Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

Title of Unit

Canadian Journeys

Subject/Grade
Level

Time Frame

7 Weeks

Developed by

Social Studies (cross-curricular:

Science, Language Arts, & Art)
Grade 4/5
Sara Peterson

Stage 1 Desired Results

Prescribed Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to
Social Studies: Immigration and multiculturalism continue to shape Canadian society and identity
- Changing nature of Canadian immigration over time
- Use Social Studies inquiry process and skills to: ask questions; gather, interpret and analyze ideas; and communicate
findings and decisions
Language Arts: Exploring text and story helps us understand ourselves and make connection to others and to the world
- Access and integrate information and ideas from a variety of sources and from prior knowledge to build understanding
- Exchange ideas and perspectives to build shared understanding
Science: Humans use earth materials as natural resources
- Local types of Earth materials
- Make observations in familiar or unfamiliar contexts
- Transfer and apply learning to new situations
- Express and reflect of personal, shared, or others experiences of place
Art: Creative expression is a means to explore and share ones identity within a community
- Explore identity, place, culture, and belonging through arts experiences

Students will KNOW (Declarative knowledge)

Unit Theme/Issue of Inquiry/Narrative Students may be aware that much of Canadas population is made up of people from
other countries; this unit will build off of this awareness and delve into Canadian history. This unit is about the history of immigration (and
sometimes migration) to Canada, digging deeper into the how, who, what, where and why. Students will be asked to consider why people
immigrated, what opportunities they hoped for and what they experienced when they arrived, and how the industries which were
operating were connected to Canadas resources.

Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

Rationale While some students may be aware of the cultural diversity of Canada, its important for them to understand the history

behind Canadas diverse population. This will also help build community at the beginning of the year by encouraging kids and their
families to get involved in the unit by discovering and sharing their familys personal journeys to Canada. Moreover they will begin gaining
familiarity with the inquiry process, the foundation of the new curriculum as a whole, and the backbone of the entire social studies
curriculum.

Understandings:
Students will understand
- What it looks like when they silent read,
whisper read, radio read, and choral read
- How to use a variety of formats/mediums
to illustrate understandings (charts,
collage art, Venn diagrams, mind maps,
character cards, writing)
- The definitions of immigrant vs migrant
(immigration vs migration), resources,
industry,
- The different opportunities that were
available to immigrants/migrants coming
to Canada, and how those were directly
related to Canadian resources

Essential Questions:
What questions might spark student interest / engagement in the topic?
- Why did people (your family and others) leave their homes to come to BC,
Canada?
- What does Canada have to offer? (What industries were built off of Canadas
resources?)
- What opportunities could be found once immigrants/migrants arrived? What
hardships did they face?

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

*Fresh Grade will be used to record some formative and all summative assessment*
Formative Assessments (For learning, and as learning)
The nature of the game itself allows for formative assessment to be conducted with every session of play, through trivia questions chosen
by the teacher for the groups to answer to gain points/resources.
Lit Kits: These lessons are based on the completions of language arts based activities each time there is a lit kit session; these will be
periodically recorded with fresh grade to show progression in skills.
Frequent Journaling: reflection will also be used to assess their level of understanding of events in the game

Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

This will also be conducted through teacher observation of their work habits: are they participating, how they are working with other
students, are they communicating well through writing or do they need oral prompting (and vice versa).
Summative Assessments (Of learning)
Suitcase made out of a file folder
Top of lid: map of groups journey with notes of how they travelled (by boat, train etc.) and what kind of risks were involved
Inside of lid: collage or drawings of items to pack that remind them of home and their own culture
Inside: - letter home
- passport (portrait, personal information, responsibilities as a Canadian citizen)
2-3 Final Stage lit kit activities.
Although all lit kit activities will be kept in their language arts books and receive formative feedback, students will choose 2-3 which will
be recorded on Fresh Grade and marked according to a class made four column rubric

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Number of
Lesson
Title
Lesson
Potential
Barriers
to Success
/ Areas
to Focus/Activities
(learning experiences)
Periods
Differentiate:

Assessment
Introducing

Resources/Materials
the Unit:

Introduce through a look into their own families journeys to Canada

ADVENTURE
GAME!
Learning Disabilities: (Brooklyn, Tyler) Both will need individual (See Adventure Game), inquiry exploration of industry (See Canadas
Introduce the theme of journeys to
Formative:
Use period
to kits).
check for
Pins and string to show
1
Resources),
Story analysis
(See lit
attention (prompting, and scribing [*Tyler]),
Canada. particularly Tyler,
prior knowledge (post it note
immigration on map.
during any writing activities.
Present your own family artwork example, activity with answers to first 2
Ziplocks.
and your process through the KWL chart.

EAL: (Gyiheun, Yihan) Yihan will needPopcorn:

individual
Whoclarification
knows whereof
your family
from?
activities after instructions are givencame
(check
for understanding
Get
kids to start
asking questions about
of topic and activity). Gyiheun will need
alternative
activities
their
family
heritage
at home. Their
designed for him.
families immigrations will be documented
map wall.and
Ollie: Will need check ins for clarity on
of the
instruction,
...But do we know why? Read examples.
prompting throughout activities.
Post it notes: with brainstorming on why
your family may have left their home
country to come to Canada.

essential questions)

*Bring up concept of
heirloom for gallery walk
with parents in an email

Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

(There will be ziplocks on the same wall

for family photos to be kept, until
scanned for art project and sent home.)

3-4
(4th in read
aloud round up
block)

Heritage
Collages
We are all
related
Celebrating
our Origins

Students will create an abstract piece of

art out of a collage of their family
portraits which shows their family
members and their heritage.
1- Discus examples of collage, and
different ways you can illustrate your
family through this type of art (family
tree, layering, web [you at the center])
Clarity of Instruction: Have steps written
on mini white board, go over them 3 times
(before, during instruction, recall
afterwards)
1) WITHOUT CUTTING, play with your
photos and decide which collage style you
want to choose (or come up with your
own)
2) Cut out people from b/w scans of
pictures
3) Lay out pictures and glue
4) Lay on floor in hall carefully next to
classroom
2/3- Students will be asked to incorporate
symbolism into their backgrounds and
borders. Discus what a symbol is (how can
we simplistically represent an idea or a
thing?) use example from Connections
activity book (wonderment at large Rocky
Mountains represented by triangles in
background).

Summative: Does their artwork

show that they understood
symbolism?

Heavy paper, paint,

white glue, gold/metallic
acrylic

Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

This period will be dedicated to a gallery

walk. Begin by going over gallery
behaviors (are we allowed to touch, how
do we talk in museums, how do we move?)
Hand out and allow students share their
artwork (family portrait collage and
history of me timelines), family stories,
and (if applicable) family heirlooms.

Formative: Reflect on experience

and what they learned:
What was the reason your family
came to Canada?
What were some of your
classmates families reasons?
Would you be excited to leave
your home country to find a new
home in a brand new place like
your ancestors? Why or why not?

Completed artwork
*family heirlooms
(prep: make a chart
illustrating cultural
diversity)

Discuss diversity and its importance, and

write a journal entry reflecting on this,
and the process of making art work and
presenting it.

`1

Historic
Journeys to
Canada

Passports

1- *Bring Your Own Device* Students will

now create their own KWL charts.

Formative: Cooperation skills,

written and oral language skills

Students will ask questions about what

they want to know further about their
chosen heritage, or what questions they
should ask before they decide on what
nationality their character will be in the
game.

Students will create structure of their

passport. decorating the front with their
countrys flag and filling in the first page
with a small portrait and their characters
basic information:
Name
Date of Birth
Nationality
This page will also include their reason for
coming to Canada (Why come to Canada?
What do they think Canada will be like?).

28 Pieces of legal sized

paper for passports
Pencil crayons
Example Passport

Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

2- *Bring your own device* Kids will be

tasked with researching (via
safesearchkids.com) their home
country, answering the question What
would you bring from your home country
to Canada?
>>>What should you pack with you to
remember your heritage? Consider
previous days Find images, words
Spend designated amount of time finding
inspiration, then put devices away.
Decorate the inside of their suitcase lid
with drawings/ word art.

1 (+ read aloud
round up
period)

The Journey
across the
pond

^^^Do an example: show screen grabs of

images/information you found and how
that translated into your suitcase
decoration.
*Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Create maps showing journeys from their
home countries to west coast Canada.
This map should show their journey as
well as notes about their home countries
(why they may have left) and their
journeys (how they traveled).

Several periods

1-2 (as needed)

Game play!
Allow time to establish routine &
familiarity with game rules.
Game play sessions will be paired with
learning sessions (science- Daily
Discoveries), other times game play will
carry information.

A letter home

*Analyze functionality of having

bring your own device days and the
productivity of class in terms of
research. What should be
changed/altered?

*Again, consider functionality and

productivity with BYOD
Summative: Are students able to
work cooperatively to complete
their maps in their game groupings?
Are they able to express their
findings in written and picture
form?
Formative for summative: their
ability to answer trivia questions
based on material we have studied.

(During Game Play)

Students will be asked to write a
descriptive letter of their experiences in
Canada part way through the game. This
letter will be written from the
perspective of their character to a parent
or loved one back home. Write up

Formative: Are students able to

comprehend the experience of
moving to Canada from another
homeland? Are they using
techniques learned in our previous
language arts lessons (both

World map black line

master centered and
printed on legal size
paper (fold in 5-6 cm on
both left and right sides
to create columns for
notes)

Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

Passport
Cont.

example to illustrate characteristics of a

good letter: descriptive and vivid
language, similarities and differences
between realities of Canada and
expectations, summary of events,
predictions/hopes for the future.

paragraph and creative writing)? Are

they using writing to access and
integrate ideas from this unit?

(During Game Play)

These lessons will be dedicated to filling
in the passport of their game character
throughout the game play.
Pg. 2-3 : Their job. Description of the
industry they joined when they arrived,
what their position was. (This will be
filled out during the game session in
which they receive their job)
Pg. 4 : What they consider the
responsibilities of a Canadian citizen are.
This will be guided by an analysis of the
Human Rights book, and foreshadowed in
our current events journaling. This will
also be paired with a journal reflection on
what they believe are the most important
responsibilities, and their reasoning.
(Recorded in Fresh Grade)

Summative: are they able to explain

what responsibilities they think are
the most important and why? Is
their justification thoughtful?

LIT KITS!
3-5

Students will be introduced to the

activities that the students will be
encountering in the Lit. Kits. This includes
introduction to creating Venn diagrams,
comics, and character cards and how to
answer deeper questions thoughtfully. As a
class we will work through these activities
in relation to selected Miniscule short
films.
^Begin to establish routine

Formative: Assess their confidence

in completing these activities
Are they understanding the purpose
and procedure for each task? What
groupings can be strategically
created (confident/sort of
understanding, 4/5s, boys/girls
etc)?

YouTube links:
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=5f-B3GO7tE0
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=fs1BZPYOIVg
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=y-uu_To-9j0
https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=zfF44qr97nw

Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

1- 2

This will focus on bridging the gap,

between what skills we have used with
the short films and the lit kits, by
applying these skills to a book as a class.
Ask the students to guide you through the
task (What do we start with, what next?).
*Focus on an activity that they seemed
less clear on with the short films.

Formative: What do students know

about this theme (prior
knowledge)? Can they grapple with
transferring skills used for
activities with the short film to
activities with a story book?

Story books:
The Name Jar

3-4

Complete activities which practice the

skills we have learned with short stories
and poems in small groups (or on your own
for confident students). Continue to
familiarize students with the types of
activities, and introduce the idea of
having choice for extension activities (just
go to the reading center and choose one
that looks interesting to you!).

Connections Collection
(3/table)

4-6

Working with the actual lit kit texts, use

skills learned from previous lessons to
explore a variety of books and activities
which delve deeper into the theme of
coming to Canada, particularly the
conflicts between:
- the expectations of immigrants
and what they found when they
came to Canada.
- the shift in their outlook upon
arrival and after settling

Formative: Has their understanding

improved (Do they have a better
sense of the purpose and procedure
of the task?)? Which students are
ready to work on their own? Which
still need classmate/teacher
support? What activities are they
still struggling with?
Does their work reflect an ability
to understand that experiences
affect our identity?
Assess reading comprehension, and
oral/written representation of.
Summative: Are they able to work
independently on these activities,
using a variety of comprehension
strategies? Can they identify how
differences in context, perspectives
and voice influence meaning in
texts?

CANADAS RESOURCES!

Several different titles

set up at the reading
center, with the preprepared activities

Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

This lesson will be an inquiry based

introduction to the science unit. Students
will be asked to consider what they know
about how humans use earth materials as
natural resources. What do you know
about forestry, agriculture, fishing, gold
mining, and coal mining? We will create a
KWL chart (using projector and post it
notes) throughout lesson.

Formative: What do they know

about natural resource based
industries? What do they want to
know?

4-5

Using read-alouds, and Daily Discovery

guided reading activity worksheets which I
have created the class will explore each
of the industries and compile the
information on a graphic organizer.

Formative: Are they able to

actively and positively participate
and contribute to the lesson? What
vocabulary/concepts are they
struggling with? What further
questions do they have about the
resource based industries?

1- Forestry; The forest has eyes

2- Agriculture; Migrant
3- Fishing; Jangles: a big fish story
4- Gold Mining; Gold Fever

A variety of books about

industry, sorted by
category
Post-it notes
Graphic organizer
(projected)

Daily Discoveries X5
Read Alouds

Summative: Graphic Organizer

Are they able to communicate their
comprehension in oral, and written
form?

5- Coal/Mineral Mining; ?
Each lesson will last 30 minutes, and
incorporate weekly spelling words into
words study. Information that they have
learned here will also be incorporated
into the Adventure Game Trivia.
1
*place in sequence
depending on how
quickly
transportation can
be organized

This lesson will consist of a field trip to

the Old Mill Ruins (Rocky Point) and Port
Moody Station Museum. At the museum we
will explore their exhibits on early B.C.
history, before walking (?) to the ruins
where we will partake in place-based
inquiry learning (What was this place?
What happened here? What was it used
for? Why this location? Can you imagine
how it functioned?)

Formative or summative?
Are they able to make relevant
observations and inquiries? Can
they devise a plan for answering
them?

*Get quote from museum

for pricing!
Parent permission
Parent drivers

Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design