"Steppingstones to Curriculum"

Outline
Chapter 7 Planning Classroom Units
1. Nine Steps in Planning Classroom Units
2. Adapting Units for Your Classroom
3. Reviewing the Main Points

Note
1. Nine Steps in Planning Classroom Units
I . Consider the suitability of a proposed topic.
2. Brainstorm ideas, possibly using a planning chart or web diagram.
3. Formulate your unit focus (e.g., a thematic statement, guiding questions, and intended
learning outcomes; or Egan's narrative structure with binary opposites or transcendent
values).
4. Design, balance, and sequence learning activities. Include a motivational introductory
activity and a culminating summative one.
5. Review linkages with state or provincial standards and/or curriculum guides, adding or
revising learning activities accordingly.
6. Plan a schedule.
7. Select your resources.
8. Plan student assessment. Throughout the unit, consider what evidence will show that
you have met your intents.
9. Review the effectiveness of your unit.
2. Adapting Units for Your Classroom
- The point here is that if you adapt a unit (or use a text as the main source for a unit),
it is important to first determine your own framework and direction.
- If you are a new teacher or a teacher who has not used a unit approach before, you will find that
developing a unit is time-consuming. Therefore, plan to design two or three per year, and gradually
build up your "repertoire" of classroom units.

Reflection
In this chapter, the author explains the procedure of writing an unit plan. The most helpful content in
this chapter was all the categories that an unit plan should include. When I was writing my unit plan, I
went through this chapter many times. To make sure that I have all the contents in my unit plan. Also
this chapter contains the purpose of the each categories. Which makes the unit plan more complete
and effective. Also this chapter emphasizes that importance of preparation for the new teachers. Even
for the teachers who already has many experiences in teaching, every day, every moment is a learning
experience. For the new teachers, no words needed. In order to develop a lesson with an integrity, the
teachers need to have a big picture, which is an unit plan.