When designing an instructional math unit for a specific age/grade level, it’s important to consider the child’s cognitive and developmental needs. This is because children at different ages and developmental stages have varying abilities to understand and process mathematical concepts. Considering this, do the following:
Create a developmentally appropriate 1-week instructional math unit for a concept area of your choice, focusing on one age/grade level from pre-K to Grade 3.
Include the following components in your instructional unit:
1. Unit Plan
Provide the following information for your unit plan:
Title
Focus (i.e., content area and grade level)
Objectives
Describe the development of the unit by answering the following:
How is the content of the unit appropriate for the age/grade level chosen?
How will specific learning needs be addressed throughout the unit?
Which current learning theories influenced instructional decisions in the unit?
Which strategies for children’s motivation and engagement will be utilized in the unit?
How will formative and summative assessment be used in the unit to plan, evaluate, and strengthen instruction and to promote continuous learning?
How could children’s families be involved in the unit?
Consider the “family connection” in each lesson.
Be sure to reflect families’ language differences and cultural and/or ethnic diversity.
2. Resources Toolkit
Create an annotated bibliography of 5 books and resources that support your unit.
Follow the guidelines below:
Books and resources should:
Include 2 targeted for teacher use and 3 targeted for student and family use
Comprise of at least 3 multimedia materials, including web-based resources
Be aligned with and support unit objectives
Account for the diversity of your learners, including English learners, varying math proficiency levels, and students with exceptional needs
Each annotation should be block indented and begin with the reference. All annotations should be in alphabetical order.
Explicitly connect the selected book or resource to the unit in 3 to 4 sentences.
3. Lesson Plans
Create 1 developmentally appropriate lesson plan for your unit.
Do the following elements in the lesson plan:
Create objectives that:
Reflect various levels of thinking, including Bloom’s taxonomy or depth of knowledge
Are specific, measurable, and observable
State what children should know and be able to do
Align with content standards
Are age/grade-level and content-area appropriate
List materials used in the lesson, including any necessary handouts, resources, and learning tools.
Identify materials that can be used to develop children’s critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Detail an instructional sequence that is based on accurate math content and concepts that sets the stage for learning through lesson delivery and guided practice. In the sequence, ensure:
Activities are appropriate for the needs of young children who are culturally diverse and differentiated for those with exceptional learning needs (e.g., English learners, learning disabilities, gifted/talented).
Activities are meaningful for young children by connecting learning to prior knowledge, to the community, and to real-world experiences.
Activities foster young children’s appreciation and engagement in subject matter content and align with objectives and core concepts.
Activities incorporate both children’s and teachers’ use of technology.
A closure is provided.
Teacher wrap-up
Final check for understanding.
There is time for independent practice (independently or in small groups).
Include assessments:
One formative assessment (check for understanding) for each lesson that aligns with the lesson objective(s)
One summative assessment for the unit (assesses all unit objectives)
Analysis of assessment data and expected next steps for instruction and student support
