Unit Planning

Andrews University

Department of Teaching and Learning

Principles of Teaching

Presentation Developed by Mr. Bradley Sheppard

 Board Work – Focus On Outcomes

 The following examples of objectives DO NOT focus on

intended learner outcomes. Rewrite them so they do
represent intended learner outcomes.
Students will participate in a discussion on mammals.
Students will state how Roman civilization was like Greek
civilization.
Students will demonstrate their enthusiasm for painting.
Students will play basketball.
Students will know all the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Students will go to the Museum of Fine Arts and write a paper
on their favorite painting.
 Unit Topics:
Selected Content Areas

Art Home Economics

Watercolors Nutrition
Perspective Fabrics
Pottery Money Management
Printmaking Baking
Physical Education Music
Aerobic Exercise Rhythm
Tennis Jazz
Body Conditioning Wind Instruments
Swimming Classical Era
Do Activity
 Write out four or five different unit topics
for your own particular content area(s).

 Share your unit topics with your partner.

Unit Plans – Benefits
 For Teachers: Help bridge gap between
long-term planning and daily lesson plans.

 For Students: The components (goals,

objective, content, activities) are tied
together in a logical coherent manner,
providing structure for the new material to
be learned.
Unit Plan: Overview/Goal
 Describes the Example: “This unit is
purpose of the Unit intended to develop
fourth-graders’ ability to
 Starting point for unit use reference files, both in
planning process paper form and on
 Conceptual organizer computer. This unit will
focus on titles, authors,
for the rest of the
and subject files.”
planning process
 Communicates
instructional intent to Teach This Concept
students, teachers, To Your Partner
and administrators.
Do Activity
 Write an overview/goal for one of the unit
topics that you wrote a few minutes ago.

 Share your overview/goal with your team.

 Unit Plan: Rationale
Example: “Understanding
 Explains why the unit is reference systems and how
important and how it will they’re organized is
benefit students necessary for students using
the library. They need to be
 Encourages teacher to able to locate desired
be thoughtful and materials to use in research
projects, and eventually they
reflective while planning
need to be able to work
 Connects new content independently. Because
to other topics many libraries have both
physical and computerized
 Helps students see cataloging systems, students
importance of topic and should understand
both.”
adds motivation
Teach this concept to your partner!
Do Activity
 Write a rationale for one of the unit topics
you wrote a few minutes ago.

 Share your rationale with your partner.

 Unit Plan: Objectives
 Deal specifically with “What Example: “Given a ruler
do I want my students to and compass,
learn?”
geometry students
 Involves translating general
goals into more specific
will construct the
objectives bisector of an angle
 Desired Educational within 1 degree of
Outcomes listed in specific error.”
terms.
 A description of a content area
or skill Teach this concept
 A statement of what students to your partner!
will be able to do when they
reach the objectives
Do Activity
 Write two or three objectives for one of the
unit topics you wrote a few minutes ago.

 Share your objectives with your partner.

 Unit Plan: Content
 Describes what students Examples: Schematic
will actually be studying Diagrams, Hierarchies,
 The information students and Outlines are all
will know or understand, effective ways of
or the skills they will organizing and
develop communicating the way
 The way information is the content is organized.
organized
Teach this concept to
your partner!
Do Activity
 Write one “small” segment of the course
content section for a unit plan from one of
the topics you chose a few minutes ago.
– You may create brief outline or diagram.
– Do not write anything elaborate right now.

 Share your “Content” section with your

partner.
Unit Plan: Learning Activities
 Most important part of Example: Cooperative
the Unit Lessons and Today’s
 Elementary or Lesson called Say-
Secondary Methods See-Do.
 “What you teach
should influence how Teach this concept
you teach and how to your partner
your students should
learn”
Do Activity
 Brainstorm with your partner a list of ways
you can teach the objectives you wrote a
few minutes ago.
Unit Plan: Evaluation
 Provides students  Connected to all other
with feedback and parts of the unit plan
feedback facilitates  The way you measure
learning student learning depends
on what you want
 Provides teachers
students to learn
with information about (objectives) and the
students’ learning learning activities
progress involved.
 Allows teachers to  Teachers test what they
make decisions about have taught.
what to do next
Unit Plan: Evaluation
Example: “What are the three kinds of
reference systems?” OR “Go to the card
catalog and locate the author’s name and
call number for each title listed below.”

Teach this concept to your partner

Do Activity
 Write ONE evaluation question for one of
the unit topics you wrote earlier in the
period.

 Share your question with your partner.

 Unit Components
Components Function

Overview/General Summarizes the general

Goal purpose of the unit

Rationale Answers the question, “Why

is this topic important?”

Objectives Describe the specific

outcomes expected
from the unit
 Unit Components
Components Function

Content Identifies and organizes the

topics that are included in the unit

Learning Activities Describe the experiences that will

be used to help learners reach the
unit objectives

Evaluation Identifies ways that learning will be

measured
 Andrews University
Department of Teaching and Learning
Unit Planning Guide
Subject: Grade:

Overview/General Goal:

Rationale:

Objectives Content Activities Learning Activities Days

Evaluation: