Adapted from: Brunsell, E., Kneser, D. & Niemi, K. (in press). Introducing Teachers and Administrators to the
NGSS: A Professional Development Facilitator’s Guide. NSTA Press: Arlington, VA
Electronic version available at: www.uwosh.edu/stemlab
Know: What are the basics? Technology and the Nature of Science: Nucleus, chloroplasts, mitochondria, cell membrane, cell wall [From APPENDIX H – Understanding the Scientific Enterprise: The Nature of Science in the Next Generation Science Standards] Circulatory, excretory, digestive, respiratory, muscular, and nervous system • Science investigations use a variety of methods and tools to make measurements and observations. • Science knowledge is based upon logical and conceptual connections between evidence and explanations. • Science assumes that objects and events in natural systems occur in consistent patterns that are understandable through measurement and observation. How will I reinforce or build literacy or mathematics skills? •
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Students will trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text and use the evidence to support how the body is a system of interacting subsystems. Students will develop visual models of a cell’s structure and function. Students will read text critically. Students will use scale to develop cell model. How will I know what students have learned? (Only included one performance expectation in this sample unit, you should include all performance expectations that are going to be assessed in a developed unit.) Performance Expectation: MS-­‐LS1-­‐2. Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function. Activity: Students will design a cell analogy with each part of the cell structure and each organelle having a corresponding role. Examples might be a town, a factory, a business, a school, or a car. The students will have to explain both the structure and function of each component of the analogy and provide evidence of their reasoning (e.g. Lysosome is composting center of a restaurant, breaks down waste, etc.) Other Evidence: Students will make a diagram/concept map that illustrates the connections between processes that occur in the cell to the same processes that occur in the larger human body (ex. Brain and nucleus are control centers, mitochondria and stomach, etc.), Quiz, Class discussion & Participation What learning experiences will encourage student engagement in the essential questions? Adapted from: Brunsell, E., Kneser, D. & Niemi, K. (in press). Introducing Teachers and Administrators to the
NGSS: A Professional Development Facilitator’s Guide. NSTA Press: Arlington, VA
Electronic version available at: www.uwosh.edu/stemlab
Feedback on Unit Planning
Something I learned that I will be applying to my unit planning… Something specific about unit planning that became clearer to me… To be successful with unit planning I will require the following professional development opportunities… Burning questions I still have… Adapted from: Brunsell, E., Kneser, D. & Niemi, K. (in press). Introducing Teachers and Administrators to the
NGSS: A Professional Development Facilitator’s Guide. NSTA Press: Arlington, VA