Sherry LAE4335

UPLAN - Unit Plan

Purpose
To plan a unit consisting of ten lessons and assessment(s) you could use with your placement class
Big Questions: What are the characteristics of a good ELA unit plan? What makes good ELA practice?
Rationale
Like the sentences in this paragraph, each lesson in a unit contributes to the whole; each is
influenced by the previous and influences the next. In addition, each
lesson should connect to students and their interests and needs as the
unit progresses. This assignment is intended to give you practice in planning for
alignment, coherence, and flexibility.
Assignment
Use your genre study of Unit Plans at http://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/VirtualLibrary/index.html;
for models of what to include and how; at minimum your Unit Plan should include the following:
• Cover Page that briefly describes your topic, audience, context, and trajectory in the year
• Rationale that thoroughly describes your choices for this audience/context with regard to
o Big Question(s) that provide a coherent inquiry for students
o Goals that break down Big Question(s) into parts and align with assessment(s)/standards
o Objectives that break down goals into lesson-size parts and align with/build toward assessments
o Assessment(s) that measure whether/how students learned (include handout for students)
o Overview that outlines and explains the sequence of lessons (can be in calendar form)
• Lessons (10) that sequence activities to align with objectives/goals and build toward assessments;
lessons typically include the following sections:
o Objectives – I recommend the formulation “Students will…in order to….”
o Materials – List texts or resources; include actual handouts; cite sources
o Activities – Include estimated time and brief description
o Assessment(s) – Describe how you will know whether students have addressed objectives
(be specific: it’s not enough to write, “I will know by their participation in discussion….”)
o Modifications – Include special needs accommodations for at least one student consistently
• Reflection that explains how the unit addresses the rubric, how you incorporated instructor/colleague
feedback, and what you learned from this process
• Content that includes language instruction, reading instruction, and writing instruction

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Criteria 5 4 3 2 1
Aligned The unit plan aligns The unit plan aligns The unit plan aligns The unit plan aligns The unit plan does
with state-adopted with state-adopted its assignment(s), its assignment(s), not align its
content standards content standards goals, lesson goals, lesson assignment(s),
at the appropriate in its assignment(s), objectives, objectives, and goals, lesson
level of rigor in its goals, lesson activities, and activities objectives and
assignment(s), objectives/activities, potential activities, or
goals, lesson and potential modifications potential
objectives/activities, modifications modifications
and potential
modifications
Scaffolded The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan does
sequences in a sequences in a sequences its sequences its not sequence in a
coherent fashion its coherent fashion its assignment(s), assignment(s), coherent, logical
assignment(s), assignment(s), goals, lesson goals, lesson fashion its lesson
goals, lesson goals, lesson objectives/activities, objectives/activities, objectives/activities,
objectives/activities, objectives/activities, and potential and potential and potential
and potential and potential modifications, modifications modifications,
modifications, modifications, based on prior info based on prior info
based on prior info based on prior info about focal about focal
about focal about focal student(s) student(s)
student(s) and the student(s)
discipline/
curriculum
Relevant The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan does
connects important connects content to connects content to connects content to not connect content
disciplinary content learners’ needs and learners’ needs and learners’ needs and to learners’ needs
to learners’ needs interests within and interests within the interests within the nor their interests
and interests within beyond the classroom, based on classroom within and beyond
and beyond the classroom, based on prior info about the classroom,
classroom, based on prior info about focal student(s) based on prior info
prior info about focal student(s) about focal
focal student(s) student(s)
Diverse The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan does
employs a variety of employs materials, employs materials, employs materials, not employ a
materials, strategies, and strategies, or strategies, or variety of materials,
strategies, and assessments that assessments that assessments that activities, and
assessments that appropriately appropriately address diverse assessments that
appropriately address diverse address diverse learners (e.g., address diverse
address diverse learners (e.g., learners (e.g., students of learners (e.g.,
learners (e.g., students of students of different students of
students of different different cultural/linguistic different
different cultural/linguistic cultural/linguistic backgrounds, ability cultural/linguistic
cultural/linguistic backgrounds, ability backgrounds, ability levels, and learning backgrounds, ability
backgrounds, ability levels, and learning levels, and learning styles, including levels, and learning
levels, and learning styles, including styles, including students with IEPs styles, including
styles, including students with IEPs students with IEPs and who are ELLs) students with IEPs
students with IEPs and who are ELLs) and who are ELLs) and who are ELLs)
and who are ELLs)
Justified The unit plan The unit plan draws The unit plan draws The unit plan draws The unit plan does
explicitly draws on on current research on research (e.g., on research (e.g., not draw on
current research (e.g., NCTE position NCTE position NCTE position research (e.g., NCTE
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and resources (e.g., statements, district statements, district statements, district position statements,
NCTE position and community and community and community district and
statements, district resources) to justify resources) to justify resources) to justify community
and community selection of selection of selection of resources) to justify
resources) to justify curriculum, curriculum, curriculum, selection of
selection of assessment, and assessment, and assessment, or curriculum,
curriculum, instructional instructional instructional assessment, and
assessment, and practices practices practices instructional
instructional practices
practices
Focused The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan The unit plan does
thoroughly and thoroughly or thoroughly and thoroughly or not demonstrate
specifically specifically specifically specifically knowledge of
demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates demonstrates disciplinary content
knowledge of knowledge of knowledge of basic knowledge of basic (e.g., writing course,
important important disciplinary content disciplinary content reading course,
disciplinary content disciplinary content (e.g., writing course, (e.g., writing course, ESOL course,
(e.g., writing course, (e.g., writing course, reading course, reading course, interdisciplinarity,
reading course, reading course, ESOL course, ESOL course, etc.)
ESOL course, ESOL course, interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity,
interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, etc.) etc.)
etc.) etc.)