You know that feeling you get when you are about to open a gift? First, you examine the wrapping. Then you try to guess what’s in the box. You might even shake it. Finally, your excitement gets the best of you and you tear it open!
Wouldn’t it be great if our students could approach each new unit of learning with that much curiosity and excitement? While the teacher may enjoy teaching the unit, and muster some enthusiasm, that’s not enough. Students can be a tough crowd. But it is possible to capture their minds and hearts.
When the going gets tough…
The tough go online shopping! No, not that kind of online shopping. Not a new workbook, or another teacher’s power point. I’m talking about selecting online resources I can use in teaching skills and content. With just a little time and effort, any teacher can create an exciting unit tailored to his/her own students. There are soooooo many online resources at our fingertips and much of it is FREE.
When I am putting together a unit, I love searching for websites, videos, games, music, art/crafts, etc. which will bring the topic to life for the children. The challenge of having access to all of these resources is in putting it all together. Think of the unit like a “package” for them to open and explore.
Go with the flow
In designing the unit, choices have to be made. There has to be a “flow” to the unit, a progression of activities. My students will work their way through a variety of “looks” and experiences with the same content and then move on to the next thing. Each layer of learning contains a surprise nugget or two for the students to discover. It’s all about the joy of discovery. That’s what attracts them and keeps them engaged.
I know what you are thinking. Who has the time to do this? I have too much to do already. Isn’t that what the TE is for anyway? True. But if you have some teaching experience under your belt, you are probably ready to crank things up a notch.
It is still summer. Why not try to do something special with just one of your units before school starts? One unit. That’s how I got started. When you have the time, you can create another one and then another. Before you know it, you’ll have a laptop full of fun and creative learning units you can use and build on each year.
In a future post I will share some of the resources I have used to design my own teaching units, (tied to the established curriculum and CCSS, of course.) Feel free to share any thoughts, ideas, or experiences you may have. I’m always in the market for something new to try!