Unit Plan Overview

Unit: Stage 1- Desired Results Connections to Context: This fits with the students experiences because they are learning about Michigan and the natural resources in Michigan play a large part in its economy as well as in the everyday lives of the students.
(How does this fit with students experiences, the school goals, and the larger societal issues?)

Transfer Students will be able to independently use their learning to Understand where our resources come from Apply new knowledge to issues that society is currently facing, How can we help? Explain the different types of resources that we have in Michigan Define natural resources, renewable and non renewable resources, conservation, and the three Rs of conservation Connect our class discussions, videos that we watched in class, and newly formed personal ideas to issues in society or fictional situations. They can react to the movie The Lorax, applying their new knowledge to the situation that the characters were facing and how they would fix it. Meaning ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Students will keep considering How are we using our resources? Why are our resources important? Why are some resources renewable and others nonrenewable? What makes them this way? How are our resources being misused? Why is it important that we study resources? How can we help to conserve our resources?

Established Goals
Common Core Standards: E.ES.03.41: Identify natural resources (metals, fuels, fresh water, farmland, and forests). E.ES.03.42: Classify renewable (fresh water, farmland, forests) and non-renewable (fuels, metals) resources. E.ES.03.43: Describe ways humans are protecting, extending, and restoring, resources (recycle, reuse, reduce, renewal). E.ES.03.44: Recognize that paper, metal, glass, and some plastics can be recycled. E.ES.03.51: Describe ways that humans are dependent on the natural environment (forests, water, clean air, earth materials) and constructed environments (homes, neighborhoods, shopping malls, factories, and industry). E.ES.03.52: Describe helpful or harmful effects of humans on the environment (garbage, habitat destruction, land management, renewable and non-renewable resources). E.ES.E.4: Natural Resources- The supple of may natural resources is limited. Humans have devised methods for extending their use of natural resources through recycling, reuse, and renewal.

UNDERSTANDINGS Students will understand that There are renewable/nonrenewable resources Our resources are important for everyday life It is important that we take care of our resources There are different ways that we can take care of our resources; through conservation

Acquisition of Knowledge, Skill and Values/Commitments/Dispositions Students will know Students will be skilled at Students will exhibit Definitions of natural resources, Expressing their views on the uses Attitudes that portray active and renewable, and non-renewable of natural resources concerned stewards of the earth. resources are. Using their preexisting knowledge Caring actions toward our natural Examples of each kind of resources to help them make decisions. resources Examples of resources used in daily life. The products that are made from our natural resources What conservation is and the three Rs

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum

E.ES.E.5: Human Impact- Humans depend on their natural and constructed environment. Humans change environments in ways that are helpful or harmful for themselves and other organisms. 3-G5.0.1: Locate natural resources in Michigan and explain the consequences of their use. 3-G5.0.2: Describe how people adapt to, use, and modify the natural resources of Michigan.

(What content standards and program- or mission-related goal(s) will the unit address? What habits of mind and cross-disciplinary goal(s)- for example 21st century skills, core competencies- will this unit address? Include source and identifying number)

Evaluative Criteria - Class participation, students should be able to give ideas during whole class discussions - Organization, the students writing should be on topic - Personal ideas, the students writing should incorporate personal ideas that they have concluded from the teaching
(What criteria will be used in each assessment to evaluate attainment of the desired results?) (Regardless of the format of the assessment, what qualities are most important?) The students should be able to connect our class discussions to our actual environment. They should understand and be able to explain how we use our natural resources and why it is important that we have them.

Stage 2- Evidence Students will show their learning by PERFORMANCE TASK(S): The students will show their learning by participating in class discussions and sharing their ideas and definitions with the teacher as well as their peers. The students will be writing a letter to their teacher answering the question, Why should we conserve our natural resources? Do you think the Once-ler could have done a better job taking care of the trees? The students will be using their new knowledge of natural resources, renewable and nonrenewable resources, and conservation in connection with The Lorax movie. They will be writing their ideas for strategies that we could use to conserve our natural resources as well as ideas for the situation that was shown in the movie.
(How will students demonstrate their understanding- meaning-making and transfer- through complex performance?)

OTHER EVIDENCE: Natural Resources worksheet(s) Renewable Resources worksheet Nonrenewable Resources worksheet Conservation Booklet Seeing how well the students apply what they learned to their homes and neighborhoods
(What other evidence will you collect to determine whether Stage 1 goals were achieved?

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum

Stage 3- Learning Plan For the pre-assessment on the first lesson, the student completed a worksheet where they were to determine whether the products were renewable or Non-renewable resources. This would give the teacher a sense of what prior knowledge the students had. For the rest of the lessons, the pre-assessments were in the form of class discussions. The students are asked questions from the previous lessons in order to review and to tell the teacher what needs to be reviewed. Pre-assessment- due November 6, 2013
(What pre-assessments will you use to check students prior knowledge, skill levels, and potential misconceptions?) (Toward which goal does each Learning Events learning event build?)

Progress Monitoring
(How will you monitor students progress toward acquisition, meaning, and transfer during lesson events?)

Student success at transfer, meaning, and acquisition depends upon their participation in these learning events
1. Meaning 2. Acquisition

1. Participating in class discussions including turn and talk opportunities. 2. Participation in finding the natural resources that are located in Michigan and the things that we use those resources for. I can find Michigans natural resources. * 3. Filling out I can statements considering the information taught. I can define natural resources, I can define conservation 4. Participation in classroom activities such as filling out the given worksheets (that we use as resources) * 5. Finding and drawing examples of the different kinds of resources that we see in our classroom, homes and our community. 6. Watching The Lorax, and connecting the film to what we talked about with natural resources being necessary for humans. * 7. Writing an opinion piece on how students can work to conserve our natural resources using the worksheets that were made and their own ideas.

3. Acquisition 4. Meaning 5. Acquisition 6. Meaning 7. Transfer

I will be keeping track of the questions that are asked as well as the answers that I receive during the group discussion. I also have the students share their ideas, which gives me an idea to where they are at with the material.
(How will students monitor their own progress toward acquisition, meaning, and transfer?)

The students will monitor themselves through the use of turn & talk opportunities where they will share their ideas with their peers and get feedback. The students will also be asked to think on a personal level, connecting the new information to themselves and their own lives.
(What are potential rough spots and student misunderstandings?)

Star the multiple means of representation; underline the multiple means of action and expression; circle the multiple means of engagement (Are all three types of goals (acquisition, meaning, and transfer) addressed in the learning plan?) (Does the learning plan reflect principles of learning and best practices?) (Is there tight alignment with Stages 1 and 2?)

One major potential rough spot is with some of the students in my class being ELLs, the new vocabulary might be difficult, as well as articulating their thoughts into written or oral form.

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum

 (How will students get the feedback they need?)

It is my goal to give the students feedback on their worksheets as go through them. By having them share their answers with the large group, I am able to hear where they are at and help them to understand where I want them to be. I will also be grading their writing pieces and handing them back. It was my goal to be able to meet with the students individually, however, time has not really allowed for that.

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011) The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units and Van Brummelen (2002) Steppingstones to Curriculum