To Visualize a Unit [S1 E13 & 14]
Before we start…
If this episode hits home on your “oh man I really needed this” list, then we would LOVE to have you join us for our FREE 10-DAY UNIT MAKEOVER CHALLENGE! This challenge will be based strictly through email, so you can join and work at your own pace, and Marie and I will walk you through these steps in more depth and with more resources and examples than you can possibly digest! YOU CAN PARTICIPATE AT ANY TIME!
What we mean by “visualizing” a unit
In this week’s episode, Amanda and Marie break down the process of visualizing a unit plan for the school year. We want you to be able to see the big picture of how everything fits together and we also want you to visualize yourself teaching the unit. What topics or themes are you passionate about that can be involved in this unit? How can you envision this unit as a memorable experience, both for your students and for YOU?
Select your medium
Amanda loves to set out a blank Google Slide and add all kinds of digital goodies and Marie does an old-school legal pad brain dump. No matter your preferred medium, the most important thing to do as you begin visualizing your unit is to find a space where you can start sorting through all of the ideas swirling around your head!
Where We Start
Getting started is hard, because when you’re thinking about a unit EVERYTHING feels important, so what’s first? We narrow down our focus in the begging to these fundamental pillars:
Skills & standards
Overarching Goal: EQ or Theme
Text to tackle (remember: not just novels!)
Where to End
The final piece of visualizing this unit is looking at the different types of assessments that can measure the skills and concepts that you want to cover in the unit. Here are 12 ideas for both formative and summative assessments other than a process essay!
And once this assessment is in place, it’s time to start BUILDING THE PATH. This path works in both directions, but START with the END. If your assessment focuses on speaking skills, build back from there to make sure students have time and opportunities to practice those skills before being summatively assessed on them. Then work forward. Weave together subtopics and themes. Incorporate a variety of supplemental texts. Schedule out your formative assessments. And plan out the opportunities for learning that will happen all along the way.
IMAGINE
Imagine yourself teaching this unit. What gets you excited? Where can you see yourself in your groove? Teaching shouldn’t be something that we dread - it’s our PASSION! In this very early stage of visualizing the unit, SEE yourself teaching it and work to achieve that vision. You’ll be so happy to go to work each and every day, rather than panicking or dreading each individual lesson because they feel so disconnected from one another.
Show Note Links & Further Reading:
Follow this Unit Planning Pinterest Board
Once your vision is set, start adding your units to this FREE Year-Long Curriculum Map Pacing document
Get some extra help writing your Essential Questions
Watch this Teacher Planner Bullet Journal set up video from Marie