Complete Your Unit Plan – Part 3

To complete your unit plan, you will need to have a few components already in place. If this is your first time to this website, welcome! You can find part 1, Creating a Balanced Unit Plan and part 2, Unit Plan Creation, linked. If you are looking for a free template for lesson planning, you can find one on my TPT store.

In a previous post, I was working on a Financial Literacy Unit. Currently I teach grade one in a public school. While I started writing this unit, a thought came to me. What if I create different components to the unit in order to not only differentiate, but also teach finances using real-life math, technologies, and nature? It sounded crazy, but with this thought came the constant realization that units are not one and done.

I would love to tell you that when you complete your unit plan, you are done. But I would be lying. Yes, the overall work on the unit is complete, but there will always be tweaks and modifications to your units. Why? Because you are working with children (this applies to adults too)! If you have been teaching for a while, let me ask you a question? Have all your classes been the same? For me, absolutely not.

Every year, your class will have a personality of its own. There will be different needs and skills coming into your room. There will be different supports that you will need to provide. So while your unit plan is complete, it is never finalized.

What Do We Have Left?

There is not a lot, but some of it is time consuming. Let’s list it and then we’ll break it down.

• list of resources, materials
• technologies
• differentiation, adaptations
• collaboration ?
• assessment and output

List of Resources to Complete Your Unit Plan

This can be ongoing, depending on your unit. For Financial Literacy, I did three things.

• checked my current book supply (I have a lot of books)
• checked what was available at the school library and local public library
• Pinterest!

I started with a simple list on a piece of paper. That was a bad idea for me, as I lost the initial paper. Then I moved online and created one in Google Docs. The advantage of online is that it is easier to amend/add and I can sync with all devices. You can use your Notes app on your phone or other list apps. Here is what I initially have.

What Technologies Do You Need?

In this day and age of technologies readily available for most, what will you use to keep engagement high for your unit? Will you be using the older “pencil and paper” technology? Are you creating an online course? Or, will you be using a combination of the two? There is not a wrong answer to these questions, but the question you really should be addressing is, what activities will you incorporate for student engagement and participation?

Differentiation for Your Unit Plan

This is becoming a big one! Especially since the pandemic, the learning gaps in the classroom are becoming vast. Personally, I am seeing lower levels of academic achievement. The biggest contributor is the lack of experiences these little children are having outside of their homes.

To get a clearer picture of the needs and wants of your class, pre-assessment is often a good choice.

• What do they already know about the subject?
• Can they explain concepts clearly?
• Do your students make the appropriate connections with the subject?
• What vocabulary words are your students already familiar with?

Sometimes I’m able to get a good sense of how I will need to differentiate with the use of stories, real and fiction.

Assessment and Output

Another big one! How will students show what they know? Students learn differently. A final test is not going to accurately reflect student learning. What are going to be the different ways you will assess and they ways that students will show their learning?

Consider assessing:

• participation
• involvement in discussions
• exit tickets
• writing samples
• reflection in art
• individual or group projects

Teacher Reflection and Next Steps to Complete Your Unit Plan

It is important to reflect on the unit once it is done.

• What worked?
• What didn’t?
• Was there anything that surprised you?
• What is the next step for your class?
• Did this unit build upon a previous unit or is this unit creating a foundation for the next unit?
• Do you need to revisit a concept?

Summary

That’s kind of it – remember it is never really finished. Your unit plan (as well as year plan) should be a living document. Change it, tweak it.

If you are interested in purchase a set of Google drive templates (lesson plan, unit plan and year plan) for only $1, click here. It will take you to my TPT store.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me, or leave a comment below.

Happy Teaching!