My units are created using culturally sustaining pedagogy, backward design, and project-based learning: I begin by selecting holistic learning goals and identifying a real-world problem, task, and skill set. The project or portfolio piece that students create in response to the problem serves as the assessment, and I plan experiences and scaffolding to aid in the accomplishment of that goal. Students develop their own research questions within the unit theme and decide what to create in response. The units include a publication or presentation for authentic audiences, but these are marked as optional to accommodate potential restrictions that teachers may face.

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I created (and taught!) the following unit for a tenth grade ELA course similar to pre-IB. The standard version is best suited for official submissions and transfer to a standardized format. This version also provides greater detail on the phases of the unit.  The graphic version is a more engaging introduction to the unit that incorporates the unit themes and matches the accompanying resources. Additionally, this version may serve as a reference throughout the unit and can be distributed to students.

 

PDF versions with live links available upon request, but the non-interactive image versions can be viewed below.