I teach at a magnet school (which I love!), but trying to teach every subject is overwhelming. I only see my homeroom class for 3 hours Monday-Thursday, therefore integration is a must. In a perfect world, I would already have great differentiated units planned and in use, but all I've been able to manage so far are a few weak attempts to integrate content objectives during guided reading groups and reading centers. If there is any reading in the science kits, I try to incorporate some reading objectives during those lessons. We have also made a few graphs during science to display data, but there has been no successful attempt at a cohesive, differentiated unit that covers objectives from all of the content areas. I created integrated units as an undergraduate, and I have great visions for units in the future. The major issues that I have when developing units are the lack of time (cliche I know, but it's true) and the lack of a unifying theme. There's always so many unexpected things that need to be fit into the school day as well as the dreaded focus lessons we're given to teach. I'm almost aprehensive about creating something that takes too much time because I just don't what I'll be able to get through. If I take the time to develop something, I want to make sure that my students will be able to reap its full benefits.
I am very excited about designing this unit because I will be able to teach part of it this year, but it can also be a great jumping off point for me next year. The theme I have chosen is Change Over Time because that is the major focus of our Social Studies curriculum in third grade. The curriculum goals emphasize the changes within communities over time and changes within an economic system. These two topics are well suited for my school's international theme and cross curriculum integration. The major concept I would like to develop is that things change over time in measurable ways. This will lend itself well to the math curriculum in which we work on patterns and collecting, organizing, displaying, and analyzing data. The theme also works well with the science curriculum: human body and plant growth and development. In reading, I have thought about examining how characters change over time. These are just a few of my ideas that led me to choosing my theme.
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2 comments:
I forgot to add that I do have my kids all day Friday!
Very cool idea for your unit and totally appropriate for UbD unit planning. I know the situation your in and part of your first years teaching are to establish yourself as a teacher, figure out your school environment, and make sure all of the kids make it out alive! :) Keep at it...I think you'll find this unit helpful for you and as you said, a great starting point!
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