Homework Lance
Weekly Unit PlanTemplate
Unit Theme:
–
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Title of Lesson or Activity
Demonstrating knowledge about the neighborhood and the community
The Earth
The Living things
Technology
Setting class rules
Standards and Objectives
What do students need to know and be able to do for each day of the unit?
New Jersey State Standard 6.3:
- the learners should be able to identify the physical features in the neighborhood
- learners should be able to note the cultural differences among the community members
- the learners should be able to identify the roles different people play in the community
New Jersey State Standard 5.4: Children observe and investigate the Earth
Learners should be able to understand the earth and identify its features in a picture.
Learners will identify different features of the earth
New Jersey State Standard 5.3: Children observe and investigate living things.
Learners should be able to define a living thing
Learners should be able to understand the life cycle of living things
Learners should identify types of living things; trees and animals
New Jersey State Standard 5.5: Children gain experience in using technology
Learners to identify the benefits of technology
Learners to note the shortcomings of technology
New Jersey State Standard 6.2: Children become contributing members of the classroom community
>learners to demonstrate appropriate behavior when interacting with classmates
>setting up agreeable rules
> learners setting up routines and following them
Academic Language and Vocabulary
What academic language will you emphasize and teach each day during this unit?
Click here to enter text.
- culture
- physical features
- community
- Science investigation
- Weather phenomena
- Natural environment
- Conservation
Living things
Chlorophyll
Conservation
Natural habitat
Technology
Tools
Workshop
Routines
Rules
Democracy
Summary of Content Knowledge and Resources
How are in-depth content knowledge and learning resources in the academic disciplines applied to create meaningful and engaging opportunities for students to learn, practice, and master content?
The learners are expected to gain knowledge about their neighborhood and the community. This will include the physical features in the neighborhood. Equally, the lesson will focus on the different roles that thedifferent people in the community play.
The learners are expected to gain knowledge about the earth as well as the environment. Technology offers an avenue to observe the earth at different seasons
Learners are bound to understand living things and their life cycle.
Learners are expected to understand the interdependence between animals and trees. Animals tend to offer manure and carbon dioxide to animals. In return animals get oxygen fromtrees.
The advancement of technology has enhanced various sectors such as commerce, transport and education. The adoption of technology is best suited to benefit many if it can be introduced to the learners early.
Children get experience on the use of technology when they are introduced to it early enough. For instance the video recording or internet streaming will be part and parcel of the learning process in the learners’ future.
Learners are bound to create self-awareness.
A sense responsibility is created among learners. They can create routines and rules that guide them in class. They can gladly follow the rules since they advocated for those rules.
Summary of Curriculum-based Learning Activities
Describe developmentally meaningful and challenging learning activities that apply appropriate curriculum that is aligned to state standards.
I will provide the learners with a stack of cards. The card has different pictures depcting depictingthe physical features found in the neighborhood.
Like a game, every learner will show the class the card they got and they could try to name the physical feature shown in that picture.
This earning activity will make learners to develop their vocabulary while knowing the physical features in their locality.
For learners to understand the earth and the environment, they will need to go outdoors. They will have a walk in the school compound to identify different characteristics of the earth and the environment.
An outdoor activity to observe animals and trees is ideal. Later the class will organize and establish a small garden in the class. The garden will be beneficial in showing learners the growth process of plants.
I will organize a trip to the school workshop. The learners will carry video recorders to document the activities taking place in the workshop. The learners are bound to see how technology is used in the workshop to make work easy. Further they will use technology; digital camera to document the lessons.
The learners will document the different technology based tools they witness in the workshop.
I will organize the learners into groups. The groups will set up their rules as well as having the group leadership. The groups will set rules. The members will are bound to follow th rules they have set up.
These groups will create a sense of a democratic community.
Differentiation
What are the adaptations or modifications to the instruction/activities as determined by the student factors or individual learning needs?
- English language learners (ELL):
I will use formative assessment to monitor the general progress in class. I will include visuals in the learning process so that they can comprehend easily. Equally, I could conduct pre-teaching when possible for English language learners so that they can cope up. Further, inclusion of group work will offer them a chance to learn from their peers.
- Students with special needs:
Assistive technology will be of essence in ensuring the special needs learners keep up with the rest. The learning process will also be accompanied with visuals to demonstrate the concept to learners with special needs. Equally, further attention will be offered through an assistant teacher to ensure learners with special needs move along.
- Students with gifted abilities:
I will allow gifted learners to think into different directions and have different perceptions for the same idea. Equally, offering the gifted learners additional tasks will ensure that they work beyond the set limits and thus keeping them busy.
- Early finishers (those students who finish early and may need additional resources/support):
I will plan for tiered learning process. The creation of levels will ensure that the early finishers have something to do upon the completion of the initial work. Equally, I will offer the homework assignments on time. Early finishers can commence their homework while in class.
For English learning students, I will offer personalized attention to all learners that seem to have missed any concept. This will take place during a formative assessment.
For learners with special needs, The learning process will be accompanied with visuals to demonstrate the concept to learners with special needs.
Additional assignment will be directed at gifted learners during a formative assessment in the lesson. This way they will be busy while I attend the slow learners and the leaners with special needs.
Early finishers will be offered additional questions. This will keep them engaged while the other learners finish the initial assignment.
Trees and animals have different names and connotation sin different communities. For English language learners, I will inform them about different animals and tree species using their respective languages.
For learners with special needs the use of assistive technology to hear and visuals of the trees and animals were are discussing will be of essence.
For gifted learners and early finishers, I willcreate groups for them and then task them to try and make notes on types of animals and trees they have seen.
Formative assessment using cold questions will be ideal while in the workshop. A workshop as many risks and thereby keeping the leaners busy with the trip is of essence. Cold questioning will keep all learners busy.
I will use the learners’ first language when dealing with English language learners.
The group membership will take into consideration the levels of the group members.
The early finishers and gifted learners will be mixed with slow learners and learners with special needs. This is bound to balance the groups so that some groups do not finish an assignment early while other groups are lagging behind.
Engagement Strategies
What strategies are you going to use with your students to keep them engaged throughout the unit of study?
Incorporation of religiously and culturally sensitive language for English language learners will ensure they do not shun away from the class.
Visuals and assistive technology will aid the learners with special needs to keep up with the rest.
I will involve book talks for the gifted learners. Groupings can also be effective to keep the gifted learners occupied. The groupings will ensure a constant flow of ideas that the gifted learners can engage in.
While other learners are doing their work, I will offer the early finishers their homework. They will have an option of doing their homework in class while I am guiding other learners. Alternatively, I will offer the learners tiered assignments in class so that the early finishers will have more work.
For gifted learners, additional assignment will be directed at gifted learners during a formative assessment in the lesson. This will also apply for early finishers.
For learners with special needs, the learning process will be accompanied with visuals to demonstrate the concept to learners with special needs.
Equally, further attention will be offered through an assistant teacher to ensure learners with special needs move along.
In an outdoor activity, there are many distractions to the learning process. I will use cold questioning as the form of assessment.
Cold questioning will imply learners do not know who will be tasked to answer and thereby attentive.
I will task two more teachers to keep an eye on the special needs students and further guide them when walking around and explaining concepts that they might not cope up with the rest.
Special needs learners will be accorded visuals and assistive hearing technology for ease of participation.
Gifted learners and early finishers will be tasked to each make a list of the technological tools and their uses as noted in the workshop.
I will be close monitoring to avoid overexcitements and time wasting in the groups. Equally, I will use cold questioning method when enquiring about the group work progress. Cold questioning will keep all group members active and involved in the teamwork.
Assessments and accommodationsHow will learning be assessed and what accommodations will be made to meet individual student needs?
Formative assessment is ideal to follow up the progress of learners with special need and English learners. Concepts that they seem not to respond effectively then I will repeat.
The assignment and assessment process for gifted learners and early finishers will be in tiers. The highest tier will be directed to these groups so they can be busy while the other learners are trying to catch up.
For English language learners, I will arrange them in groups and task them write down the characteristics of the earth that they saw in the visuals.
Gifted learners will be required to make observations around the school compound and write down the earth’s characteristics. .
Early finishers will have to contend with questions from a higher tier. The assignments will be in levels and the early finishers will get the higher level assignment.
Group work is ideal form as assessment for an outdoor learning activity. I will arrange the learners in groups and then they can make a list of living things they encounter. Working in groups will enhance cooperation and safety while outside the class.
The lists that the learners will make in the workshops will be evaluated. To ascertain the extent of their learning, cold questioning will be used upon completion of the workshop tour.
Formative assessment through cold questioning will ensure that all learners gain. Upon completion of the group formations, the groups will compete.
The groups will make a list of their rules and routines. These write-ups will be evaluated.
Rationale:
The choice of instructional strategies are in line with the previous lessons. The ideal instructional strategies are based on empowering the learners. Learners get the chance to make choices on what they wish to undertake. My role is monitoring at a distance to guide them where necessary. For instance, I used group work and outdoor activities to bring forth instructional materials. Group works allow some learners to act as leaders. Leadership traits are inculcated in the learners. Equally, the group leaders are chosen among the learners without interference from the instructors. Repetition of group work has improved the learners interactions and choices made. This is because the groups tend to compete and those groups that are not winning have a weak leader. Based on that experience, they have learned to make good choices when choosing leaders for the group.
When a learning instruction does not bring forth ideal results, I opt to adjust it to enhance the learning process. For instance, when the learners visited the school workshop, some learners were quite distracted. Shifting to cold questioning as a formative assessment measure made the learners concentrate on what they are being taught. Cold questioning method does not allow learners to seek a chance to answer, I get to make a random choice on who should answer my question. This makes learners to concentrate since they are not sure who might be asked to answer.
The feedback from previous lesson offer the right background information in which the current lessons are built. I noted in previous group work lessons that some groups could do their work within a short time and thus leave other groups that take long. I decided to create groups that mix the early finishers, gifted learners, slow learners and special needs learners. The slow learners and learners with special needs get to learn from the gifted learners. The winning spirit boosts the confidence of slow learners and learners with special needs.
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