MYP unit planner

Unit title

UN and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

Teacher(s)

Natasha Haque

Subject and grade level

Geography Year 8

Time frame and duration

4 weeks

Global Context

Significant concept(s)
What are the big ideas? What do we want our
students to retain for years into the future?
+ Use the inquiry cycle to investigate how the
countries are implementing the MDGs.

Fairness and Development

+ Examine ways in which the United Nations tries

to address issues of global importance

MYP unit question

How do international organisations work to solve global
problems?

Assessment
What task(s) will allow students the opportunity to respond to the unit question?
What will constitute acceptable evidence of understanding? How will students show what they have understood?

Summative Assessments

1) a video clip about one MDG. (Criteria B: Investigating and D:

Communicating)
Formative Assessments
1) Astl Worksheet 1.2 : Create a few sentences using appropriate terminology about the work of
the UN (Criteria A: Knowledge and Understanding)
2)

AStl Worksheet 2.4, 2.5: Prompt notes for a debate about Darfur (Criteria C: Thinking Critically

3)

Astl Worksheet 3.1: Debate in which order would you put the MDGs in order of importance
(Criteria C: Thinking critically and Criteria D: Communication)

Which specific MYP objectives will be addressed during this unit?

Criteria A:
Use humanities terminology in context
Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of subject specific content and concepts through
developed descriptions, explanations and examples.
Criteria B:
Formulate and follow an action plan to investigate a research question
Effectively address a research question
Criteria C:
Analyse case studies
Synthesise information in order to make an informative Public Service Broadcast
Criteria D:
Structure information and ideas in a way that is appropriate to the specified format
Which MYP assessment criteria will be used?

Criteria A, B, C and D

Stage 2: Backward planning: from the assessment to

the learning activities through inquiry
Content
What knowledge and/or skills (from the course overview) are going to be used to enable the student to respond to the unit
question?
What (if any) state, provincial, district, or local standards/skills are to be addressed? How can they be unpacked to
develop the significant concept(s) for stage 1?

Week 1: All about the UN

Lesson

Objective

Tasks

+To know what the UN aims to do

+To understand that the UN has multiple
parts

SA= Brainstorm on board what do you

already know about the UN?
M= Worksheet 1 and 2
PL= UN Bingo
Youtube clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=QoIafzc0k74 -

+To understand the issues surrounding

peacekeeping

SA= Elicit class contributions to the question:

Do you know if the UN has played the role of
peacekeeper in your home country?
M=Look at the UN role as peackeepers, Role
play security councilsolutions for the Darfur
Conflict

PL= Reflection task worksheet 2.5

+To introduce the MDGs

SA: Powerpoint
M: students in groups of 4 get an envelope of
flashcards. Each card has an MDG on it.
Student have to put them in order of
importance and justify their choice
Class discussion about MDG priorities and
compare class decision with UN order
PL: Reflective task (Questions on Worksheet
3.1)

Week 2: Focussing in on Education

Lesson

Objective

Tasks

+Toknowthereisgenderinequalityineducation
+Toseethatchildrencanbeaforceforchange

SA= Brainstorm: what might be the reasons

for the gender gap in education?
M= Discussion: Is there a gender gap in your
culture?
* Formulate a campaign to promote girls
education.
PL= Youtube clip of Malala
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIqOhxQ0H8

+ To understand what a Public Service

Broadcast is
+ To think about what needs to go into an
effective PBS

+ To create an action plan

SA= Brainstorm: How can we spread

awareness?
M=Watch and critique 3 PBS

1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_akOpnEKSU
Otherclipsfromtheinspirationlist
PL: Divide class into groups according to their
chosen MDG for the assessment
SA: quick quizblank paper quizdraw the
inquiry cycle we use
M= work on individual action plans
PL= Start sharing your ideas with the rest of
your group

Week 3: Filming and editing PBS

Week 4: Showtime
Lesson

Objective

1-2

Watch and give feedback to peers on

their products according to a set criteria

+tofindoutwhichgroupsvideoswillbeshownat
theMUNconference

Tasks

SA: Winner announced.

+Endofunitreflection
M: Reflection on the Unit and learning

Approaches to learning
How will this unit contribute to the overall development of subject-specific and general approaches to learning skills?

Communication
1 Literacy

b) show understanding through application of Humanities terminology

2 Being informed c) Demonstrate theoretical understanding through the use of current case study
application
3 Informing Others a) describe processes and concepts using a variety of media
b) Structure and present information in an organized fashion
c) Document sources in a bibliography
Thinking
10 Planning

a) Use the Inquiry cycle steps to conduct an inquiry

c) Complete an action plan
d) Identify multiple information sources

Learning experiences
How will students know what is expected of them? Will
they see examples, rubrics, templates?
How will students acquire the knowledge and practise
the skills required? How will they practise applying
these?
Do the students have enough prior knowledge? How
will we know?

Teaching strategies
How will we use formative assessment to give students
feedback during the unit?
What different teaching methodologies will we employ?
How are we differentiating teaching and learning for all? How
have we made provision for those learning in a language other
than their mother tongue? How have we considered those with
special educational needs?

Rubriks provided for all tasks

Group work

Astls used to develop knowledge and

skills

Self assessment
Peer assessment
Some scaffolded worksheets provided
Differentiated by outcome

Resources
What resources are available to us?
How will our classroom environment, local environment and/or the community be used to facilitate students experiences
during the unit?

See above in Unit Content

Ongoing reflections and evaluation

In keeping an ongoing record, consider the following questions.
There are further stimulus questions at the end of the
Planning for teaching and learning section of MYP: From
principles into practice.
Students and teachers
What did we find compelling? Were our disciplinary knowledge/skills challenged in any way?
What inquiries arose during the learning? What, if any, extension activities arose?
How did we reflectboth on the unit and on our own learning?
Which attributes of the learner profile were encouraged through this unit? What opportunities were there for studentinitiated action?

Possible connections
How successful was the collaboration with other teachers within my subject group and from other subject groups?
What interdisciplinary understandings were or could be forged through collaboration with other subjects?

Assessment
Were students able to demonstrate their learning?
How did the assessment tasks allow students to demonstrate the learning objectives identified for this unit? How did I
make sure students were invited to achieve at all levels of the criteria descriptors?
Are we prepared for the next stage?

Data collection
How did we decide on the data to collect? Was it useful?

Student and Teacher

Students enjoyed using the inquiry cycle steps

Unit generated a lot of good questions

debating was a good skill to introduce at this stage, to help students explain their point of view
and try to convince others

Learning Outcomes:
Knowledge and Understanding
* All students gained an understanding of the form and function of the United Nations
* All students learnt what the millennium development goals are
* Most students can now speak knowledgeably about at least one MDG using appropriate
geographical terminology and case studies
Investigating
* All students visited the UNDP website
( http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/mdgoverview.html ) and other websites learning about
the MDG's and how they are being implemented in different countries
* Many students followed the inquiry cycle.

* A few students sought out experts in the field and either interviewed them or sent e-mails to get
answers to questions they had
Thinking Critically* All students have reflected on how to solve a major world issue
* All students can explain the positive reasons why governments should address these issues
* Many students realise that the MDG's have been tackled with varying degrees of success across
different countries
* A few students have begun to "evaluate" how effective setting such goals are.
Communication
* All students participated in class debate and discussion through the course of this unit (their
contributions were assessed)
* All groups successfully created a video clip
* Many students collaborated effectively
* Many students worked independently, often learning how to use programs they had never used
before
* A few students began to think about issues relating to the ethics of using certain pictures and images
(e.g. starving children, or people in extreme poverty) the issues relating to shocking your audience and
being ethical about the images being used.
Next time

Develop an on-line forum for discussion and reflection

Assessment

Assessment was aimed at the right level as, grades followed the good bell curve.

Students needed to think in more depth about using images from the internet and copyright
issues

Data Collection

Collected good amount of factual information and case study material to support their findings

Figure 12