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Full-Text Articles in Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching

Proportional Relationships [7th Grade], Sabrina Bennett, Courtney Bryand Sep 2009

Proportional Relationships [7th Grade], Sabrina Bennett, Courtney Bryand

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit students will discover how everyday situations can be represented mathematically through proportional relationships. They will explore the use of ratios, rates and proportions as a problem solving tools. Students will examine proportional relationships in a variety of situations including percents, scaling, and purchasing situation (tax, tip, discount, best value etc). This unit provides two levels of learning activities. The seventh grade activities incorporate the seventh grade standards, and seventh grade pre-AP/GT activities compacts the seventh grade curriculum to incorporate both seventh and eighth grade standards. Pre-AP/GT activities can also be used as extension to the 7th grade …


Reading Music-Abc’S, 123’S, Do Re Mi’S [6th Grade], Jessica Koppe Sep 2009

Reading Music-Abc’S, 123’S, Do Re Mi’S [6th Grade], Jessica Koppe

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will get an introduction to reading music at the middle school level in choir. This unit is theory intensive and meant to help students strengthen their basic music reading skills to provide a strong foundation for the ensemble and its ability to do more difficult music. This unit is not preparing students for a concert, so it may need to be spread out depending on the school’s needs and required performances. Activities are meant to keep students engaged in theory. By the end of the unit, students will be able to sing a major scale using …


Photographic Eye: Capturing The Moment Through Personal Narrative [8th-9th Grade], Amy Anderson Sep 2009

Photographic Eye: Capturing The Moment Through Personal Narrative [8th-9th Grade], Amy Anderson

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Students will explore the connections between the writing process, art and memory. Through the lens of photography and art, they will refine and publish a “moment in time” personal narrative. This unit was created for the beginning of the school year, and serves the dual purpose of reviewing the writing process and helping students create meaningful connections with each other. Learning culminates as students produce and present a literary magazine celebrating their work.


Earth Sun Moon Phenomena: Seasons, Lunar Cycle, Tides [7th-8th Grade], Theodore Risinger Sep 2009

Earth Sun Moon Phenomena: Seasons, Lunar Cycle, Tides [7th-8th Grade], Theodore Risinger

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit focuses on the interactions and motions of the earth, sun, and moon that cause seasons, the lunar cycle and tides on earth. Most middle school age students have misconceptions of these topics. The primary goal of this unit to correct any misconceptions students may have on these topics. Secondly, to further their understanding of how and why things on earth happen the way they do. For each of the topics covered no one single rule or individual event will cover all the aspects involved in the great question of “Why?”. Students will be challenged because they will have …


Art & Technology [6th-8th Grade], Elizabeth A. Bendele Sep 2009

Art & Technology [6th-8th Grade], Elizabeth A. Bendele

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit was designed to meet several needs in the art classroom: a.) to expose students to digital art and design; b.) to reveal instances where technology has altered the path of artists, c.) to integrate technology standards in the art curriculum. The central understandings for this unit are: a.) Art evolves as technology develops; and b.) Technology has provided a venue for the widespread production and mass viewing of art. Essential questions are: a.) In what ways has technology changed art? b.) Has art advanced/improved or declined/deteriorated with the advent of new technology? c.) Is the value of an …


What Section Do I Go To In Barnes And Noble? [7th Grade], Carol Cagnoni Sep 2009

What Section Do I Go To In Barnes And Noble? [7th Grade], Carol Cagnoni

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The following unit is based upon the 7th grade reading TEKS and College and Career Readiness Standards for TEXAS. In this unit, students will explore a variety of genres. Through group discussion, lectures, and self-discovery, students will be able to better understand how to choose a book in a genre that interests them. The unit ends with students reading a self-selected book based on criteria tailored to them. Finally, after reading a book, the students will create a brochure advertising the book they completed as well as share their opinion with their peers.


Making Writing Personal [6th Grade], Kathleen Fenske Sep 2009

Making Writing Personal [6th Grade], Kathleen Fenske

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will view nonfiction and fiction as a commentary on an author’s personal life and on society, particularly the life of a migrant worker. Students will also begin to view writing as a process and as a reflection of self. Students will begin the unit by delving into the following questions: How does literature reflect a culture or time period? What can we learn from the past? To what extent can fiction reveal truth? Should a story teach you something? Why write? Why share personal experiences in writing? What makes writing worth reading? Through these questions, students …


Getting The Message [7th Grade], Vanessa Sanchez Sep 2009

Getting The Message [7th Grade], Vanessa Sanchez

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit will serve as an introduction to Advanced Contemporary Literacy in the seventh grade. ACL is centered on the forms of media and media’s purpose, message, and construction. Through the use of real world examples, students will begin to gain an understanding of media, what it represents and how they can interpret it beyond the surface.


Rules, What Rules ? (Linear Equations, Y=,X/Y Tables, Graphing) [8th Grade], Catherine Risinger Aug 2009

Rules, What Rules ? (Linear Equations, Y=,X/Y Tables, Graphing) [8th Grade], Catherine Risinger

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The students will be introduced to linear equations. The main understandings that I want my students to develop is that even though there are multiple ways to solve problems, each way and representation can convey the same information. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of linear equations by solving them using a situation, algebraically, graphically, and using a table. Students will be able to generate a different representation of data given another representation of the same data. Students will explore real world examples of linear equations and discuss when different representations of linear equations are better models to use even though …


Success And Adversity Through Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone [7th Grade], Sarah Gamboa Apr 2009

Success And Adversity Through Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone [7th Grade], Sarah Gamboa

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit focuses on what success and adversity are. Students will explore what success means to them. Essential questions for this unit are: What is success; Why are some people successful; and How can I be successful? Students will understand that: success is not inherent and must be achieved; certain habits help people become high achievers; and success can be achieved despite adversity. We will read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to focus on different forms of success and adversity. In the end, students will create an exhibit about success including a biographical piece and their plans for the …


Reflexive Writing And Literature [7th Grade], Kara Dougherty Apr 2009

Reflexive Writing And Literature [7th Grade], Kara Dougherty

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

The goal of this unit is for students to write their own reflexive piece of writing--a memoir. While students have had previous exposure to this in the past, their focus should be more on narrowing down their topic to the important facts and use vivid descriptions and sensory details to create imagery in their writing. We will read published examples of reflexive writing from both essay collections and the literature book, Elements of Literature: First Course published by Holt in order to analyse and understand how other writers make their literature interesting to the reader. We will also explore strategies …


Rational Numbers [7th Grade], Courtney Spickelmier Apr 2009

Rational Numbers [7th Grade], Courtney Spickelmier

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This 6-7 week unit is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of rational numbers and what they represent: a part of a whole. The unit encompasses many aspects of working with rational numbers including converting between different forms of rational numbers, comparing and ordering rational numbers, understanding the relationship between improper and mixed number fractions, performing operations with rational numbers, finding percentages, and applying such skills to real world situations. Throughout this unit, students are given the opportunity to discover relationships between numbers, make connections to the real world and other mathematical topics, and reinforce skills through large …


Seedfolks: Individual And Community [7th Grade], Vanessa Sanchez Apr 2009

Seedfolks: Individual And Community [7th Grade], Vanessa Sanchez

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Students will focus on the impact an individual can have on a community. The unit will then move on to a study of individuals who have affected their communities and the affect a community has on the behavior and understanding of an individual. Students will also read and discuss the novel Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman as a connection to the focus of the unit. Students will use their knowledge of community and individual influence to make a difference within their own community and reflect on the experience.


Media Forms In Use [7th Grade], Salena Gonzales Apr 2009

Media Forms In Use [7th Grade], Salena Gonzales

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Advanced Contemporary Literacy is a new course at NEISD where each grade level's curriculum is designed around a different focus for the year to meet the needs of students who require or desire a challenge and change of pace from the traditional reading class. In seventh grade, the focus is Media Literacy, the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create media in a variety of forms-from print to video to the Internet. Media Literacy is essential to today's adolescents because, according the the Center for Media Literacy, it "builds an understanding of the role of media in society as well …


Bits And Pieces -- Working With Fractions [6th-8th Grade], Kathleen Kilday Apr 2009

Bits And Pieces -- Working With Fractions [6th-8th Grade], Kathleen Kilday

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will be introduced to fractions. Students will have practice identifying commonly used fractions using physical models, pictures, numbers, and word problems. Using these skills, students will recognize equivalent fractions and be able to sort fractions from largest to smallest and vice versa. Students will also be introduced to adding and subtracting these commonly used fractions. To demonstrate their knowledge of fractions, students will be asked to complete a performance assessment. The students will be given a recipe and 2 situations. The students will use the given information to amend the recipe for the appropriate number of …


Exploring Media [6th Grade], Kathleen Fenske Apr 2009

Exploring Media [6th Grade], Kathleen Fenske

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will explore media and will focus on how media has different forms based on its purposes, how it can persuade viewers or readers using a variety of elements and tools, and how it reflects a society's values. Students will begin the unit by delving into it with the following questions: What is media? Why do we use different forms of media? Newspapers? Magazine? Internet? Television? Radio? How do effective advertisements hook the consumers? How do we "read" media? Should we believe everything we see and hear? Does media reflect a society or does it shape how …


Simple & Compound Machines [7th Grade], Roxanne Hammonds Mar 2009

Simple & Compound Machines [7th Grade], Roxanne Hammonds

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Students will learn about the different types of simple machines including pulleys, levers, wedges, Screws, inclined planes, and wheel & axles. They will be able to classify objects as simple or compound machines. They will describe how humans use machines to make everyday tasks easier. They will illustrate their knowledge of simple machines throughout the unit through various science journals, fold books, and flashcards. As a culminating performance task, the students will use what they have learned to make a Rube Goldberg machine. Students will choose what type of useful work their machine will do. The students will present their …


Conjugation [8th Grade], Leigh Sheppard Jul 2008

Conjugation [8th Grade], Leigh Sheppard

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit students will learn how to conjugate AR, ER, and IR verbs successfully in the present tense. They will be asked to define what conjugation is and why it is important to communication in the target language. Students will reflect on their own language to help them grasp the new concept in Spanish. At the end of this unit, students will be asked to use their new skill to create a children’s book for the district’s bilingual program. The books will be donated to the program for use in their kindergarten classrooms. Students will use the correct conjugations …


Exploring Cause And Effect Through Change [7th Grade], Sarah Gamboa Jul 2008

Exploring Cause And Effect Through Change [7th Grade], Sarah Gamboa

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit focuses on (as the title suggests) exploring cause and effect through change. Students will explore different personal, local, and global changes; what causes those changes, and what effects those change have on them, those around them, and the world. They will also understand that, while change is not avoidable, we empower ourselves by deciding how to react and respond to those changes. Students will read a fictional narrative in which they can relate to the main character: the story is about her first day at a US school. They will also read fictional and non-fiction letters to the …


Goal Setting- Obtaining Your Best [7th-8th Grades], Erin Phillips Jul 2008

Goal Setting- Obtaining Your Best [7th-8th Grades], Erin Phillips

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit, students will work to construct their own definition of a goal and from that spring into action in setting real, measurable, and motivating goals for their life. This unit is designed to not only teach students what a goal is, but to also explain why they are necessary. To emphasize to students that without them we have little to no direction and as a result we will not be led to success, but wander aimlessly. The unit is also structured to go beyond the preliminary stages of goal setting, but to actually see the students through to …


Walk This Way (Force And Motion) [6th Grade], Anne Cowell Jul 2008

Walk This Way (Force And Motion) [6th Grade], Anne Cowell

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The goal of this unit is for students to understand: An object’s motion is dependent on the forces that are acting or have acted on it. An object’s motion can be pictured in a graph or be determined from a graph. The unit addresses balanced and unbalanced forces, types of forces, speed, and reviews graphing to address the understandings and the district expectations.


What Is Poetry? [6th Grade], Kathleen Fenske Jul 2008

What Is Poetry? [6th Grade], Kathleen Fenske

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit focuses on the definition of poetry, its elements, and the types of poetry. The unit explores 4 essential questions: What is poetry? What is the difference between poetry and prose? How do you read a poem? What makes a poem great? Since poetry is an abstract term for most students, students will explore how poetry is different from prose. They will come to understand that it is written with a specific structure and that each aspect of a poem has a purpose. Students will read, analyze, and write poetry. They will begin the unit by responding to the …


Compare And Contrast Your Way To Better Judgment [7th Grade], Salena Gonzales Jul 2008

Compare And Contrast Your Way To Better Judgment [7th Grade], Salena Gonzales

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

We should evaluate of both sides of a story (or situation) before choosing which is better or worse. Fact and opinion are both vital to choosing preference. The choices we make have significant effects on our lives. (cause and effect) Fables are genre of short fiction stories with inferred morals to learn from.


Advocacy And You [6th-8th Grade], Kathleen Kilday Jul 2008

Advocacy And You [6th-8th Grade], Kathleen Kilday

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This 5 week unit is designed to help special education students understand that they have a responsibility to be an active part of the learning process and ask for help and tools appropriately when necessary. This unit uses frequent repetition, interactive homework, and role play to help solidify student understanding of the content. Students will learn how to ask for help appropriate through direct instruction of steps as well as opportunities to practice these skills in the classroom. Students will also learn when to ask for help through role-playing and analyzing scenarios.


Probability And Statistics [7th Grade], Courtney Spickelmier Jul 2008

Probability And Statistics [7th Grade], Courtney Spickelmier

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this 7th grade unit, students will be required to put their mathematical minds to work as they develop an understanding of both theoretical and experimental probabilities and as they learn to analyze and communicate data effectively. Students will use real life data to explore measures of central tendency and how different measures may lead to different conclusions about the same information. Through the performance assessment, students will collect and analyze data, choosing the best way to communicate their findings. Finally, students will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge of theoretical probability to make predictions and will test those …


Cells [6th Grade], Roxanne Hammonds Jul 2008

Cells [6th Grade], Roxanne Hammonds

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

Students will be able to identify, illustrate, and describe the main types of cells and their organelles. They will determine the major differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. They will know that all living things are made of cells, and that each part of the cell performs a specific function. They will also recognize the organization of living things from cell to organism. More importantly, students will understand that cells are part of a system. The performance assessment will gauge their knowledge of this by comparing the structures and functions of a cell to those of their own school.


I Didn’T Know That Was Poetry [8th Grade], Kara Dougherty Jul 2008

I Didn’T Know That Was Poetry [8th Grade], Kara Dougherty

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit students will study poetry and its relationship to prose. Students will gain an appreciation of poetry as an art form because they will understand that poetry surrounds us in our everyday life. It is not an outdated form of communication, but, rather, a form of communication which is present everywhere in our lives such as in song, nursery rhymes, advertisements, and brand names. The students will explore different types of poems and the specific rules for each type. In exploring poetry, students will learn to extract meaning not just from the words of the poem but also …


Our World In Space [6th Grade], Courtney Spickelmier Jul 2008

Our World In Space [6th Grade], Courtney Spickelmier

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

All the components of our solar system and universe function as a system. • Gravity is the force that holds our solar system and our universe together. • Our sun and our solar system is one of hundreds of billions in our galaxy and our galaxy is one of hundreds of billions in our universe. • As Technology (including telescopes, satellites, and space travel) expands so does our knowledge of our universe, but our knowledge and technology is limited.


Heredity And The Environment [8th Grade], Dustin Demoin Jul 2008

Heredity And The Environment [8th Grade], Dustin Demoin

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

This unit attempts to provide the connections for a four week unit that covers Ecosystems, Genetics, and Stresses (both internal and external). The unit first recaps the information that should have already been covered in 6th and 7th grade with respect to ecosystems. This includes the performance assessment which centers on using their knowledge to reconnect the concepts they already know with the ones they are still struggling to learn. Next, the unit draws connections to genetics, specifically traits and DNA. These are impacted by the ecosystem and human and environmental factors. These factors are focused on last, but are …


Ratios And Proportions [6th Grade], Lisa Murphy Jul 2008

Ratios And Proportions [6th Grade], Lisa Murphy

Understanding by Design: Complete Collection

In this unit students will be introduced to ratios and proportions. Students will have practice identifying ratios from pictures, graphs, models and word problems. Using these skills, students will then be able to identify proportional ratios and use ratios to describe proportional situations as well as to predict outcomes. To demonstrate their knowledge of ratios and proportional reasoning, students will complete a project assessment. The students will be given a recipe and then have to calculate the amounts of ingredients needed for various numbers of servings. The students will write down new versions of the recipes to be included in …