Developing a

Skeletal Unit

How can I pace

concepts over time?

How do I create a content

map of the unit?

Presented by Sherah B. Carr, Ph.D.

Mercer University – Tift College of Education

© 2008 Sherah Carr

How do I match

standards?

What are the enduring

understandings for the unit?

• Helps teachers determine key concepts.

• Organizes and focuses on conceptual understandings.

• Allows students a look at the big picture of content learning.

• Structures and paces instruction.

• Provides common teaching content when shared among grade level and resource personnel.

• Provides a framework for previewing and reviewing content.

To Create a Learning Unit Start with Standards

• Decide on the standards that you will teach in your unit.

• Look at Georgia Performance Standards georgiastandards.org

• FYI – Some schools are still using the old Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) standards especially for science and social studies.

• List the standard(s) you will use for the subject and grade level.

See sample unit page 1

Enduring Understandings

• What are the big ideas?

• What conceptual understanding do you want students to learn in your unit?

• What are concepts that students can transfer to other topics or content areas?

• What are the understandings you want them to remember after the unit is over?

See Plant Unit – Enduring Understandings – page 2

Know and Do• What do you want students to know?

• What do you want them to do?

• See examples plant unit page 2

What do you know about shapes?

Enduring Understandings:• Shapes are all around us.• We use shapes to identify objects in our world.• Each shape has special attributes that we use for identification.• Objects like shapes can be sorted and classified by

characteristics.

Student will know:• Names and words for shapes• Attributes of shapes• Ways that shapes can be sorted and classified• Use of shapes in real life

Student will do:• Trace, cut and draw shapes• Read and write shapes words• Create a shape book• Create 3-D shape objects

Getting Ideas from Georgia Standards Frameworks

• You can get ideas for your unit from the Georgia Performance Standards web site– www.georgiastandards.org/

• Look at the subject titles on the top and select the frameworks section.

• You can use these units to guide you in your own design.

• If you adapt from these be sure to include this web site as a reference.

Developing Your Content Map

I see how learning fits

together!

Content Mapping Key Points

• Content maps help students see mental schemas of information

• Content maps show how ideas fit together

• Use kid friendly terms and writing

• Include key vocabulary for the unit

• Post in your room or give students a copy

• For young children or ESOL you can simplify with main ideas and pictures.

Concept Concept Concept Concept Concept

Unit Topic:

Subject: Topic: Grade Level:

Unit Essential Question:

Lesson essential

question(s)

Lesson essential

question(s)

Lesson essential

question(s)

Lesson essential

question(s)

Lesson essential

question(s)

Key Vocabulary:

See sample content map on sample unit page 3

Concept:

There are different kinds of shapes

Concept:You can write and read shape words.

Concept:You can sort

shapes.

Unit Topic: Shapes

Subject: Mathematics/Language Arts Topic: Shapes Grade Level: K

Unit Essential Question: What do we know about the shapes around us?

Concept:

Shapes are alike and different

Where can you find shapes?

What are the names of the shapes you see?

How can you know a circle? square, triangle, rectangle, oval and diamond

How can you read and write shape words?

How can you make a story about shapes?

How can you sort shapes by kind? by color? by size?

Key vocabulary: shape, circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval, diamond, sort

Concept:Shapes are

all around us.

How are shapes alike and different?

How can you use different shapes to create a shape city?

What do I know about shapes?

Kinds Words Drawing Using

Circle

Square

Rectangle

Triangle

Oval

Sorting

Content Map: Third Grade – Earth Science - Rocks and Soil

Key Learning(s): Understand what the earth is made of and how rocks and soil play a major role in our lives.

Unit Essential Question(s): What is our earth made of?

Concepts:

Character-istics of Minerals

Igneous, Metamorphic

, and Sedimentary

Rock Cycle Hardness of Rocks

Characteristics of soil

Characteristics of fossils

Un-Coveringfossils

Lesson Essential Questions:

What are minerals and how do we classify them?

What are the 3 types of rocks and how do I identify them?

What is the cycle of a rock?

How do we find the hardness of a rock or mineral?

What are the three types of soil and how are they different?

What are fossils?

What is a paleontologist?

Vocabulary:

LusterHardnessTexture

IgneousMetamorphicSedimentary

Cycle Mohs ScaleMineralologist

SandLoamClay

ExtinctFossil

paleontologist

Pacing Out Your Concepts Over Two Weeks (10 days)

• Next step • Take your content map and pace out your concepts

over ten days.• For the skeletal unit, they can be brief….just how

will you fit your ideas in over the two weeks.• You can try to note which day will be your complete

lesson, but you may not know yet. This is optional. • It is also optional about including technology

integration. This will be covered later in the course.

Create Your Unit Pacing Chart

• Day 1 – Hook – Prior knowledge – content map – introduce vocabulary

• Day 2• Day 3 – Complete Lesson – (Optional in skeletal unit)

• Day 4• Day 5• Day 6 – Technology Integration – (Optional in skeletal unit)

• Day 7• Day 8• Day 9• Day 10 – Summarizing unit – Culminating activity

See sample unit pacing chart page 4

Let’s ReviewWhat Are the Components of a

Skeletal Unit?• General Information

– Your Name– Title of Unit– Grade Level– Subject– Topic

• Standards Correlation• Enduring Understandings• Know and Do• Content Map• Pacing Chart

Resources• Georgia Performance Standards

http://www.georgiastandards.org

• Carroll County Schools Content Mapshttp://carrollcountyschools.comLook under the section that says “System Resources” and then select “K-12 Curriculum”

You can use these sample content maps as a resource to help guide you. If you adapt from these, list this web site as a reference.