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Full-Text Articles in Teacher Education and Professional Development

Imperfect Tense And The Past [10th Grade], Leigh Sheppard Jun 2006

Imperfect Tense And The Past [10th Grade], Leigh Sheppard

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

No abstract provided.


Imperfect Tense [10th Grade], Sarah Gamboa Jun 2006

Imperfect Tense [10th Grade], Sarah Gamboa

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

No abstract provided.


Great Gatsby [11th Grade], Kathleen Fenske Jun 2006

Great Gatsby [11th Grade], Kathleen Fenske

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit focuses on exploring The Great Gatsby and how the time period and culture in which the novel is written plays a vital part in the author s overall message in the novel. One of the key understandings to this unit is how good literature makes a statement on culture, but great literature is timeless and universal and provides a lens to view our own lives and society. Through an examination of the 1920s culture, the students will be able to understand Fitzgerald s message about the 1920s. They will further examine this through a group project where they …


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 …


French Revolution [10th Grade], Jenna Smith Jun 2006

French Revolution [10th Grade], Jenna Smith

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The students will recognize that there are many different causes that can lead to a revolution. The students will know the different causes of the French Revolution and the effects of that revolution. The students will explore what the French citizens desired to gain from the revolution. There should be an understanding the results of a revolution may or may not have an effect on the lives of citizens. Revolutions do not always equal immediate progress, which is mirrored in the aftermath of the French Revolution. The performance assessment design will give the students to start a revolution where they …


Islam In History [4th Grade], Robert Roehm Jun 2006

Islam In History [4th Grade], Robert Roehm

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Students will probe the questions of what exactly makes up a religion & how belief systems shape worldviews, spread, and interact as they learn about the founding and spread of Islam. Students will recognize that different belief systems meet similar needs and share common elements, learning Students will explore the history of Islam s origins and its spread and variation up to the present day. They will look at how its ideas have spread, as well as how they were received in different areas of the world. Students will also look at the Crusades as an example of beliefs in …


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.


Linear Inequalities [11th Grade], Maeve Goetz Jun 2006

Linear Inequalities [11th Grade], Maeve Goetz

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The students will be introduced to linear inequalities and systems of linear inequalities. The main understandings that I want to develop in my students are that there are many methods to solving math problems and that solving the problem is not always enough (mathematically correct solutions are not always the best solutions). They will need to analyze the solutions they develop to determine whether or not their answer is reasonable. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of linear equalities by solving them algebraically, graphically, and using a table. Students will compare and contrast linear equations to linear inequalities. They will explore …


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.


Genre (And The Category Is...) [9th Grade], Kristen Dylla Jun 2006

Genre (And The Category Is...) [9th Grade], Kristen Dylla

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Making sense of the world and its complexities looms a difficult task for students in the ninth grade. This unit focuses on the understanding that one way to do so is to categorize information and ideas. The discipline-specific part of the unit will utilize the idea of genre as a category for organization, an essential understanding for the study of any text. The unit is done at the start of the year so that for the rest of the year, students have their ideas of genre to help them make sense of texts read. It would be preceded by an …


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 …


What Is A Good Reader? [1st Grade], Elizabeth Cambray Jun 2006

What Is A Good Reader? [1st Grade], Elizabeth Cambray

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

No abstract provided.


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 …


Plant And Animal Adaptations [4th Grade], Jennifer Mahler Jun 2006

Plant And Animal Adaptations [4th Grade], Jennifer Mahler

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit will help students recognize the many ways that plants and animals adapt to their environments. Students will explore how an organism s environment affects the way the organism looks, as well as identify challenges that organisms face both past and present. Students will also compare endangered or extinct animals with animals that are successful. In doing this, they will attempt to discern why certain animals thrive while others do not. In the performance assessments, students will be asked to create an animal with adaptations for a given environment and to adapt an extinct or endangered plant to its …


Latin America [9th Grade], Ruth Anderson Jun 2006

Latin America [9th Grade], Ruth Anderson

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The students will recognize that where we live influences how we live. The students will know what important physical features of Latin America are and how Latin Americans have adapted to these various environments, how physical and human characteristics affect life in Latin America s rural regions, how the people of the Caribbean and Central America are affected by landforms and climate, what economic and environmental challenges the rainforests of Latin America face, how natural resources are utilized, how vertical climate zones affect agriculture, and in which ways Andean cultures have adapted to their physical environment. The students will recognize …


Ecology [10th Grade], Matt Simonds Jun 2006

Ecology [10th Grade], Matt Simonds

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

By the end of this unit students will understand that organisms in an ecosystem are interdependent and that an ecosystem is made up of more than just the living things in it. Furthermore, they will be able to create, correctly label, and predict the effects of a given event on a food web. Throughout this unit students will practice creating and interpreting food webs & nutrient cycles. They will also practice using the appropriate vocabulary as listed in the unit below. In the performance assessment, students research an ecological issue of their choice and create a report containing an explanation …


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.


Reading, Writing And Voice [9th Grade], Faith Fugit Jun 2006

Reading, Writing And Voice [9th Grade], Faith Fugit

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The Houston Academy of International Studies is a public charter school that opened in HISD in fall 2006. As the freshman English teacher for HAIS, I wrote this unit during summer 2006, before many rules, routines and procedures for the school were hammered down. This unit is planned for the fall semester and aims to help students explore the concepts of literary and social voice while using their own voices authentically to shape our new school. As an opportunity to exercise voice, students participate in a semester-long school-improvement project for HAIS. Throughout our study of literary and social voice, students …


Revolutionary Perspectives: Using Primary Sources And Art To Teach The Causes Of The American Revolution [4th Grade], Michael Shay, Carrie Susong Jun 2006

Revolutionary Perspectives: Using Primary Sources And Art To Teach The Causes Of The American Revolution [4th Grade], Michael Shay, Carrie Susong

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will learn about the events leading up to the American Revolution through primary and secondary print sources and artwork. Students will recognize that British and American points of view differed greatly through the pre-Revolutionary time period. These differing points of view are present in primary and secondary print sources and artwork. Students will distinguish between these points of view and explain how different perspectives and ideas played an important role in the causes and events leading to the American Revolution. They will then apply critical thinking skills to create a written account and piece of artwork …