During my Professional Semester placement, I designed an interdisciplinary mini-unit. The task for the unit was for each class to create a colony that represented their values and ideas as a class. At the end of the unit, the students were given the opportunity to “Battle the King” (King George III) for their independence. This battle was a group summative assessment in which students were able to use their notes. The class with the highest score among all the classes would gain their independence. 

For the first day, the class first decided on the basics of their colony as a whole group. These elements were the name and year the colony was founded, the type of and how the government would function, and the type of economy the colony would have. The second day the students were split into small groups of 3-4 students. Each group was assigned a different element for creating the colony; some of the elements included population demographics, three core values of the colony, and designing the flag/symbol for the colony. The third day the students presented this information to the class, and the information was compiled into a comprehensive chart for each class period. The final day the students competed in “Battle the King”, answering questions related to content learned from the previous six weeks. 

This mini-unit exemplifies my understanding of learner development. The project was designed specifically with middle level best practices in mind. This included elements such as the students working in groups, the ability to move, and building on critical thinking skills. The requirements of the project for the students were rigorous and academically challenged all students. This mini-unit was also an excellent summative review for students and what they have learned for the previous eight weeks. Students were engaged and participated both in small groups and whole group discussion. Overall, this lesson demonstrates my ability to design instruction that is equitable and developmentally appropriate for middle level students.