UNIT TOPIC: Discovering the Sun
1. UNIT CONTEXT
Subject/Content Area
Course: Earth Science
Grade Level: 9-12
Length of Unit: The unit will cover
Tuesday (1 hr), Wednesday/Thursday (2 hrs), and Friday (1 hr).
2. FACTS ABOUT THE LEARNERS
Whole Class Information
·
Number
of students in class: 38
·
Demographic
Information: The students’ ethnicities range from 22 being
from Hispanic decent, 13 Caucasian, 2 African-American, and one Middle
Eastern. Approximately, half of
the students are female and half are male. The class consists of 18 ELL students and 3 students with
IEPs, including one who is “gifted.”
A majority of the students qualify for free and reduced lunches.
·
Developmental
Needs: Elena and Maria are both at the Early
Intermediate CELDT level, so I would use the i + 1 strategy and teach them at
an Intermediate level. Elena
enjoys going to Mexico and visit with family, and Maria enjoys watching her
siblings for her mom. Elena also
enjoys reading Spanish literature.
Both Elena and Maria are shy socially, and they do not like interacting
in large groups. Elena and Maria
would both benefit from learning visually as well as textual rather than
auditory. Elena and Maria will be
paired with a Bilingual partner who is at a higher CELDT level. Alex has difficulty with literacy
skills. He is currently reading at
a seventh-grade level and continues to struggle with decoding words. Ryan, on the other hand, is extremely
smart and read and writes two grade levels ahead. Both Alex and Ryan do not like working in large
groups. Alex enjoys drawing and
playing video games by himself. Ryan enjoys reading, science, and drawing during his spare time. I am going to place Alex and Ryan with
a partner that will be best suited for their needs. Alex will be paired with an easy going, probably a girl, who
enjoys helping others. Ryan will
be paired with another student, probably a student with a good grasp of science
(so that they won’t frustrate Ryan).
Alex learns better kinesthetically and visually. Ryan prefers learning visually and
textually. I will give Ryan and
Alex an option to work by themselves if by working in a group of two makes them
uncomfortable. Erik is a student
that has an IEP which states that he is allowed extra time on tests and only
needs 75% of the points to receive an A.
Erik works really well with others. He generally works well with the same partner on all
projects/labs. He is interested in
skateboarding and hanging out with friends away from school. Erik does not seem to learn any
differently using the various learning styles.
Individual Student Information and Differentiation Strategies
Provide the following information
for 5 specific students
· Elena and Maria
· Alex and Ryan
· Erik
1.
Elena is an ELL
student at an Early Intermediate CELDT level. She is a Hispanic girl (recently moved to the United States
one and a half years ago) who is in the tenth grade. Both of Elena’s parents are professionals and the family is
very close. The report cards we
received from Elena’s school in Mexico indicate that she consistently receives
above average grades. The primary
language in her home is Spanish.
Elena would like to further her education in college. Since Elena is in tenth grade and at an
Early Intermediate level, I will be teaching her at the Intermediate
level. Time is of the essence and
since she only has two more years to reach the advance level, I will challenge
her. Elena will be paired with a
student at a higher CELDT level who is Bilingual. She does not really like to work in large groups and is
rather shy, so I am going to allow students to either present their research
and findings as a presentation, or students will be allowed to make a poster
board and present her findings to me.
Elena will be able to use an English to Spanish translation while
looking up the questions on the Internet.
The teacher will also provide Elena a copy of the PowerPoint that guides
the students on how to write the persuasive essay. Elena and her partner will be assessed by providing the
teacher with her persuasive essay, packet of work, brochure, and
presentation/poster board. In
order to monitor progress, I will use an informal formative assessment by
observing Elena and her partner working on their project. I will also provide oral feedback to
her and her partner. The next step
to facilitate the student’s needs, I would have Elena present her project to me
so that she can work on her English verbal skills.
2.
Maria is an ELL student at an Early
Intermediate CELDT level. She is a
Hispanic girl (recently moved to the United States two years ago from Mexico
City) who is in the eleventh grade.
Maria lives with her mother and three siblings. Her dad still lives in Mexico and
rarely speaks to anybody in the family.
Maria is the oldest child and in many cases has been responsible for
taking care of her siblings when her mother is at work. She did not have proper schooling even
when she lived in Mexico. The
primary language at home is Spanish.
Maria would like to grow up and own a bakery. Her mother is currently working in a bakery, and Maria would
eventually like to own one. Maria
and her partner are going to be required to turn in her packet of work, which
will include the persuasive essay, brochure, and the answer to the 15
questions. Since Maria is
extremely shy, I will allow her to create a poster board and explain her
project to me. Maria will use English to Spanish translation while looking up
the questions on the Internet. I
will also provide the PowerPoint slides for her to look at while I explain the
persuasive essay part of the project.
In order to monitor her progress, I will use an informal formative
assessment by observing Maria and partner. I will have Maria present her project to me verbally so she
can work on her English skills. I
will offer any assistance that she may need.
3.
Alex is a 15-year old boy in the tenth
grade that has a learning disability that has been detrimental to his literacy
skills. He is currently reading at
a seventh grade level while he is in the tenth grade. Alex also suffers from asthma, so occasionally he may have
to step out to use his inhaler. I
think the best situation for Alex in terms of this project is to pair him up
with a sweet, kind-hearted person who likes to write. Since Alex has problems reading and writing, I think the
brochure part of the assignment would work out nicely for him. He likes to draw in his spare time and
he doesn’t like to work in large groups, but I think slowly getting him to work
with other people will help break this barrier. I will also allow Alex and his partner to present a poster
board to me instead of going in front of the entire class. The last thing I want to do is make any
student feel uncomfortable because they may become too scared to even come to
school. In order to make sure Alex
is still learning the content of the unit, I will assess him verbally to check
for understanding. I will assist
Alex in any way needed for him to do well on the project.
4.
Ryan is a 14-year old gifted boy that
has a learning disability that has been debilitating to him working in
groups. Ryan reads and writes at
an eleventh grade level. He is
extremely smart, but lacks social skills.
Ryan really enjoys science and it seems he knows more about the subject
than any other person. In his
spare time, Ryan enjoys reading about science and drawing. At times, it is difficult for Ryan to
get out of his seat. When the class
is working in groups, Ryan prefers to sit in his seat and work by himself. There is one student in the class he has
been bonding with, so I think pairing the two for this project would work out
best. Ryan is extremely ready for
this project, and in fact I may need to challenge him a little more. I am going to have him do additional
research on our galaxy, the Milky Way.
If Ryan is not challenged, it seems as if he just shuts down. Since Ryan does not like interacting
with the rest of the class, I am also going to have Ryan and his partner create
a poster board and verbally tell me what they did for the project. I will assist in any way needed for
Ryan to do well on the assignment.
5.
Erik is a tenth grade student that has
an IEP, which states to allow him extra time on tests and a 75% on assignments
equals an A. To me, it does not
seem like Erik has a learning disability.
He is extremely smart and very sociable in class. Erik is popular, respectful, and is a
hard working student. Erik was
born and raised in the area and has a nice family background. Both of his parents are hard working
blue collared workers. One of
Erik’s favorite hobbies is skateboarding, which he is very good at. For this project, I am going to pair
Erik with a girl he normally does his work with. They have a great working relationship and always do well
together. Erik and his partner
will decide which part he will do because he is the type of student that could
do either or. I gave Erik and his
partner the option to either present or make a poster board for me, and they
decided to present. The only thing
I will do differently for Erik is make adjustments to his final score so that
if he completes 75% of the assignment, that is the equivalent to 100% for
another student. I will assist
Erik in any way needed for him to succeed on the assignment.
2. Unit Rationale: Enduring Understandings & Essential Questions
The unit is extremely important for the students to
understand the different facts about our Sun and the planets in our solar system. The unit will allow students to be
creative while making a brochure and persuasive essay. This unit meets the “big picture” and
goals for the students because students are learning about the Sun, planets,
and the entire solar system in one activity.
Enduring Understandings (EU)
At the end of the Unit, students will know facts about our
Sun, our solar system, and planets.
Students will be able to illustrate (using a brochure), convince (by
persuasive essay), and explain (by presentation) facts about our Sun, planets,
and solar system.
Essential Questions
Essential Questions:
·
What makes our Sun good for this solar system?
·
What planets would be good for a species looking for a rocky surface?
·
Why are terrestrial planets located where they are?
·
What makes it difficult for life to thrive in gaseous planets?
·
What is going to happen to the alien’s Sun?
·
What would happen to our Sun at the end of its life?
Reason for the Instructional Strategies & Student
Activities
3. STANDARDS
Content Standards
1a. Students know how the differences and
similarities among the Sun, the terrestrial planets, and the gas planets may
have been established during the formation of the solar system.
1e. Students know the Sun is a typical star and is powered
by nuclear reactions, primarily the fusion of hydrogen to helium.
I & E 1i. Analyze the locations, sequences, or time
intervals that are characteristic of natural phenomena (e.g. relative ages of
rocks, locations of planets over time, and succession of species in an
ecosystem).
I & E 1l. Analyze situations and solve problems that
require combining and applying concepts from more than one area of science.
ELD Standards
Cluster 3 I: Make oneself be
understood when speaking by using consistent standard English grammatical forms
and sounds; however, some rules may not be followed (e.g. third-person
singular, male and female pronouns).
Cluster 9 I: Prepare and deliver
short presentations on ideas, premises, or images obtained from various common
sources.
Cluster 4 Writing I: Recognize
structured ideas and arguments and support examples in persuasive writing.
4. UNIT OBJECTIVES
Day 1:
·
After completing page 2 of the packet
they were given (15 questions), students will be able to explain the
differences and similarities among the Sun, terrestrial planets, and the gas
planets that may have been established during the formation of the solar system
by answering the 15 questions they researched. Students will be required to
think-pair-share with other groups after they have finished. The ticket out the door for the day
will be to show the teacher that their project is running smoothly.
·
After completing page 2 of the packet
they were given (15 questions), students will be able to infer that
the Sun is a typical star and is powered by nuclear reactions, primarily the
fusion of hydrogen to helium by answering the 15 questions they
researched. Students will be
required to think-pair-share after they have finished. The ticket out the door for the day
will be to show the teacher that their project is running smoothly.
·
After completing page 2 of the packet they were given
(15 questions), students will be able to Analyze the locations, sequences, or
time intervals that are characteristic of natural phenomena (e.g. relative ages
of rocks, locations of planets over time, and succession of species in an
ecosystem) by answering the 15 questions they researched. Students will be required to
think-pair-share with other groups after they have finished. The ticket out the door for the day
will be to show the teacher that their project is running smoothly.
·
After completing page 2 of the packet they were given
(15 questions), students will be able to Analyze situations and solve problems
that require combining and applying concepts from more than one area of science
by
answering the 15 questions they researched. Students will be required to think-pair-share after they
have finished. The ticket out the
door for the day will be to show the teacher that their project is running
smoothly.
Day 2:
·
After completing the brochure or persuasive essay,
students will be able to illustrate or explain facts about our Sun, solar
system, and planets by their writings or drawings. Students will be required to think-pair-share with other
groups once they are finished. The
ticket out the door for the day will be to show the teacher that their brochure
and persuasive essay are coming along smoothly. The same standards from above are being met here.
Day 3:
·
After the students have completed their brochures and
persuasive essays, students will be able to convince their classmates why they
should purchase real estate in our solar system through their company by
presenting the information they obtained throughout the project. Students will be required to turn in
their packets, persuasive essays, and brochures for a final grade after
presenting. The same standards from above are being met here.
* The standards listed above are being met throughout the
entire unit. Students will be
provided a rubric before they begin working on the unit to show them what is
expected.
5. ASSESSMENT PLAN
Have an assessment for every objective and standard in unit.
Cross-reference the objective and standard for each assessment. Example: Assessment
(Objective/Standard #)
Include the following information about each assessment:
Name of Assessment: Day
1
·
Formality: informal
·
Type: formative
·
Purpose: To make
sure students are answering the questions correctly.
·
Implementation
Method: written
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling, verbally, rubric
·
Evaluation
Criteria: One rubric for the entire unit.
·
Feedback Strategies: Peers think-pair-share before
the end of class, teacher reviews each group’s work.
·
Student
Self-Assessments: One rubric for the entire unit.
Name of Assessment: Day
2
·
Formality: informal
·
Type: formative
·
Purpose: To make
sure students are on track to finish their brochure and persuasive essay.
·
Implementation
Method: written
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling, verbally, rubric
·
Evaluation
Criteria: One rubric for the entire unit.
·
Feedback Strategies: Peers think-pair-share before
the end of class, teacher reviews each group’s work.
·
Student
Self-Assessments: One rubric for the entire unit.
Name of Assessment: Day
3
·
Formality: formal
·
Type: summative
·
Purpose: To assess
student knowledge of the standards for this particular unit.
·
Implementation
Method: verbal and written
·
Communication
of Expectations: modeling, verbally, rubric
·
Evaluation
Criteria: One rubric for the entire unit.
·
Feedback Strategies: Teacher and students grade each
other’s presentations. The teacher
will then combine the presentation grade, brochure, persuasive essay, and
answers to the 15 questions for a final grade.
·
Student
Self-Assessments: One rubric for the entire unit.
The
assessments address all standards.
Students will be assessed informally for the first two days and then
summatively at the end of the unit.
At the end of the unit, students will present their project to the
class, and turn in their packet for a cumulative grade. I will have a pretty good understanding
if students are learning the material by reading their essays, watching their
presentations, looking at their brochures, and reading through their answers to
the 15 questions answered on Day 1.
Students who are too nervous or shy to stand up in front of the class
can make a poster board and present their project to me only. Students also have a choice as to
whether they want to make the brochure for their group, write the persuasive
essay, or if they want to split them 50/50. The criteria for the assessments are modeled, verbally given
on the first day, and a hard copy of the rubric is provided in each of their
packets. Before students turn in
their packets, they will self-assess their project prior to turning it in. The ticket out the door on days one and
two are for the groups to think-pair-share with another group and then to show
me as they are leaving. I will be
able to informally assess the students daily as they are leaving class. The assessments that I am implementing
into this unit promote the students to think critically. Having students write a persuasive
essay, create a brochure, and present in front of their peers encourages the
students to think “outside” the box.
6. STEPS OF INSTRUCTION
Provide the into, through and closure/beyond for the unit as well as the lesson designs for each day with all
needed materials (ppts, graphic
organizers, rubrics…).
Into: Day 1
Objectives/Standards:
The objective for the first day is
to have the students form groups of two and by using the Internet be able to
research the answers to 15 different questions. The first step of the day will be to walk over to the
computer lab and get into groups of two at a computer. The teacher will pass out the entire
packet, describing what is expected of the students for this project.
Student Activity
The Mission: Friendly aliens have recently contacted NASA and have
communicated that the Sun in their solar system is beginning to crash. Once our scientists got over the shock
of communicating with aliens, they found out why they were speaking so
urgently: they want to relocate to a different solar system and want to know
all about our Sun. NASA has
determined that this is low on their priority list and has asked all solar
system real estate companies to present information to the aliens and try to
sell them planetary property. It
will be your company’s mission to gather as much information about our Sun, and
at least some of our planets, and report to the aliens as soon as
possible.
Students are given the scenario in
order to draw their interest and imagination.
The Task: Working
with your business partner (Groups of 2), you will use the Internet to search
at least 5 websites that give information about the Sun and our solar system
(be sure to list which website you researched at the bottom of your paper
written on Day 2). You will do
this in one class period! Each
Group is responsible for organizing the material, searching the Web, recording
the information that is important, and assessing validity of the information
(checking another website to make sure the information is the same). The questions are attached at the end
of this Unit Design.
· Prior to this lesson students have been working on Astronomy since
the beginning of the school year. Students should already be able to use some of the
information used in prior lessons to draw on and make connections.
· Students will work in the computer lab
for the entire first day.
· I will place students into groups so that ELL students and Special
Ed students work with partners that will help them. However, I will try to pair friends up to work together.
· Students that misbehave and don’t work on the activity will
receive a 0 for their part.
· I will show students a sample persuasive essay and brochure from a
previous class so the students have a better understanding of what is expected
out of them.
· Each day the students will have to focus
on a different part of the unit.
Day 1 will consist of conducting the research by answering the 15
questions. Day 2 the students will
need to come up with a name for their business, design an appealing brochure,
and write a persuasive essay.
· Students will be informally assessed
through think-pair-share and the teacher will look over their answers prior to
them leaving for the day.
Through:
Day 1: On the
first day students will get into their pairs and answer the 15 questions given
to them by the teacher. The
teacher will hand each group a packet that describes the activity in detail and
what is expected. The teacher will
go over the rubric with the class and model a persuasive essay and brochure
from a previous class. Students
will be placed into groups; Elena and Maria will be paired with a Bilingual
student with a higher CELDT level.
Elena and Maria are able to use English to Spanish translation online to
do their research. Orion and Alex
will be paired with students that would better fit their learning styles and
personalities. Other students will
be placed with friends or acquaintances.
Students will use at least 5 different sources from the Internet to
answer the 15 questions provided to them.
·
After completing page 2 of the packet
they were given (15 questions), students will be able to explain the
differences and similarities among the Sun, terrestrial planets, and the gas
planets that may have been established during the formation of the solar system
by answering the 15 questions they researched. Students will be required to
think-pair-share with other groups after they have finished. The ticket out the door for the day
will be to show the teacher that their project is running smoothly.
·
After completing page 2 of the packet
they were given (15 questions), students will be able to infer that
the Sun is a typical star and is powered by nuclear reactions, primarily the
fusion of hydrogen to helium by answering the 15 questions they
researched. Students will be
required to think-pair-share after they have finished. The ticket out the door for the day
will be to show the teacher that their project is running smoothly.
·
After completing page 2 of the packet they were given
(15 questions), students will be able to Analyze the locations, sequences, or
time intervals that are characteristic of natural phenomena (e.g. relative ages
of rocks, locations of planets over time, and succession of species in an
ecosystem) by answering the 15 questions they researched. Students will be required to
think-pair-share with other groups after they have finished. The ticket out the door for the day
will be to show the teacher that their project is running smoothly.
·
After completing page 2 of the packet they were given
(15 questions), students will be able to Analyze situations and solve problems
that require combining and applying concepts from more than one area of science
by
answering the 15 questions they researched. Students will be required to think-pair-share after they
have finished. The ticket out the
door for the day will be to show the teacher that their project is running
smoothly.
Day 2: On
the second day students will arrive back to the normal class and partner
up. The teacher will again model
for the students a persuasive essay and brochure from last year. The teacher will go through a
PowerPoint presentation, which will model what should be written on the first
page, second page, and third page.
For the ELL students, the teacher gives Maria and Elena’s group and copy
of the PowerPoint presentation to help them. Students will now decide how they will split the work. The majority of students decide one
will write the paper and the other will complete the brochure. After completing the brochure or
persuasive essay, students will be able to illustrate or explain facts about
our Sun, solar system, and planets by their writings or drawings. Students will be required to
think-pair-share with other groups once they are finished. The ticket out the door for the day
will be to show the teacher that their brochure and persuasive essay are coming
along smoothly. The ELD standard
covered on this day is Cluster 4 Writing I: Recognize
structured ideas and arguments and support examples in persuasive writing.
Day 3: On
the third day, students will present their project to the class. Students will have the opportunity to
make a poster board and present it to me if they have anxiety or are scared to
present their project. After the
students have completed their brochures and persuasive essays, students will be
able to convince their classmates why they should purchase real estate in our
solar system through their company by presenting the information they obtained
throughout the project. Students
will be required to turn in their packets, persuasive essays, and brochures for
a final grade after presenting. The assessment on day 3 will be a summative
assessment on all of the material the standards covered. The ELD standards covered on this day
are Cluster 3 I: Make oneself be understood when
speaking by using consistent standard English grammatical forms and sounds;
however, some rules may not be followed (e.g. third-person singular, male and
female pronouns).
Cluster 9 I: Prepare and deliver
short presentations on ideas, premises, or images obtained from various common
sources.
* The following content standards were covered on all three days:
1a. Students know how the differences and
similarities among the Sun, the terrestrial planets, and the gas planets may
have been established during the formation of the solar system.
1e. Students know the Sun is a typical star and is powered
by nuclear reactions, primarily the fusion of hydrogen to helium.
I & E 1i. Analyze the locations, sequences, or time
intervals that are characteristic of natural phenomena (e.g. relative ages of
rocks, locations of planets over time, and succession of species in an
ecosystem).
I & E 1l. Analyze situations and solve problems that
require combining and applying concepts from more than one area of science.
Closure/Beyond:
· Students will be required to participate in a Jeopardy game for
extra credit on the following Monday in preparation for their test.
· The final product the students will produce consists of their
packet with answers to the 15 questions, 3-page persuasive essay, brochure, and
responses from their peers and teacher in regards to the presentation.
· Students will continue to use the information they learned from
this project to help them with the next section on the solar system.
· This lesson helps prepare the students for the next lesson on
solar systems, as well as for the Benchmark test coming up.
WEEK OF LESSON PLANS
See attached. The unit was over a 3-day period
because I am only at SMHS Tuesday-Friday.
Wednesday and Thursday are block schedule for our school.
7. MATERIALS/RESOURCES
See attached. The packet contains all materials
needed, including websites.
8. REFLECTION
·
I think the unit plan was differentiated
really well. ELL and Special Ed
students were able to work with partners that helped them and at the same time
challenged them. High-achieving
students were able to go at their own pace. For students that were able to finish early, they were able
to work on perfecting their presentation.
·
A strength of the assignment was that it
pretty much touched on all different learning styles. A possible limitation in the plan is that if students were
not present on the first day, they were not able to go to the computer lab to
answer the questions. If they do
not have a computer at home, it could be challenging for them to complete the
questions.
·
One way to measure the students’
understanding of the material will come on Monday when we play the Jeopardy
game as review. I will also read
each essay and answers to the questions to make sure students were able to
obtain the correct information.
·
Teachers definitely need to plan on
mistakes or the high-achieving students finishing early. Also, teachers need to take into
consideration technological setbacks.
Since my school is fairly old, some of the computers seem like they were
invented in the 1920’s. When
students finished the questions early, I just had the begin working on their
persuasive essay or study the answers to the questions.
·
Be prepared for setbacks. I need to make sure I have a plan in
mind in case something goes wrong.
9. RUBRIC WITH SELF-ASSESSMENT
·
Highlight the criteria on the unit plan rubric that
you believe best describes your unit plan.
·
Turn in your highlighted scoring guide as an
attachment to your unit plan.
·
If you did this unit plan with a partner, you should
each score yourselves individually. You should also include at the bottom of
the scoring guide an evaluation of how you and your partner worked together.
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