Title of Unit |
Systems |
Grade Level |
3 & 4 |
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Subject Area (s) |
Science/Civics/Social Studies |
Time Frame |
September - December 2010 (this is a semester long unit) |
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Teachers |
Tamara Medland & Karen Koski |
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Desired Results (Stage 1) |
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Essential Content (Subject Area) Standards and Benchmarks/Indicators |
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Standard: Earth Systems Science 4.1 Earth is part of the solar system, which includes the Sun, Moon, and other bodies that orbit the Sun in predictable patterns that lead to observable paths of objects in the sky as seen from Earth. 3.1 Earth’s materials can be broken down and/or combined into different materials such as rocks, minerals, rock cycle, formation of soil, and sand – some of which are usable resources for human activity
Standard: Civics 4.1 Analyze and debate multiple perspectives on an issue 3.1 Respecting the views and rights of others is a key component of a democratic society
Standard: Geography 4.2 Connections within and across human and physical systems are developed
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National Education Technology Standards (Choose 2-3 to focus on) |
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Net Standard 1: Creativity and Innovation a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products and processes b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
Net Standard 2: Communication and Collaboration a. interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts or others employing a variety of digital environments and media b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiply audiences using a variety of media and formats d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems
Net Standard 3: Research and Information Fluency a. plan strategies to guide inquiry b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks d. process data and report results
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Understandings |
Essential Questions (connected to overarching and supporting understandings) |
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Overarching Understanding (“Big Idea”) |
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Everyone and everything is part of a system (or multiple systems) that is both independent and interacting. |
What is a system?
Why do we study the solar system?
How do the actions of one piece of a system effect the others?
How are you a part of many systems?
In what ways is our classroom a system?
What part does geology play in the solar system?
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Supporting Understandings |
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Understand what a system is
Understand that the actions of one component of the system effect all
Understand that you are part of many systems
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Knowledge Students will know… |
Skills Students will be able to… |
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Assessment Evidence (Stage 2) |
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Assessment of Overarching Understanding/Big Idea
Assessment Criteria (students will be able to… student application of Six Facets of Understanding)
Assessment Tool (describe type of assessment tool to be used here - post completed tool with unit)
Assessment Strategy (summative performance task description) |
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Goal |
Your goal is to show that you understand systems by creating a new system that you are a part of in some way (remember to be explicit about your interactions and the ripple effect that they have in your system). Similar to the Zoom/Rezoom books, you will create a system that shows all of the ways you interact with your system. |
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Role |
Students are researchers, analyzers, and presenters. |
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Audience |
Demonstrate your new system to a small group of older more knowledgable students (high school or college) |
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Situation |
Students will research, create, and present a new system and their place in it. |
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Product/Performance |
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Standards |
Students' final product must meet the following criteria:
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Evidence of development of supporting understandings, knowledge and skills (identify formative assessment criteria, strategies and tools for each) |
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Webquest Teacher observation Rubric for presentation Rubric for written piece Rubric for work skills Rubric for research skills
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Evidence of student application of selected National Educational Technology Standards during the course of the unit? (Note: assessment of the NETS standards should be integrated with assessment of unit understandings, knowledge and skills and embedded within unit learning activities)
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Learning Experiences (Stage 3) |
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Consider the questions in the boxes below as you design learning experiences that support student achievement of desired results and exploration of unit essential questions.
A. Building Background/Connecting to Students’ Current Understandings, Knowledge and SkillsB. Student Exploration of Essential Questions
Classroom Systems: 1. Clarify classroom routines & rituals - have students perform different roles each day 2. Create a classroom society to be used in minisociety 3. Discuss families & neighborhoods - systems are everywhere 4. Service learning project - how our actions influence a system 5. Brainstorm ways each student is part of our classroom system 6. In small groups, name the different aspects of each of the systems in your classroom 7. Take digital pictures of pieces of the classroom system 8. RAFTS: You are a student in Karen/Tamara's classroom. You are to develop a brochure which will orient a new student/substitute teacher (choice) to the rituals and routines of our classroom. The new student/substitute teacher should be able to quickly be a member of our classroom system just by reading your brochure. See rubric for specific guidelines on your brochure. Classroom_Systems__Brochure_Rubric.doc Student Exemplar #1: brochure_1.pub Student Exemplar #2: brochure_2.pub Earth Systems: 1. Mystery gallery walk - examining different types of rocks/minerals. What do you notice, what do you wonder (write on sticky notes). As a whole class, categorize notices into characteristics for each rock. 2. Write descriptions, weigh, measure, and classify a rock of your choice. 3. Explore the collecting rocks webquest: http://www.rocksforkids.com\ 4. Travel to Lory State Park. Meet with a park Ranger to conduct hands-on activities to reinforce the three types of rocks, learn about the process of uplift (using Arthur's Rock as an example), and practice classifying rocks. 5. Rock Life Story: Pick a mineral that you would like to research. With a partner, conduct research on your mineral and record what you learn in 2-column notes. Then, on your own, write a story that tells how you become a rock, what type of rock you will become, and what parts of the rock cycle caused you to become a rock. See rubric for specific requirements: rocks rubric.doc Student Exemplar #1: rock_story_1.doc Student Exemplar #2: rock_story_2.doc
Solar System: 1. Students write 3 things they already know about the solar system and three things they want to learn about the solar system in a T-chart. 2. Students are assigned homework: research one aspect of the solar system that you would like to explore further. Print out a picture and write a short caption to accompany/explain the photo. 2. Photo/Video gallery walk (also using student's prior homework) - students write their notices and wonders on their own paper. Students document their biggest "wonder" on big chart paper. 3. Students work on the solar system matrix.doc Student Exemplars from the Solar System Matrix: why_is_the_sky_blue.pdf write_your_own_question.pdf letter_to_a_friend.doc life_of_a_star_poem.pdf weight_calculations.pdf
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From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (ppk)