Sherry TCSS11

UPAGES - Unit Plan Genre Study

Purpose
To gain a flexible sense of the possible structure(s) and content(s) of unit plans Big Question: What are the characteristics of a good unit plan?

Rationale
Theres more than one way to skin a cat. Formulas often oversimplify because they dont allow for the specificity of particular students and contexts. Looking at several (different) examples can give you a more flexible sense of how something works in various situations. Its like criss-crossing a landscape in order to get a sense of the terrain, rather than always taking the same path. By looking in depth at several different unit plans, you will have a better sense of possibilities for this genre, or type of composition.

Assignment
1. Look at five sample unit plans on the website below: Peter Smagorinskys Virtual Library of Instructional Units: http://www.coe.uga.edu/~smago/VirtualLibrary/index.html Choose three plans that seem both high-quality and significantly different to you. 2. Why did you choose these three? 3. Of the three unit plans, which do you like the best? Why? 4. Pick one of the unit plans and tell what you would change or add and why. 5. What structural characteristics do all three have in common? How are they different? 6. What accounts for these similarities? Differences? 7. Develop a list of criteria you would use to evaluate the structure of unit plans; for example, in a category called Organization, you might list Coherence to suggest that the lessons should work together towards common goal(s). 8. Looking at the three plans you chose, what attitudes does each imply about:
o o o

What constitutes the curriculum of English Language Arts? What makes good instructional practices in English Language Arts? What English Language Arts students are/should be capable of?

9. What do you notice as you compare the attitudes represented in these three plans? 10. With which (if any) of the implied attitudes in these plans do you agree/disagree and why?