Sample Units
Here are a few examples that may stimulate your thinking about what works best when Classroom Teachers and Teacher Librarians or Instructional Technologists combine their expertise to create a fantastic learning experience.
The Umbrella Question
Using a large question under which all the learners choose a sub topic and then put all their findings together can be a very powerful example of building both personal expertise but also collaborative intelligence. It can be used with inquiry, problems, projects, investigations, and in almost any discipline or disciplinary study. It is also useful when the growth of content knowledge is supported by process skills. Click on the link below to see a complete breakdown of the Umbrella Question.
The Umbrella Creation
In a companion model, The Umbrella Creation model works well when learners are motivated to choose projects that they are passionate about. In this case, process skills, both hard and soft, are paramount as the learners explore, create, and solve problems across a wide variety of topics.
*In the below sample units, be sure to look over the Lesson Plan pages where you can find a full breakdown of the co-taught learning experience.*
Click on the titles to access the links.
This unit, mentored by a Classroom Teacher and a Teacher Librarian, helps young people compare where their family came from and to appreciate each other's origins. It uses a new Google site as a Knowledge Building Center where adults and students do their work virtually and physically. This learning experience titled "Why Do People Move?" was created by Adriana Lugo and Jaclyn Zepnick who are graduate students in the school of Education, San Jose State University.
Learners read the book: If You Could Be My Friend and then explore the problems of getting along in a world of conflict. The unit was created on a classic Google Site, which like the new Google site, allows both adults and learners to have access at anytime. The creators of this lesson plan are Jessica Brooks & Mary Lee Helm who are graduate students in the school of Information at San Jose State University.
Learners explore the concept of identity and then test that knowledge by forming groups and writing a serial piece of fan fiction. This learning experience was created by Christina Young & Jessica Raymer, graduate students in the school of Information, San Jose State University.
This example is an umbrella health and wellness group series of units where high school students rediscover, construct, learn, and contribute to the idea of what makes a teen happy. Filled with collaboration, the semester concludes with a personal health and happiness plan created by each student.