Standard 3 - Planning for Differentiated Instruction – The competent teacher plans and designs instruction based on content area knowledge, diverse student characteristics, student performance data, curriculum goals, and the community context. The teacher plans for ongoing student growth and achievement.
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In the Spring of 2019, I created a ten day unit plan for Social Studies using the Understanding by Design template. The unit plan is centered around the topic of outer space and sharing our planet with all of us who inhabit it. The trade book I used for my unit was Seven Wonders of the Solar System by David A. Aguilar. The understanding by design method is a method in which educators start from their desired end result and then work their way backwards toward the beginning of their unit. This method requires students to do more than just recall facts from a lesson. The goal is for students to have a deep understanding of a topic or big idea and transfer their learning to other content areas and real-world situations. The unit plan I have created includes a daily calendar, goals, learning activities, assessments, a unit test and more information on the Understanding by Design method. The big ideas my unit focused on were togetherness, and a to find ways to think about outer space in ways which connect culture and society.
Creating this artifact has been an important step for me on my way to becoming a teacher. This artifact has helped to further my understanding in creating and designing lessons and unit plans. Knowledge Indicator 3B and Performance Indicator 3I explains the development of short-range and long-range plans to achieve goals and expectations. By creating this unit, I have demonstrated that I have the ability to plan for long-range. The unit is evidence that I have the ability to plan class periods up to weeks in advance.
Using the Understanding by Design method has been a valuable experience for me. I learned a new way to create units and lessons, which I believe I will find useful in the future as I continue to grow into the teacher I hope to become. The Understanding by Design method not only required me to think long-term, but also challenged me to incorporate a variety of differentiated instruction, which is vital for student success. In addition, Understanding by Design places a large emphasis on targeting different levels of intelligence and cognition. This artifact was a challenge to create. I look forward to challenges like this in the future, which will help push me to become the best teacher I can be. See my UBD unit plan in the link below!
Artifact - My UBD Unit Plan