Education Commons^™

Where’S My Home? The Case Of The Lost Digit – Place Value, Jennifer Yu

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This place value unit has been designed as a beginning of the year 3rd grade math unit. The purpose of the unit is to give students an understanding of numbers and how they are given a value. Students will understand that all numbers are made up of digits (0-9) and the position of the digits affect the value of the number. They will also understand that we order numbers to organize in everyday situations. Students will learn to read, write, and expand numbers. They will also learn to order numbers from least to greatest and greatest to least. They will …

Vacation Plans, Jonelle Bailey

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The curricular context of this unit focuses on the cultural similarities and differences between hobbies and pastimes in Spanish-speaking countries and the United Stated as well as in relation to different individuals and their leisure activity likes and dislikes. As stated in the Understandings of this Unit, student will gain an understanding of the influence that geographic location, socioeconomic status, personal choice, and individual characteristics influence the leisure activities that people like and dislike. This unit provides student with an understanding and application of the fact that the way we choose to spend our time outside of work or school …

A Closer Look At Trees, Mattina Van Coppenolle

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In this unit, students will investigate living trees in order to answer the essential question of “What is a Tree?” By using some materials in the Trees FOSS Kit and classroom mini-field trips, students will experience how trees and leaves have identifiable structures such as particular shapes, colors, or textures. Through these outside investigations students will understand that there are different types of trees (e.g. evergreens, deciduous, old trees, young trees, oak, red oak, maple, pine, fruit trees). Likewise, trees are identifiable by physical characteristics such as the type of leaves and bark, product of the tree (acorns, apples, etc) …

Setting The Scene: Adapting Romeo And Juliet To The 21st Century, Erika Barker, Veronica Pena-Montalvo

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A six week unit designed to teach play structure and understanding, culminating in a scene adaptation to a different era with the addition of a musical number. Students will learn how to effectively identify Aristotle’s Six Elements of a Play as well as practice a variety of character analysis techniques. They will also understand how language is a reflection of an era and can be used to ‘set the scene’. While this unit has been designed around Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, it is our goal that it be used with any play from any time period.

The Individual And Group Dynamics In Alexie’S The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian, Kat Aylesworth

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This unit was designed to be the second unit of the school year which means that the students will have had ample practice on writing body paragraphs but will need a lot of work on organizing ideas, building writing stamina, and formatting a complete paper. This unit places a heavy emphasis on finding and using textual evidence to support wider claims. It is the first step in the process and will serve as a foundation for the rest of the year.

Students will learn these skills while coming to an understanding about group dynamics and the place of the individual …

Grammar Is A Source Of Power: Bridging The Gap To Empower The Writer, Tina Harper, Monica Gonzalez

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Helping students tap into the power of grammar as a tool to empower their writing is the central goal of this unit. Students often see grammar as a list of rules and regulations that must be followed to avoid losing points on an assignment. It is our goal to help them see grammar as an avenue to communicate effectively and gain credibility from their audience.

Furthermore, students often struggle when transitioning from middle school to high schools. This unit is written to be taught and modified by an eighth grade and ninth grade English teacher. Because we teach at an …

How Do You Get What You Want??, Garrett Scott, Anne Blake

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This unit will help students to understand the different components of persuasion through the use of a variety of learning activities. The students will participate in three scaffolded performance tasks that will require them to work alone, in partners and in a group setting. Students will be able to independently use and evaluate persuasive techniques in media. By the end of the unit each student will have created and composed a persuasive letter, a multimedia print ad, and a public service announcement.

Matter Matters, Natalie Pierce, Jamie Boelens, Catherine Brackett

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Students will understand that:

1. All matter can be classified by its observable, physical properties.

2. Matter can be measured and changed by energy (ex: heat, light, sound).

3. When materials are put together, they can do things that they cannot do by themselves.

Students will know:

1. The difference among a solid, liquid, and a gas.

2. The concepts of heating, cooling, cutting, melting, folding, and sanding.

3. Energy is power- the ability to do work or make changes.

Ecology, Daisy Wang, Yipsel Ramos

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Goals/TEKS:

(10) The student knows that biological systems are composed of multiple levels. The student is expected to:

(C) analyze the levels of organization in biological systems and relate the levels to each other and to the whole system.

(11) The student knows that biological systems work to achieve and maintain balance. The student is expected to:

(B) investigate and analyze how organisms, populations, and communities respond to external factors;

(C) summarize the role of microorganisms in both maintaining and disrupting the health of both organisms and ecosystems

*(D) describe how events and processes that occur during ecological succession can …

Number, Numbers Everywhere! But Whatever Do I Think? 1st Grade Numerical Fluency, Audrey Tan

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This unit is designed as a beginning of the year math unit. Students will have had exposure to number recognition, counting, and patterns.

The unit is designed to help students explore and gain confidence with numbers to 100. Students will understand the relationship between numbers and build a foundation for estimation. They will count, compare, and order numbers. Students will discuss the abundance of numbers that they encounter in their everyday lives and the importance of being able to count accurately.

Throughout the unit students will develop their numerical fluency through games and hands on activities. The unit is centered …

The Motif Of Sight: Knowledge Versus Ignorance In Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, Lauren Lee

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In this college preparatory English class, I expose students to formative texts of the Western world. One such text is Oedipus Rex, the only text from classical Greek literature students read in their English coursework unless they choose to take the elective course on its mythology. We will, therefore, explore this play with the goal of introducing students to this formative literary world, both by reading the play itself and also by studying several prominent myths of Greek antiquity. Additionally, students will obtain knowledge of some of the tenets of and contributors to Greek theater, including a study of its …

Life Is Like A Rollercoaster (Physics), Michelle Hockley

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The main goal of this unit is for students to formulate a basic understanding of the mechanical physics concepts of force, work, motion and energy. Simple machines were examined in elementary school science so a review of these concepts is included in the unit. Then force, work, motion and energy are introduced with emphasis on lab work during which students will take the information and apply it.

The final assessment of the unit is a performance task in which students will independently design and create a rollercoaster with the requirements that it must be fun, safe and educational. The educational …

Finding The Right Fit, Norton Reihner

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No abstract provided.

El Arte De Contar (The Art Of Storytelling), Carol Arnold

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This unit is designed for the beginning of the school year in a Spanish IV Pre-AP classroom using the Conexiones Textbook. The unit focuses on exposing students to different types of readings (including: childhood stories, fairy tales, short stories, poetry, and lyrics) which students analyze for their literary elements, context, and structures. At the end of the unit, students create a story which they develop into an ebook (including images, text, music, and voice recording).

Measurement: Surviving Our Multi-Dimensional World, Courtney Bryand

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Measurement: Surviving our Multi-Dimensional World is a measurement unit with a “Survivor” theme. Many components are based on the project based learning activity Stranded! The unit begins and ends in a survivor scenario - students are stranded on a deserted island and must use a piece of scrap metal (an irregular figure) to design a device to catch fresh rain water so they can survive until they are rescued.

Throughout the unit, students build understanding of measurement concepts through hands on learning activities and collaboration with peers. Students learn to use measurement concepts to describe the world around them. The …

Elemental Fiction, Amy R. Thomson

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This is an approximately a seven week fiction unit intended for 9th grade regular English with daily fifty minute classes. It is partially based on the Glencoe Literature Texas Treasures Course 4 textbook.

The new STAAR exam begins next school year, and my students will be in the first class to take the exam. So, I wanted to create a unit that would help them practice the writing they would have on the exam without being writing exercises straight from the textbook.

In this unit I integrate reading, analyzing, and writing short stories with learning and analyzing literary terms and …

Genetics, Adaptations, Biomes, Theodore Risinger, Stephanie Greathouse

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This unit covers basic Genetics (Punnett Squares and terminology), the role it plays in adaptations and how it affects Natural Selection and Selective Breeding. This unit will also tie in the environment (Biomes) and how it plays a major role in determining the physical and behavioral characteristics of plants and animals.Interconnection of these “big ideas” will facilitate better overall understanding of how time and changes in the environment will affect all living organisms.

Animal Interdependence, Christy Custer

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This unit is meant to be taught after second graders have learned about plants and the basic needs of plants. In this unit students will explore how plants and animals rely on each other for survival. Through concrete, hands-on, and multimedia activities, students learn about food chains, basic needs, and what is required for survival in different habitats. As a culminating activity students will choose a habitat and a natural or man-made event that occurs in that habitat. Students will then draw a picture showing what the habitat looks like before the event and make predictions about how the habitat …

Bamboo People—An Interdisciplinary Unit For High School, Mitzi Moore

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A summer assignment asks students to read the book Bamboo People, by Mitali Perkins, and complete assignments in every class that are connected to the book. At the beginning of the school year, teachers use the assignments to extend the learning and help students understand the major themes of the book (child soldiers, landmines, literacy, and service to others). A video conference with the author is planned, as well as interactions with people familiar with modern-day Myanmar/Burma. The culminating activity is to bring all the assignments together in one place by publishing a blog post.

Border Disorder – Cultures In Conflict Throughout The World, Bethany Lorge

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This unit is designed to look at various cultures throughout the world and examine the reason for conflict in each of them. By looking at snapshots of information for various cultures and situations (e.g. Africa, Israel/Palestine, India/Pakistan, North/South Korea), students come to the understanding that conflict is due to many factors, but there is always a matter of different perspective for each situation. The students look at the history of each situation from a factual standpoint, but they also are stretched to investigate and explore the perspectives of each as well. The students’ performance task has them creating a news …

Comida- Let’S Eat!, Jonelle Bailey

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The curricular context of this unit focuses on food including cultural and personal preferences, opinions, and traditions as well as conversations in various food settings that address diverse scenarios. As stated in the Understandings of this Unit, students are able to synthesize and apply an in-depth understanding of the influence of culture, economy and social status on culinary conversation, meal times, and food choices to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the integral role that food plays in various aspects of life such as cultural events, traditions, daily life, and celebrations with family and friends.

Cause And Effect: Using Expository Writing To Problem-Solve, Mollie Knapp

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The goal of this unit is for students to understand cause and effect relationships and how analyzing these relationships can lead to better problem-solving.

In their performance assessment, students will research the causes and effects related to a teen issue topic of their choice. Students will then incorporate their research into a cause and effect essay. In addition to their research, students will give advice on what steps their readers can take to make good decisions when faced with this topic. For example, if a student were writing an essay about the effects of owning a pet, he/she would probably …

¿ Cómo Se Hace La Paella?, Jennifer Aranda, Juanita Castillo

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In the teaching of the Spanish language, we know that it is not only assuring that students know the grammatical concepts and vocabulary, but also ensuring that the students understand the cultural references and connections. It is this way that students are able to fully involve themselves in the language and become life-long learners.

What is culture? Culture is a complex idea. It can be thought of in many different ways and its definition is always changing. The unit ¿ Cómo se hace la paella? uses the theme of food to help students in defining and making meaning of the …

De Vacaciones (Going On Vacation), Jaclyn K. Metcalf

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De Vacaciones is a unit in which students learn to speak about going on vacations. By the end of the unit, they should be able to talk about things to do on a vacation, describe typical places to visit while on vacation, talk about events in the past using the preterit tense, and understand cultural perspectives on travel and vacation. This unit falls at the end of Spanish I (or Spanish 1B if the course is divided over two years). When starting this unit, students should already know the preterit tense of regular verbs. Throughout the unit, students will plan …

What Constitutes A Constitution?, Becky Orsini, Nick Thomason

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This unit was written as an in-depth explanation of the Texas and US Constitutions. It is an attempt to provide enduring understandings of the purpose behind the Texas and US Constitutions and why laws are important to keep a society functioning effectively. Students will be able to understand the relationship between civil liberties, state government powers, and federal government powers. They will see how the various parts of the constitution (Preamble, Articles, and Bill of Rights) work together to create a document that allows the government to work for the people while protecting them at the same time. In the …

Day Of The Dead, Jeanine Capitani

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This is a 15-day language arts unit dedicated to understanding the Mexican holiday, El Día de los Muertos, celebrated on November 1 and 2. The students will learn the significance of the Day of the Dead and how it is celebrated as well as learning important vocabulary. The students will do a writing project including an interview of a deceased relative or family friend, a cumulative paragraph explaining the importance of Day of the Dead, and a reflective paragraph. The students will also complete different art projects related to Day of the Dead. At the end, the students will have …

The (Dis)Advantages Of City Living And The Passive Voice, Amy Barnett

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This unit was created to meet the goals and objectives in Ch. 30 of the Ecce Romani II textbook (Latin II Pre-AP). The goals of the unit are for students to understand the specific uses of the passive voice, and to be able to describe the effect that the passive voice has on a sentence’s meaning. In addition, because the Ch.30 story is about a fire, students explore various dangers of living in an ancient city, as well as discuss and compare these disadvantages to those of a modern city. The students’ performance assessment is to combine this grammatical element …

Extreme Makeover: Country Edition, Susanna Pierce

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This capstone unit in an AP Macroeconomics course pushes students to critically apply the economic skills gained from the semester into practice. As representatives of an NGO, students create a proposal for the World Bank that demonstrates why their development project will stimulate economic growth in their assigned region of the world; ultimately, students will strive to convince the members to subsidize the implementation of this specific project.

In the four-week unit, students will discover the strategies of economic development. First, they will be exposed to shocking statistics and economic indicators that reveal the gravity of poverty worldwide. These numbers …

Media Literacy And Rhetorical Analysis With Advertisements, Ellen Mitchell

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In this unit, students use the media literacy inquiry process of analyzing advertisements for educational and real life purposes. By the end of the unit, student should be able to recognize and identify how media messages use specific techniques to target audiences to gain profit or power. Media literacy is used to build critical analysis skills and develop conscious consumers of products and ideas. This unit falls in the middle of the seventh grade year after students have practiced media literacy through studies of propaganda, news analysis, and rhetorical analysis of famous speeches. Throughout the unit, students will analyze print …

Global Environmental Problems, The Isa Way, Mitzi Moore, Kathleen Pedder

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This unit asks freshmen to verbally advocate for an assigned policy option from an assigned roll, during a simulation in which they work in teams to influence a mock Presidential Advisory Panel on Environmental Issues. Learning the content (global environmental problems), researching, and collaborating to establish a position will take one month and be taught primarily through Biology and World Geography classes, with support from Math and Multimedia. They will also read Ishmael in English class, and extend their understanding of sustainability issues by taking a week-long field trip immediately following the simulation.