Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 12 of 12

Full-Text Articles in Teacher Education and Professional Development

Holocaust [8th Grade], Allison Grant Jun 2006

Holocaust [8th Grade], Allison Grant

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit students will read Night by Elie Wiesel as a means for discovering the atrocities of the Holocaust. Our study will provide them with the opportunity to uncover the following understandings: prejudice generates powerful feelings which can lead to violent consequences and human suffering, suffering produces significant change in humans, and effective communication of the change in an individual can promote the growth of human society. As students read the nonfiction book and conduct research on the historical events surrounding the Holocaust they will answer the questions why does different matter? and can hope and despair coexist? Through …


U. S. Constitution [8th Grade], Ben Altman Jun 2006

U. S. Constitution [8th Grade], Ben Altman

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will explore the U.S. Constitution. They will begin by analyzing the issues and debates of the colonial era that brought about the need for a more structured centralized government. They will then study the processes of creation and ratification, and examine how these processes have contributed to the documents longevity and success. They will further that examination by evaluating the actual words of the document. The culminating performance assessment will require students to create their own constitutional plan for the governance of their history classroom. They will present their plans to the class and examine the …


Cultural Justice [7th Grade], Kathleen Fenske Jun 2006

Cultural Justice [7th Grade], Kathleen Fenske

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit focuses on cultural justice and how the type of justice implemented depends on the culture. The unit focuses on the 3 essential questions: What is justice? Is there truly justice for all? And is one culture's system of justice better than another? Along with these three questions, the unit also focuses on the 4 types of justice: revenge, retribution, rehabilitation, and restoration. This unit begins with reading Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelson, a story about a boy, Cole, who is sent to live alone on an island instead of being sent to jail for committing a crime. …


Why Learn Spanish? [7th Grade], Leigh Sheppard Jun 2006

Why Learn Spanish? [7th Grade], Leigh Sheppard

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

No abstract provided.


Matter [6th Grade], Anne Cowell Jun 2006

Matter [6th Grade], Anne Cowell

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit students will identify matter by its chemical and physical properties and begin learning how to write sections of a lab report. Students will also practice using scientific equipment especially graduated cylinders, beakers, and triple beam balances.


What Is Measurement? [8th Grade], Catherine Risinger Jun 2006

What Is Measurement? [8th Grade], Catherine Risinger

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this 8th grade unit, students will bridge their understanding of measurement from 7th grade Math to a new level which is required for the further development of Mathematical Skills. Students will gain a better understanding on the needed skills when solving for both direct and indirect measurement. Through the performance assessment students will design in small groups a 4,000 square foot home. Not only will students complete a scale drawing of their design they will also be building their design as well. This allows students to appreciate the amount of details that are required in the buildings that we …


Family [7th Grade], Amy Nichols Jun 2006

Family [7th Grade], Amy Nichols

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will explore the different forms and meaning family can take. Throughout, there will be an emphasis put on a fluid definition of family. From the traditional mother-father-children to friends who are like brothers to a woman caring for her aging boss, this unit will use age-appropriate literature to guide an exploration of what family can look like. In turn, there will also be opportunities for exploration of how families choose to represent and define themselves. Additionally, there will be study of the importance of point of view. A story and a situation--can change dramatically depending on …


Who Am I? [7th Grade], Lisa Shay, Judy Shaw Jun 2006

Who Am I? [7th Grade], Lisa Shay, Judy Shaw

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this three week unit students will gain a better understanding of themselves and how their life experiences and environment have shaped them. Students will also understand that by gaining self-knowledge they are better able to set goals for their future. In order to better understand themselves, students will first examine others lives and obstacles that these individuals have overcome to achieve some level of success. Through this examination students will be able to discover that the past doesn t have to decide their future. They will gain an insight into how certain individuals have triumphed despite difficulties and have …


Conflicts In Literature [8th Grade], Erin Phillips Jun 2006

Conflicts In Literature [8th Grade], Erin Phillips

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will gain a greater understanding of conflict and its implications on life. The reading of short stories, biographies, and newspaper articles will guide the students in exploring the understandings that conflict brings about change, conflict is a catalyst of fiction, and that conflicts in literature can be applicable to our own lives. Performance task #1 invites students to delve into a newspaper article identifying the essential component of every story, (Does every story have a conflict?) conflict. The purpose is to locate the conflict and arrive at the conclusion that conflict is the determining factor of …


Historical Sources [7th Grade], Beth Mcphail Jun 2006

Historical Sources [7th Grade], Beth Mcphail

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit introduces the concepts and skills associated with historical research and interpretation. Students will learn how to identify primary and secondary sources and how to interpret sources in a variety of formats. They will learn how to identify bias and some of the reasons it exists. Students will apply these skills of analysis and interpretation in a performance assessment that asks them to interpret a variety of sources about a historical event. Students will create a presentation for their peers in which they explain this event, based on their source analysis. The purpose of this unit is to prepare …


Survival Stories [6th Grade], Allison Grant Jun 2006

Survival Stories [6th Grade], Allison Grant

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit students will read historical fiction and nonfiction texts focusing on the tragedy of the Titanic. The readings will provide them with the opportunity to uncover the understandings that the genre of a text not only determines its purpose but also informs our approach to reading and that survivors make adjustments or adaptations in their lives in order to overcome significant challenges or difficulties. As students read the historical fiction book Voyage on the Great Titanic accompanied by various newspaper articles and nonfiction sources on the sinking of the ship, they will answer the question why does genre …


Obstacles: The Study Of Life's Hurdles Through Reading And Writing Personal Narratives [7th Grade], Nilima Patel Jun 2006

Obstacles: The Study Of Life's Hurdles Through Reading And Writing Personal Narratives [7th Grade], Nilima Patel

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The study of writing and reading is all too often carried out separately. Students learn how to read and write in isolation; such learning proves to be limited. This unit aims to integrate these two studies into one. Students will study authors and the strategies they employ when writing. These strategies will then be applied in their own writing. Such strategies include developing characters and ideas, organizing ideas using the plot components, and cultivating writing through tone and mood.