TheWaterCycle:4thGrade

UnitPlan

DavinaAziz&ChrisKatona

LongTermPlanning

Miss.AzizandMr.Katonawillbecoteachinginafourthgradeinclusionclassroom.
ThisclassroomislocatedinMillstoneRiverElementarySchoolwhichisapartoftheWest
WindsorPlainsboroRegionalSchoolDistrictwhichisaverydiversesuburbanmiddleclass
town.Theclassroomteacher,Mrs.McElrathhasbeenteachingfor8years.Theclassconsistsof
24studentsbetweentheagesof10and11.Thereare

13boys

andand11girls.Theclassroomis
comprisedofstudentsfromvariousdifferentculturalbackgroundswhichinclude,Caucasian,
Indian,HispanicandAfricanAmerican.TherearetwoEnglishLanguageLearnersintheclassas
wellasonestudentwithaspecificlearningdisabilityandonestudentwitha504planforADHD.
EarthDayisaroundthecorneronApril22,2016,sotheclassroomisworkingona
sciencelessonaboutthewatercycleandtheimpactthathumanshaveonourplanetswater
supply.
Whiletheunitwearepreparingonthewatercycleismainlybasedinthesciences,there
areothertopicsforstudentstolearnaboutandpracticewithwithinthetopic.Oftentimes,young
studentsdonotrealizethatthewatersupplyofourplanetislimitedandwereusewater.The
watercycleisapartofthecurriculumatWestWindsorPlainsboroforallfourthgradestudents
toknow.Thisisatopicinsciencethatwehavetoteach,sowewantedtoexpandonthetopic
andmakeitrelevantforthestudents.Thisiswhywearecenteringthebigideaofthewatercycle
withthequestion:Howarethehumansnegativelyimpactingthewatercycle?Webelievethat
branchingthewatercycleintoaninterestingstudyabouthowhumansareaffectingthewater
supplywouldbearelevantthingtodo.Thetwoimportantaspectsofmotivationarebeliefof
successandimportanceoftheactivity.Asidefromwantingtointroducestudentstothewater
cycle,andshowthemhowhumansareaffectingthewatercycle,wealsowanttohelpmotivate

ourstudents,whichiswhatthisunitdoes.Incorporatingmathematicsintothislessonwith
measurementsandcalculationsallowsstudentstomeasureandthendrawconclusionsofour
planetswatersupplyinahandsonway.

Oneofthelessonsinvolvesthestudentsworkingwith
anexperimentthatletsthemvisuallyseethewatercycletakingplace.Inajar,thestudentswill
beabletoseeevaporation,condensation,andprecipitation.Withthissetup,thereisaperfect
opportunitytoshowthestudentsthattheamountofwaterdoesnotchange.Withtherebeingso
muchwaterintherealworld,itishardforstudentstoobservehowthewaterlevelsdonot
changeandbecomegreaterafterrain.Thereisstillwaterinsideoftheclouds,andtheamountof
waterthatearthhaswillneverchange.Byallowingthemtomeasuretheamountofwaterbefore
theexperimentandaftertheexperiment,thestudentswillbeabletoseethatwaterisalimited
resource.Thisisalsoanimportantstepintheunitforstudentstobecomepassionateabout
protectingthesupplyofwateronearth.Byintegratingmathematicsintoscienceinkeypointsof
aunit,itallowsstudentstoquantifyacertainimpactinscience.
Throughoutourunit,wewillbeutilizingelementsofliteracyasliteracy,readingand
writing,oftenhelpstomakeinformationpermenantforstudents.Oursciencebasedlessononthe
watercycleistheperfectopportunitytointroducenonfictiontextsasitdirectlyrelatestoourunit
topic.Preparingstudentstoreadandfindmeaninginnonfictiontextsisimportantforpreparing
themfortherestofelementaryschoolandintomiddleschoolwhereliteratureshiftsfrommainly
worksoffictiontononfiction.Wewillalsohavestudentspracticewritingapersuasiveletter
towardstheendofourunitwhichwillalsohelppreparestudentsforthefuturewhenpersuasive
orargumentativeessaysaresoprevalentinthecurriculum.Studentswillusetheinformationthat

theyhaveacquiredfromnonfictionsourcestoformanopinionanduseprooffromthearticlesto
maintainandfightfortheirpoint.
Finally,wewillbeintegratingsocialstudiesintoourfinalactivity.Insocialstudies,we
oftenseethetermchangeagentswhichreferstopeopleinhistorywhohaveadvocatedfora
positivechangeintheworld.Insocialstudiesfourthgradersarelearningaboutchangeagents
likeGeorgeWashington,ThomasJefferson,andotherfamousindividualswhohadapositive
impactonthecountryandworld.Theyarealsolearningaboutpeoplewhomadeanegative
impactontheworld,andaremoreinfamouslyknown.Wewantourstudentstobechangeagents
andprotectourEarthswaterjustlikethefamouspeoplethattheyhavebeenlearningaboutin
socialstudiesclass.Byshowingthemhowthesepeoplemadeapositivechangebysupporting
somethingthattheybelievedin,weareempoweringourstudentstomakeachangeaswell.
Throughoutourunit,wewillbeshowingourstudentsthenegativeimpactthatwaterpollution
hasonthewatercycle.Whiledoingso,wewillalsobeshowingthemwaysinwhichtheycan
helpprotecttheEarthswatersupply.Whileexaminingwaystostopwaterpollutionwewill
simultaneouslybeempoweringthemtothinkaboutthewateronEarthandalso,guidingthemin
towardsplacetostartmakingachangejustlikethechangeagentswehaveexaminedinsocial
studies.
Theformatofthisunitissetupwherethestudentswillbeintroducedtothewatercycle,
explorehowitoccurs,beintroducedintowaysthathumansimpactthewatercycle,shownways
tomakeachange,andthengiventheopportunitytomakeachange.Thewaythisisformated,
therewillacouplequestionsthatshouldalwaysbepresentinthestudentsminds.Thefirst
questionshouldbehowthewatercycletakesplace,Thisissothattheyhaveanunderstandingof

howwatermoves.Thenextquestionshouldbehowthey,themselves,andotherhumansare
impactingthewatersupplyonearth,becausestudentsneedtorealizetheimpactthathumans
haveontheplanet.Thelastquestionthatshouldbeontheirmindsishowtheycanbecome
changeagents.Awellpreparedstudentshouldbeabletoanswerallthreeofthesequestionsat
theendoftheunit.Thisunitshouldbeabletoinspirestudentstobecomeawareofthedrastic
impacthumansarehavingonthewatersupply,aswellasinspirethemtowanttomakeachange.

Rationale

Ageneralproblememerginginthisgenerationandthatwillbepresentinthegenerations
tocomeisthelackofattentionpaidtotheenvironmentbyhumans.Itisimportantforallhumans
torealizewhatimpacttheiractionshaveontheenvironmentaroundus.Humanstakealotfor
granted,butitisawholedifferentlevelwhenitcomestothebiosphere.Byshowingthese
studentstherolethattheiractionshaveonthebiosphere,wearehopingtoopenupeyes,and
showthemhowtheycanmakeachange.
Inaworldwherehumansdonotrealizetheirimpactontheearth,orworse,donotcare
abouttheimpacttheyhaveonearth,weneedtoinstillthissenseofcaringintotheyounger
generations.Thecentralfocusofthisunitistohaveourstudentsthinkaboutandanalyzethe
differentstagesofthewatercyclewhichshowsthatwehavealimitedwatersupplyonEarth.
Thewatercycleisintroducedinthethirdgradebutisexpandeduponin4thgradecurriculum.In
addition,inthe4thgrade,studentsareexpectedtorecognizethetheimpactthathumanshaveon
Earthswatersupplyandwhyitisimportantforthemtotakecareofit.Thepointofteaching
themthewatercycleinthebeginningisforthestudentstounderstandhowthewatermoves
aroundfromthebiosphere(earth)totheatmosphereandtothelithosphere(undergroundrocks).
Studentsneedtobeabletoseethatwaterisnotconstantlyrenewingitself,butinstead,isjust
beingreusedbytheatmosphere.Thisisthebigreasonwhystudentsneedtolearnaboutthe
affectshumanshaveonthewatersupply.Thisunitshouldintroducethestudentstothewater
cycle,butalsoshowthemhowhumansarenegativelyimpactingtheenvironment.Inshowing
thestudentshowhumansarenegativelyimpactingtheenvironment,thisshouldalsospark
studentsintowantingtomakeachange.Oncestudentsstarttounderstandthenegativeimpacts
humansarehavingonthewatersupply,theyshouldwanttomakeachange.

Thisunitwillbeabletomeettheneedsofallofthespecialeducationstudentsinour
classbecauseofthevarietyofwaystheinformationisbeingcommunicatedwiththestudents.
Therewillbedirectinstructionaswellasconstructivisminthisunit.Inonelesson,thestudents
willbegettingdirectinstructionthroughreadingarticlesaboutthedifferentwayshumansimpact
thewatersupplyonearth.Awaythatweweregoingtomakesurethatallofthestudentsfelt
includedwastousenewsela,whichallowsustofindthesamearticlebutchangethewordsinthe
articletoastudentscertainreadinglevel.Thiswaywecanbothpushthestudentswhoare
highlevelreaders,aswellasmeettheneedsofstudentswhoarelowlevelreaders.Therewill
alsobetheincorporationofawatercyclesong,wherestudentscanactoutthesongaswell.This
willreachstudentswhoaremoreauditoryorkinestheticlearners.Aspreviouslystated,therewill
alsobeactivitiesthatareabletobuildonstudentsunderstandingwhichincludeanexperiment
settingupandobservingthewatercycleaswellasmeasuringthewaterlevelsbeforeandafter
thewatercycletakesplace,andanotherexperimentwherestudentsarepollutingthewater,and
tryingtocleanthewater.Itisimportanttomakesureallstudentsfeelincluded,sothateveryone
cangetthemostoutofthisunit.

Standards

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.B.4
Makealineplottodisplayadatasetofmeasurementsinfractionsofaunit(1/2,1/4,1/8).Solve
problemsinvolvingadditionandsubtractionoffractionsbyusinginformationpresentedinline
plots.Forexample,fromalineplotfindandinterpretthedifferenceinlengthbetweenthe
longestandshortestspecimensinaninsectcollection.

CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.1
Knowrelativesizesofmeasurementunitswithinonesystemofunitsincludingkm,m,cmkg,g
lb.,oz.l,mlhr,min,sec.Withinasinglesystemofmeasurement,expressmeasurementsina
largerunitintermsofasmallerunit.Recordmeasurementequivalentsinatwocolumntable.
Forexample,knowthat1ftis12timesaslongas1in.Expressthelengthofa4ftsnakeas48
in.Generateaconversiontableforfeetandincheslistingthenumberpairs(1,12),(2,24),(3,
36),

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.4.2
Determinethemainideaofatextandexplainhowitissupportedbykeydetailssummarizethe
text.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.4.3
Explainevents,procedures,ideas,orconceptsinahistorical,scientific,ortechnicaltext,
includingwhathappenedandwhy,basedonspecificinformationinthetext.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.4.1
Writeopinionpiecesontopicsortexts,supportingapointofviewwithreasonsandinformation.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.4.7
Conductshortresearchprojectsthatbuildknowledgethroughinvestigationofdifferentaspects
ofatopic.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.4.9
Drawevidencefromliteraryorinformationaltextstosupportanalysis,reflection,andresearch.

TheNextGenerationScienceStandards:35ETS11
Defineasimpledesignproblemreflectinganeedorawantthatincludesspecifiedcriteriafor
successandconstraintsonmaterial,time,orcost.

NextGenerationScienceStandards:35ETS13
Planandcarryoutfairtestsinwhichvariablesarecontrolledandfailurepointsareconsideredto
identifyaspectsofamodelorprototypethatcanbeimproved.

TheNextGenerationScienceStandards.3.5.ETS1
Generateandcomparemultiplepossiblesolutionstoaproblembasedonhowwelleachislikely
tomeetthecriteriaandconstraintsoftheproblem.

Adaptations

This4thgradeclassroomislocatedinMillstoneRiverElementarySchoolwhichisapart
oftheWestWindsorPlainsboroRegionalSchoolDistrictwhichisaverydiversesuburban
middleclasstown.Theclassconsistsof

24studentsbetweentheagesof10and11.Thereare

13
boys

andand11girls.DuetothediversenatureoftheWestWindsorPlainsboroRegional
SchoolDistrict,theclassroomcomprisesofstudentsfromvariousdifferentculturalbackgrounds
whichincludes,Caucasian,Asian,Indian,HispanicandAfricanAmerican.Becauseofthe
diversenatureoftheWestWindsorPlainsboroRegionalSchoolDistrict,thediversecultural
assetsofstudentsimpacttheirlearning.Educationisahugepriorityatthehomesofmany
studentsandtheirparentsandfamiliesareenoughmotivationforstudentstoworkhardand
succeed.GiventheculturalassetsofthestudentsatWestWindsorPlainsboro,themajorityof
thestudentsfeelthepressuretosucceedfromtheirparents.Theparentsofmostofthechildrenin
WestWindsortakeeducationextremelyseriously,sostudentsneedtobegivenabreakatschool.
Wearenotsayingthattheteachersexpectationsshouldnotbehigh,butwearebeingmore
mindfulofthestudentsstresslevels.Wearealsomindfulofthedilemmathatisoccurringinthe
WestWindsorPlainsboroDistrict,wherethesuperintendentcouldseethestressoftheteachers
andstudents,sohebannedhomework,aswellaslockedtheschoolonSundayssotheteachers
didnotfeelobligatedtogointoschoolandprepare.Thisirritatedalotofparents,becauseof
theiremphasistowardseducation.Withthisismind,wearethinkingofthestudentsanddonot
haveatonofhomeworkassignedforthisunit.TherearetwoEnglishLanguageLearnersinthe
classaswellasonestudentwithaspecificlearningdisabilityandonestudentwitha504planfor
ADHD.Thestudentsintheclassroomareverytactilelearnersandareexcitedwhentheyare
allowedtointeractwiththecurriculum.Theylovegettingupandmovingaroundandmost

studentsgetboredduringtraditionallectures.Studentsintheclassparticipateandengagein
activitieswhentheyareworkingingroupsratherthanasawholeclass.Becauseourstudentsare
veryreceptivetotactilelearningactivities,wewillhavestudentsdoingseveralinteractivelab
experimentssoallofourstudentscanexamineandanalyzethewatercycleforthemselves
insteadofreadingaboutthetopicfromatextbook.Ourstudentsalsolikeworkingingroupsso
labgroupswillbesomethingthatwewilloftenutilizeespeciallyonexperimentdays.

Student:Emmy(10)
SpecialNeeds:
Emmyhasa504planforADHDdifficultystayingontaskandisoften
distracted.
Adaptationsforeachlesson:
Emmybenefitsfromtactilelessonsshedislikeslecturesandoftengetsboredquickly.Emmy
needstobemonitoredduringdeskworkorformalassessmentsassheoftengetsdistracted.She
alsobenefitsfromcompletingformalassignmentsinaquietenvironmentawayfromher
classmateswhereshecanmaintainfocusandhaveextratimetowork.

Student:Tia(10)
SpecialNeeds:
SpecificLearningDisabilityDyslexia
Adaptationsforeachlesson:
Tiausesaudiobookstosupplementwrittentextintheclassroom.Herworksheets,articles,
homeworketc.areallprintedinlargefontandaredoublespaced.Tiaalsoreceivesextratimeon
assignmentsandisoftenreadinstructionsforactivitiesorally.

Student:Devank(10)
SpecialNeeds:
ELL(EnglishLanguageLearner)
Adaptationsforeachlesson:
Devankisallowedtodrawgraphs,chartsandotherimagestosupplementideasinwriting
activites.Devankissocialandenjoysworkinginsmallgroupsbutcanbecomeveryfrustrated

whenworkingalone.Heisoftengivenabuddyintheclassroomwhohelpshimarticulate
wordsandsentencesthathestruggleswith.

Student:Sofia(10)
SpecialNeeds:
ELL(EnglishLanguageLearner)
Adaptationsforeachlesson:
Sofiaisallowedtodrawgraphs,chartsandotherimagestosupplementideasinwritingactivites.
Sofiasoralskillsarehigherthanherwrittenlanguageskillssosheisoftengivenexamsorother
formalassessmentsorally.Sofialikesbooksontapeasshecanrewindandlistentopartsofthe
bookagainifsheisconfused.

ShortTermPlanning

Lesson1:Introductiontothe
WaterCycle

Day1:IntroductiontotheWaterCycle

Rationale:
Today,studentswillbeintroducedtothewatercycle.Thewatercycleisa
CoTeachingModel&Rationale:
Thislessonwillbecotaughtasitwillbethemostbeneficialwaytoinstructourstudentswith
thisparticularlesson.Bothteachershaveknowledgeonthetopicandunderstandeachothers
teachingstylesandstudentswillbenefitfromgettinginformationfrombothteachers.
Objectives:
Studentswillbeabletodramatizeandrecitethedifferentpartsofthewatercycleverbally.
Studentswillbeabletolabelthedifferentpartsofthewatercyclewith90%accuracy.
Standards:
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.4.3
Explainevents,procedures,ideas,orconceptsinahistorical,scientific,ortechnicaltext,
includingwhathappenedandwhy,basedonspecificinformationinthetext.
Materials:
Projectorthatthewatercyclesongcanplayon
Printedlyricsforstudentstoread
Worksheet
Craftsupplies(markers,crayons,constructionpaper,glue,scissorsetc.)
Procedures:
BeginningInordertoheightenthestudentscuriosityaboutthewatercycle,theteacherswill
playTheWaterCycleSongon
YouTube.com.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWb4KlM2vts

Studentswilllistentothesongoncewhilereadingalongwiththeprintedlyricsprovidedtoeach
studentbytheteachers.Then,theteacherswillinvitethestudentstoparticipatebydoingthe
watercycledancethatgoesalongwitheachstageofthecycle.Theteacherswillinstructstudents
toturnandtalkwithapartnertopickoneinterestingfactthattheyvelearnedfromthesong
aboutthewatercycletoshareouttotheclass.Theteacherswillaskforvolunteerstosharetheir
interestingfactswiththeclass.

MiddleTheteacherswillsplittheclassintosmallgroupsof56studentsandaskeachgroupto
workonashortplayinwhichtheyrepresenteachpartofthewatercycle.Theteacherswillleave
outmarkers,paperandothersuppliesforstudentstomakepropsandonceallofthegroupsare
finishedwritingtheirscriptsandrehearsing,theywillactouttheirshortplayaboutthewater
cycle.

EndStudentswillgobacktotheirdesksandthenwillbegiveadiagramofthewatercycle.
Then,themustindependentlylabelthedifferentpartsofthewatercyclethatwereaddressedin
thesongandintheirgroupsplays.
Assessment:
Theteacherswillbecollectingeachstudentsdiagramofthewatercycletocheckthatthey
labeledthecyclewith90%accuracy.Theteacherswillberotatingfromgrouptogroupduring
thepreparationperiodbeforethestudentsactouttheirplays,thiswillgivetheteachersthe
opportunitytoaddressandquestionsandtomakesurethatallofthegroupsareaccurately
representingthedifferentpartsofthewatercycle.


Adaptations:
LyricstotheTheWaterCycleSongwillbeprintedoutandgiventoallstudentshowever,
lyricswillbegiventoELLstudentsinthelanguagethattheyaremostcomfortablewithaswell
asinEnglish.Thefontonthelyricssheetwillbeenlargedanddoublespacedforourstudent
withDyslexia.Highperformingstudentswillbeaskedtocompletetheirgraphicorganizerfor
thewatercyclebythemselvesfrommemoryhowever,studentsthatneedextrahelpwillhavethe
termslistedbelowtheirworksheetthattheycancutoutandpasteontotheirworksheet.
Instructionsforthecompletionofthegraphicorganizerwillbespokenaloudtobenefitall
students.Therewillbeaquietplaceforstudentswhoneedquiettoeffectivelydotheirwork.

The
Water Cycle
Song Lyrics:
Sing Along!
The Water Cycle
Takes the water and moves it
Up and Down and all around the Earth
Evaporation comes
When the heat from the Sun
Warms up all the groundwater
Then it turns to water vapor
Condensation takes over
It goes up to the clouds
Water vapor cools down
And it changes to a liquid, now
Precipitation happens
When the drops get big
It falls like Rain, Snow, Sleet, and Hail upon my
head
I know it's the water cycle happening again
Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation

TheWaterCycleGraphicOrganizer:

Lesson2:LabExperiment

Day2LabExperiment:

Rationale:
Today,studentswillbeapplyingtheirknowledgeofthewatercyclefromourfirstlessonand
createtheirownmodelofthewatercycle.Studentswillbecraftingahypothesisthatwillbe
measuredandtestedastheexperimenttakesplacewhichisafundamentalelementofscience.
Afterward,liketruescientistswould,studentswillbeanalyzingtheirfindingsandwillwork
towardsdrawingaconclusionwhichwillhelpstudentswhostrugglewithreflectingontheirown
work.Manystudentsdonotunderstandthatwaterisactuallyrecycledandthatwedonotgain
morewater.So,throughthisexperiment,studentswillbeabletoseethatclearly.
CoteachingModelandRationale:
Wewillbeparallelteachingforthislesson.Eachteacherwillhave12studentsintheirgroup
whichwillallowformoreparticipationinthelabactivityandwillgiveeachstudentarolein
constructingthemodelwatercycle.
Objective(s):
Studentswillmeasurewaterlevelstoformaconclusiononwhethertheplanetswateris
recycledoriftheplanetcreatesnewwater.
Materials:
LargerBowls
SmallBowls
Salt
BoiledWater
IceCubes

SaranWrap
LabNotebook
Pens/Pencils
Rulers
Cylinder

Standards:
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.B.4
Makealineplottodisplayadatasetofmeasurementsinfractionsofaunit(1/2,1/4,1/8).Solve
problemsinvolvingadditionandsubtractionoffractionsbyusinginformationpresentedinline
plots.Forexample,fromalineplotfindandinterpretthedifferenceinlengthbetweenthe
longestandshortestspecimensinaninsectcollection.
CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.MD.A.1
Knowrelativesizesofmeasurementunitswithinonesystemofunitsincludingkm,m,cmkg,g
lb.,oz.l,mlhr,min,sec.Withinasinglesystemofmeasurement,expressmeasurementsina
largerunitintermsofasmallerunit.Recordmeasurementequivalentsinatwocolumntable.
Forexample,knowthat1ftis12timesaslongas1in.Expressthelengthofa4ftsnakeas48
in.Generateaconversiontableforfeetandincheslistingthenumberpairs(1,12),(2,24),(3,
36),
NextGenerationScienceStandards:35ETS13
Planandcarryoutfairtestsinwhichvariablesarecontrolledandfailurepointsareconsideredto
identifyaspectsofamodelorprototypethatcanbeimproved.

Procedures:
BeginningTheteacherswillsplittheclassroominhalfandeachteacherwilltakeaddresstheir
specificgroupofstudents.Theteacherswillinstructstudentstograbtheirlabnotebooksanda
pencilandgatheraroundatablewheretheywillbeconstructingthemodelwatercycle.Before
beginningtheinstruction,theteacherwillsplituptheir12studentsintothreegroupsoffour.The
teacherwillintroducethelabbyintroducingtothestudentsthattheywillbesettingupan
experimenttoobservethewatercycle.Theteacherswillthenquestionthestudentsandhave
themjotdownahypothesisaboutwaterlevelsandiftheplanetcreatesnewwaterorifthewater
isrecycledusinganIfThenmodel.Theteacherwillaskstudentstoturnandtalktoshare
theirhypotheseswitheachotherbeforesharingthemouttothegroup.

MiddleTheteacherswillgivedirectionstotheirgroupofstudentsonhowtocarryoutthe
experiment.Theteacherswillmakesurestudentsknowthattheyhavetouseovenmittstopour
thewarmwaterintothebigbowl.Oncethewaterisinthebigbowl,thestudentswillhavetoput
acupofsaltinandmixthesaltintothewater.Nextthestudentswillplacethesmallbowlover
that.Thentherehastobeacylinderoverbothcups,withanicecubeontopofthecylinder.Then
theteacherswillassessthestudentsunderstandingofthesetup.Thisistomakesurethestudents
understandwhytheyaredoingeverythingthattheyare.Thebigbowlrepresentstheocean,the
smallbowlrepresentsland,theicecubesrepresenttheclouds.Aftergoingthroughthesetupof
theexperiment,theteacherswillreaddressthehypothesisatthebeginning,remindingthemthe
goalofthelab.Theteacherwilltellthestudentsthattheywillusearulerandmeasuretheheight
ofthewaterbeforetheexperimentandaftertheexperiment.Oncethestudentshaverepeated

backdirectionsandunderstandwhattheyaredoing,theywillcollectthesupplies.Oncethe
studentsareintheirgroups,teacherswillwalkaroundhelpingstudentswhoneedit,aswellas
payingacloseeyeonstudentssafety.

EndAsthestudentsstartwrappinguptheirexperiment,theywillwritedowntheobservations,
andtalkwiththeirgroupmembersaboutwhathappened.Theywillalsodiscusswhetherthe
observationsagreeordisagreewiththeirhypothesis.Onceeachgrouphasbeengiventhe
opportunitytodiscuss,theywillhaveconversationswiththeotherstudentsintheirsplitgroups,
ledbyeachteacher.Thisiswheretheteachercanhelpscaffoldthestudent'sunderstandingof
whattookplace,aswellashelpmakeconnectionswiththem.Italsogivesteacheraperfect
opportunitytoassesswhetherthestudentsunderstoodwhathappened.
Assessment:
Teacherswillbehelpinggroupssotheywillbeabletoassesswhetherthestudentsaregetting
theconceptornot.Theteacherswillalsocollectthesciencenotebookfromthestudentstosee
theinformationtheyjotteddown.Thelastpieceofassessmentinthislessonistheclosureatthe
end.Thisisagreatwayofformativeassessment,becausetheteachersarehearingwhatthe
studentsthoughthappenedintheexperiment.
Adaptations:
Apredrawngraphwillbegiventostudentswhoneeditandtheteacherswillinstructthemto
tapeitintotheirnotebooksafterfillingitout.Theteacherswillbedrawingamodelgraphfor
studentswhoarevisuallearners.Theteacherswillhaveallstudentscomeupandparticipatein
theconstructionofthewatercyclewhichwillbenefittactilelearners.ELLstudentswillbegiven

theoptionofdrawingimagesandgraphsintheirlabnotebookstosupplementtheirwrittenideas.
ThepredrawngraphwillfeaturelargeprintforourstudentwithDyslexia.Ifstudentsneeda
placetoquietlyworkafterdoingtheexperiment,thatwillbeprovided.Directionswillbegiven
orallyaswellasvisuallytomeettheneedsofallstudents.

Lesson3:LabExperiment:
PollutionDamagestheWater
Supply

Day3:LabExperiment:PollutionDamagestheWaterSupply

Rationale:
Thislessonwillallowstudentstoexperiencefirsthandhowpollutionbyhumanscan
damagethewatersupplycompletely.Thislessonissupposedtoshowkidsthatthrowing
unnecessarywasteintothewatercanpermanentlydamagethecleanwaterthatisonearth.Inthis
lessonthestudentsaregoingtopollutethewater,sothattheyknowthewaterhasbeen
uncleansed.Oncethestudentsputwastelikebananapeelsintothewater,theyaregoingtobe
askedtoputonglovesandtrytoremovethebadsubstances.Whattheyaregoingtorealizeis
thattheycannotcleanthewater,butinsteadthewaterwillbedirtyforever.Thisisbecausethe
waterwillbreakdowntheothersubstances,sonowtinyparticlesoftheothersubstancesnow
remaininthewater.Thisisimportantforstudentstounderstand,becausestudentsneedtorealize
thatpollutionisaterriblethingforthewatersupplyonearth.
CoteachingModelandRationale:
Wewillbecoteachingthislesson.Studentswillbebrokenupintogroupsof6groupsof4and
afterbothteachersexplaintheexperiment,thestudentswillbreakupintotheirlabgroupsand
worktogether.Theteacherswillbemovingfromgrouptogrouptoassiststudentsandanswer
anyquestionsthattheymighthave.Thegroupswillbemixedabilitygroupsastheteachersagree
thatallstudentswillbenefitfrominteractingandcompletingtheexperimenttogether.
Objectives:
Studentswillbeabletoobservethenegativeeffectsofpollutionontheearthswatersupplyby
conductinganexperiment.Then,studentswillbeabletoanalyzetheirfindingsanddrawa

conclusiononwaterpollutionbasedontheexperimentthattheyhaveconductedintheirlab
groupsandthestorythattheyhavereadaloud.
Materials:
Tubofwater
Wastesubstances(bananapeels,applecores,plasticwrappers,coffeegrinds,etc.)
Thebook,
WhereDoestheWaterGo?
YouTubeClip
Tongs,Gloves&Spoons
Standards:
TheNextGenerationScienceStandards:35ETS11
Defineasimpledesignproblemreflectinganeedorawantthatincludesspecifiedcriteriafor
successandconstraintsonmaterial,time,orcost.
Procedures:
BeginningTheteacherswillbeginthedaybyreadingthestory,
WhereDoestheGarbageGo?
ByPaulShowers.Thisbookisanaccessiblestoryforchildrenofallagesthatillustratesthe
impactthatlitteringandwastehasonourworldandmostimportantly,ourwatersupply.When
thebookisfinished,theteacherwillaskstudentstoturnandtalkwithoneanothertodiscuss
topicsfromthestorythattheyjustheard.Theteacherwillcallonafewgroupstospeakout
aboutthestory.

MiddleTheteacherswillhandoutasheetofpaperthathasthedirectionsforthelabactivity
writtenonitwhileexplainingtheinstructionsaloud.Studentswillhaveabasinofcleanwater

andvarioushouseholditems(bananapeels,applecores,plasticwrappers,coffeegrinds,etc.)that
theywillbeusingtopollutetheirwater.Studentswillbreakoffintogroupsandgetstarted.
Oncealloftheirwaterisdirty,theteacherswillgivestudentsplasticgloves,tongsandspoons
andwillaskstudentstotryandpurifytheirwater.Whentheyaredonetryingtocleanuptheir
water,theteacherwillaskstudentstothinkabouttheexperimentthattheyjustdid.Werethey
successfulincleaningtheirwater?Mostgroupswillnotbe.

EndTheteacherswillgatherthestudentsonemoretimetogetherasaclasstoshowthemthis
YouTubevideo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93BqLewm3bA
allaboutwaterpollution.
Then,theteacherswillsendstudentsbacktotheirseatswiththeirlabnotebooksandaskthemto
reflectontheirexperiment.
Assessment:
Labnotebookswillbedatedandhandedinforteacherstoreadandcommentbacktostudentsto
makesurethatthestudentsareseeingthenegativeimpactthatlitteringandpollutionhason
earthswatersupply.
Adaptations:
Instructionswillbeprintedoutforstudentsandtheywillalsobereadaloudforourstudentsthat
benefitfromthat.Ontheprintedcopyofinstructions,picturesanddiagramswillbeusedto
supplementthewritteninstructionsforalllearnersbutspecifically,ELLstudents.Groupswillbe
mixedabilitiessostudentscanhelpeachotheroutwiththeactivityandlearnfromoneanother.
TherewillbeonesheetprintedoutdoublespacedandlargefontforthestudentwithDyslexia.
Alsotherewillbeaquietplaceforanystudentwhoneedstofocus.

Lesson4:LiteracyGroups&
WaterPollution


Day4:LiteracyGroups&WaterPollution
Rationale:
Today,studentswillbereadinganarticleaboutwaterpollutiontoseeareallifeexampleofhow
Earthswatersupplyisbeingpollutedbyourwaste.Thesearticleshoweverencouragestudents
totakepositiveactiontowardssavingourwatersupplybysuggestingwaysthattheycanget
involvedandbecomeChangeAgentslikethemanyfamousindividualsthathaveadvocated
forchangeinourcountryshistory.
CoteachingModelandRationale:
Wewillbeteamteachingthislessonasbothteachersareextremelyknowledgeableonthetopic
andcanequallyprovidestudentswithimportantinsightregardingthislesson.
Objectives:
Studentswillbeabletoexamineanonfictiontextanddrawaconclusiononwaterpollution
basedontheirreading.
Materials:
Twoarticles
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/201601/documents/join_article.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/201601/documents/stoppointless_article.pdf
WhitePaper
Markers,Pens,ColoredPencilsetc.
Highlighters
Postitnotes


Standards:
CCSS.ELALITERACY.RI.4.3
Explainevents,procedures,ideas,orconceptsinahistorical,scientific,ortechnicaltext,
includingwhathappenedandwhy,basedonspecificinformationinthetext.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.4.9
Drawevidencefromliteraryorinformationaltextstosupportanalysis,reflection,andresearch.

Procedures:
BeginningTheteacherswillbeginclassbyexplainingthatwewillbeworkinginsmallbook
clubstodayandthatwewillbereadingabouthowtobecomeachangeagent.Theteacherswill
makealistontheboardandaskstudentstovolunteerexamplesofchangeagentsinour
countryshistoryandwhytheywereimportantinadvocatingforapositivechange.

MiddleTheteacherswillgiveabriefarticletalk(similartoabooktalk)onthetwoarticles
thatthestudentscanchoosefrom,bothabouthowstudentscanhelpsaveEarthswater.The
studentswillraisetheirhandsanddecidewhicharticlethattheywanttoreadandtheteachers
willsplitthemintobookclubsreadingthearticlesthattheychose.Studentswillbegiven
highlightersandpostitnotestomakenotesandemphasizeimportantinformationastheyread.
Studentswillbegivenroles,reader,notetaker,motivator,speakerandquestionerandasthey
readtheirarticletheywillbefulfillingtherequirementsoftheirspecificrole.Theteacherswill
walkaroundtheroomandmeetwithgroupstoansweranyquestionsandtomakesurestudents
areontask.


EndOncetheyaredonereadinganddiscussing,studentswillcreatepostersilluminatingan
importantpartoftheirarticleusingthepaperandartsupplies.Then,theywillhangtheirposters
aroundtheroomandtheteacherswillinstructstudentstogoonagallerywalk.Ateachstopon
theirgallerywalk,studentswillbeaskedtotakeanote,makeacomment,oraskaquestionona
pieceofpaperinfrontofeachposter.Then,studentswillmeetbackintheirgroupsandeach
speakerwillreadouttheircommentsandquestionstotherestoftheclassandtheirgroupwill
confertoaddressanyquestions.
Assessment:
Ourgoalfortodayistohavestudentsdrawaconclusionfromanonfictiontextsothepostersfor
eachgroupwillbecollectedandtheteacherswillcheckthemoveragain.Also,theteacherswill
bemonitoringstudentworkinbookclubsaswellasduringthegallerywalk.Inbookclubs,the
teacherswillcarryaroundatallysheetwitheachstudentsnametocheckoffthateachstudentis
participatingingroupwork.
Adaptations:
Highlightersandpostitnoteswillbegiventoallstudentstohelpthemkeeporganizedifthey
feelliketheyneedit.Articlefontwillalsobeenlargedforthestudentwithaspecificlearning
disability.ELLstudentswillbegivenaroleotherthanthereadersotheydonotfeel
uncomfortablereadingaloudandinsteadwillbegivenarolethatwillallowthemto
communicatewithothersinthegroup.Therewillalsobeaquietplaceforstudentswhowantto
focusandneedsilencetofocus.

Lesson5:PersuasiveWriting
Activity

Day5:PersuasiveWritingActivity
Rationale:
Duringtheentireunit,studentshavebeenlearningabouthowthewateronearthhas
beenreused,andhowhumansarehavinganegativeimpactonthewatersupply.Thisunithas
giventhestudentsthebackgroundknowledgeneededtoformtheirownopinionsonthesubject.
Thisactivitywillgivethestudentstheopportunitytomaketheseconnections,aswellasgiving
themasourcetowritetheiropinions.Thislessonisgoingtobuildonthelastlesson,wherethe
studentswereintroducedtochangeagents.
CoteachingModelandRationale:
Thecoteachingmodelthatwewillbeusingisteam
teaching,becausebothteachersareequallyknowledgeableonthesubject.Wearealsovery
familiarwitheachother'steachingstyles,sothatwecanbothrolloffoneanotherduringthe
lesson.Thisalsogivesbothteacherstheopportunitytoscaffoldthestudentsthinking.
Objectives:
Studentswillbecomechangeagentsandarguetheirpointabouthumansaffectonthewater
supply,bywritingalettertothepresident.
Materials:
Writersnotebook
Pencil
Smartboard
Smartcamera
Standards:
CCSSELALITERACY.W.4.8

Recallrelevantinformationfromexperiencesorgatherrelevantinformationfromprintand
digitalsourcestakenotesandcategorizeinformation,andprovidealistofsources.
CCSSELALITERACY.W.4.1
Writeopinionpiecesontopicsortexts,supportingapointofviewwithreasonsandinformation.
TheNextGenerationScienceStandards.3.5.ETS1
Generateandcomparemultiplepossiblesolutionstoaproblembasedonhowwelleachislikely
tomeetthecriteriaandconstraintsoftheproblem.

Procedures:
BeginningBuildontheideaofchangeagentsfromsocialstudies,aswellasthelastlessonon
changeagentsinthisunit.Theteacherswillhelpthestudentsmakeconnectionsbetweenboth
lessonsandthislesson.TheteachershouldbringuphowGeorgeWashingtonwasachange
agent.SayingsomethingalongthelinesofRememberdiscussingchangeagentsinthelast
sciencelesson?Whocangivemeanexampleofapersonwhowasachangeagent?The
teacherswillhelpthestudentsrealizethatchangeagentsarepeoplewhomadeachange,because
theywantedtomakeabadsituationbetter.BringupsomeonelikeDr.MartinLutherKing,and
explainthathewassomeonewhowantedtoseethepeopleofallracescometogetherandbeone.
Thisiswhyhetriedsohardtoaccomplishthisgoal.Explaintostudentsthattoday,theywill
begintoactaschangeagents.

MiddleAsthestudentsareatthecarpet,tellthemtherearenumerouswaystobecomeachange
agent.Today,theclasswillbefocusingonwritingapersuasiveletter,sothatthislettercanhelp

showthepeople,whoareincharge,thepointtheyaretryingtomake.Havestudentsturnand
talkabouttheiropinionsonhowhumansaffecttheearthswatersupplyineitheragoodwayora
badway.Teacherswillremindstudentstohaveevidencefromexperimentsinclassandarticles
readinclasstosupporttheirclaims.Afterlettingthestudentsturnandtalkforaminute,teachers
willcalltheattentionbacktothefrontoftheclass.Teacherswillhavethestudentsshareideas,
andtheirevidencetobackuptheiropinions.Teacherswillthenshowthestudentstheirrough
draftsoftheirlettersonthesmartboard.Theteacherswillaskthestudentswhattheynoticeabout
theletters.ThisistohelpthestudentsseethattheteachersstartedtheletterwithDear
President,usedevidencefromclasstosupporttheirclaims,finishedoffwithastrongclosing,
andfinishedoffwithsincerelyandtheteachersname.Teacherswillthenallowstudentstostart
workingontheirroughdraftindividually.Teacherswillwalkaroundhelpingthestudents
comingupwithideasandevidencetosupporttheiropinions.Also,teacherswillbehelping
studentswiththeletterformat.

EndTheteacherswillaskeachstudenttoshareouttheirmainidea,supportedbytwoexamples
forevidence.Thisallowstheteacherstoassesswhereeachstudentis,aswellasallowsstudents
tohelponeanother.
Assessment:
Theteachersduringthisfirstlessonwillbelookingforstudentstohaveacentral
ideaabouthumanaffectonthewatersupplyaswellasevidencetosupportthatclaim.The
teacherswillbeabletocheckforunderstandingbylisteningtothestudentssharetheirpiecesand
throughobservationsofthestudentswritersworkshopnotebooks.

Adaptations:
Allstudentscanconferenceinpairsiftheywantto,sothatstudentscanhelpone
another.Alsolaptopswillbegiventoallstudentssothosewhohaveadifficulttimewritingand
typingcanusedragonspeechsothattheycanspeaktheirpaper.Therewillbeturnandtalk
opportunitiesforstudentswhoenjoyworkingingroupsandpairs.Largefontthatis
doublespacedwillbeprovidedforthestudentwithDyslexia.Alsoduringtheirwriting,students
whoneedquietcangotothelibrarysectionandreadandworkindependently.

Assessment

CulminatingProject
Assessmentsforthisunitwillvariedduetothewiderangeoftopics,aswellaslearners,
intheclass.Forafinalproject,studentswillbecomeChangeAgentsjustintimeforEarthDay
andpresenthowtheywillbecomechangeagentsandhelpstopwaterpollution.Forthisfinal
project,studentswillbeworkingindependentlyhowevertheywillbegivenmanyoptionsfor
howtheywishtoexpresstheirknowledgeonthetopic.Studentscaneithercreateanart
representation,mockwebsiteoramovie,describingwhytheyarebecomingachangeagentand
protectingEarthswaterandencourageotherstodothesame.Theywillpresenttotheclassbut
mayuseextraresources(VokipresentationsorPowerPointpresentationstosupplementtheir
presentations)
Studentswillbeassessedontheirabilitytoconnecttheirknowledgeofthewater
cyclefromthearticlesthattheyhavereadinclass,thevideos/booksthatthey
haveseen,theirpersuasiveessayscreatedinclassandotherresearchfroma
wikipagethattheteacherswillsetupfortheclass.
Studentswillbeassessedontheneatnessandcreativenessoftheirpresentations.
Studentswillbeassessedbasedontheirpresentationskills.
Studentswillbeassessedontheirengagementduringotherstudentpresentations.
Theywillberequiredtoaskaminimumof2relevantandthoughtfulquestions
eachperpresentationperiod.Theteacherswillbekeepingtrackofthis.
Studentswillbeassessedonthetimelinessofsubmissionsfortheirproject.


CulminatingProjectRubric:

Part1
Representation

Exemplary2points

Acceptable1
point

Underdeveloped0
points

Connectsknowledgeof
thewatercycleacquired
fromclassroomarticles,
videos/books,
persuasiveessays
createdinclassand
otherresearchfromthe
classroomwikipage

Showsexpertisein
watercycle
knowledgeand
supportstheirideas
withoutside
sourcesbothfrom
classandthe
classroom
wikipage.

Showsadequate
knowledgeinthe
watercycleand
supportstheir
ideaswithsources
usedinclass.

Showslittle
understandingof
thewatercycle
anddoesnot
supporttheirideas
withanyoutside
source.

Presentationisneat
andcreative

Theprojectis
uniqueaswellas
effectivein
illustratingtheir
point.

Theprojectis
colorfuland
artistic(lookslike
effortwasputin)
andillustrates
theirpoint.

Theprojecthasno
effortputinand
doesnotillustrate
theirpoint.

Assignmentison
time

Theprojectwas
submittedbefore
thedeadline.

Theprojectwas
submittedafter
thedeadline.

Theprojectwas
notsubmitted.

Exemplary2points

Acceptable1point

Underdeveloped0
points

Utilizesmultimedia
platform(s)toenhance
presentation

Creatively
manipulatesthe
technologyto
effectivelyillustrate
theirpoint.

Usestechnology,
butdoesnot
effectively
illustratetheir
point.

Doesnotattempt
tousetechnology
toillustratetheir
point.

Successfullyreaches
yourtargetaudience
(Thisshouldbeyour
peers)

Haspeers
attentionforof
thepresentation.

Haspeers
attentionforof

Haspeers
attentionfor10
secondsofthe
presentation.

Part2
Presentation

thepresentation.

Studentembodies
appropriatepublic
speakingskills
throughout(eye
contact,gesturesetc.)

Keptappropriate
eyecontactand
effectivelyused
gestures
throughoutthe
entirepresentation.

Kepteyecontact
andeffectively
usedgestures
throughouthalfof
presentation.

Didnotuseeye
contactorhand
gesturesatall
during
presentation.

FormativeAssessment:
Labnotebookentrieswillbeturnedinforteacherassessmentandcommentary.
Exitcardswillbecompletedperiodicallyasawayforteacherstogaugewherestudents
areataswellashowtheyareenjoyingtheactivities.
TurnandTalkaswellasclassroomdiscussionswillbeheardbytheteacherswhowill
providefollowupquestionsorinformationwhennecessary.

SummativeAssessment:
Studentspersuasiveessaysonbeingachangeagentandprotectingthewatercyclewill
beusedtosupplementtheirfinalpresentationproject.
Studentschangeagentpresentationswillbethefinalproject.Studentswillconnecttheir
knowledgeofthewatercyclefromthearticlesthattheyhavereadinclass,the
videos/booksthattheyhaveseenandheardandotherresearchfromawikipagethatthe
teacherswillsetupfortheclassinordertocreatethispresentation.

Reflection

DavinaAzizReflection:

PlanningthisunitreallyhelpedmedecideonacentralconceptthatChrisandIwantedto
focusonandplanlessonsaroundthatcentralconcept.Standard3:CurriculumContent
Knowledgesuggeststhatspecialeducationprofessionalsmustbeabletostructurelessonsand
unitsaroundacentralconceptwhilesimultaneouslyintegratingcrossdisciplinaryskills.The
abilitytorecognizetheconceptandthenbranchoutfromtherenotonlyinaspecificsubjectbut
instead,acrossdisciplineshasbeensoextremelyhelpfultomeasafutureeducatorandwillbe
somethingthatIwillcontinuetodowhileplanninglessonsandunitsinthefuture.
Thinkingaboutthewaysinwhichstudentswillexpresstheirknowledgewasalsohelpful.
PlanninglessonsthatsupportwhatIwantstudentstoknoworbeabletodoinordertosucceed
hasbeenparamounttothesuccessofthisunit.Standard4:Assessmentrecognizesthatteachers
mustuseassessmentstoguidestudentsandmakedecisionsforstudentswithexceptionalitiesbut
Ifeelthatthisisimportanttodoforallstudents.Ifstudentsarenotdoingwellonformative
assessments,itisimportantfortheteachertorecognizethatandprovidetheinstructionthatall
studentsneedtosucceedonfutureassessments.So,notonlyisitimportanttoassessstudents,
butselfassessmentisalsosomethingthatIhavebecomeawareofwhileplanningthisunit.
Whilethisunitwillnotactuallybetaught,itisinterestingtoconsidertheneedsofthestudentsin
theclassthatwehavebeenworkingwithandconsideringifourlessonswouldbeeffectivein
supportingstudentlearning.Thisselfassessmenthasbeenadrivingforceintheplanningofthis
unitandImsureifitwasbeingtaught,wouldbeadrivingforceinreflectingonlessonsand
adaptingitforfuturestudents.

Throughexplicitingmappingoutourstudentsstrengthsandweaknesses,withand
withoutdisabilities,aswellastheculturalandlinguisticfactorsofourstudentsthatareEnglish
LanguageLearnersasStandard5:InstructionalPlanningandStrategiessuggests,wewereable
toplanourunitaroundtheneedsofallofourstudents.Makingconsciousnotesofadaptations
andwaystohelpourstudentssucceedthroughoutourunitplanhashelpedmebroadenmyfocus
tosupportnotjustthestudentswithdisabilitiesintheclassbutinstead,everystudentasall
studentslearndifferently.ThisissimilartotheUDLprinciplesthatwehadlearnedinclassand
havehelpedtoplanforallstudentsratherthanaselectgroupandinstead,Ibelieve,makesour
unitmoreeffective.Similarly,throughthisunitplan,wewereabletorecognizethediverse
natureofMillstoneRiverElementarySchoolandworktosupportourstudentswiththat
knowledgeaswell.Standard6:ProfessionalLearningandEthicalPracticeaddressesthe
importanceofunderstandingthediversitywithinaclassroomandtheneedforawarenessasa
futureteacherwhichwassomethingthatwehadtoconsiderthoroughlywhileplanningourunit
andlessons.

ChrisKatonaReflection:

BeinggiventhetaskofplanningthisunitwithDavinahasgivenmeagreatopportunity
tocontinuemygrowthasafutureeducator.Iwasabletothinkofagreatcentralideawith
Davinathathadrelevancetothestudentslives.Takingthatonecentralideaandbuildingan
entireunitthatcanreachallofmystudentsinmyclassroomwasagreatexperience,becauseI
wasabletoexploreandlearnhowtoplanforanentireclassandbranchdifferentsubjectsinto
piecesofeachsciencelesson.AccordingtoStandard3,newspecialeducationteachersneedto
understandhowtointegratecrossdisciplinaryskillsanddevelopmeaningfullearning
progressions.Wewereabletodojustthat,becausewetookacentraltopicsuchasthewater
cycleinscience,anddevelopeddifferentlessonsintheunittobothreachourstudentsneeds,
interests,andlearningstyles,toreachourstudentstofullest.Forinstanceinourunit,wehadthe
watercyclesong,expertgroups,essaysbeingwritten,andexperiments.Studentswhoaremore
handsonaregiventheopportunitytolearnthroughexperiments.Studentswhoareauditoryare
abletolearnthroughthesongandvideo.Studentswhoarereadersandlearnthroughvisually,
willbemoreopentoreadingthearticlesandwritingabouttheiropinions.Alsowewereableto
reachourstudentsneeds.Onestudentwhohasdyslexiacanusethedragonspeaktechnologyto
writetheirpaper.Alsowiththehelpofnewsela,wecandifferentiatethetextofanarticleto
reachalldifferentreadinglevels.Thepointhereisthatthisunithashelpedmerealizetheendless
toolsatmydisposaltoallowmetocreateaunitplanthatreachesallofmystudents.Also,Iwas
abletodevelopthethoughtprocessthatisrequiredtohaveinordertocreateunitplansthatreach
allofyourstudents.Idefinitelyseemyselfintegratingsubjectsmoreofteninmyfuture.

Creatingthisunithasalsoallowedmetothinkofdifferentassessmentpossibilitiesfor
mystudents.Thisisnecessarybecausenotallstudentsarethesame.Forinstance,notevery
studentisgoodattakingtests,orcreatingposters.ThisiswhyIneedtokeepinmytheobjective
thatIammeasuring,sothatIcancreatedifferentassessmentideassothatallofmystudentscan
showmehowmuchtheyknow.Iamnotmeasuringtheirabilitytotaketests,ordraw,but
instead,Iammeasuringtheirunderstandingofacertaintopic.Thisunithashelpedguidemein
realizingthatallstudentsdonotneedtodothesamethingtoshowmetheirunderstanding.
Matteroffact,thisistheworstthingtodo,becauseallstudentsaredifferent.Thisunithasalso
mademerealizethatstudentswithdisabilitiesarenottheonlystudentswhoshouldhavea
choiceinassessment,becauseasstatedbefore,allstudentsaredifferent.Givingstudentsthe
choicebetweenaposter,anessay,avideo,oraspeech,allowsforthepossibilityofreachingall
students,notjustthosewithdisabilities.Itwouldbeadisservicetothestudentswithdisabilities,
andallstudentsingeneral,iftherewasnochoiceofassessments.AccordingtoStandard4,new
educatorsneedtohaveknowledgeofassessmentwithstudentswithdisabilities.Ifeelthatthis
shouldalsoworkwithstudentswhodonothavedisabilities.Afterthisunit,Ialsohavelearned
tolikeselfassessment,becausestudentswillbeabletoknowwheretheyareinthelearning
process.

Inthisunit,Ihavealsobeengiventheopportunitytodeveloplessonsandaunittoreach
allofmystudents.AssuggestedbyStandard5,beginningeducatorsshouldconsideran
individualsabilities,interests,learningenvironments,andculturalfactors.Italkedaboutthisin
thefirstparagraph,buttosummarizeit,Iwasabletorealizeatremendousamountaboutthis

duringtheunit.Wewereabletotakeonesciencetopictaughtinfourthgradeallaroundthestate,
andfindpointstointegratedifferentsubjectsaswellastointegratedifferentstudentslearning
styles,needs,andinterestsintotheunitplan.Thismightcomeacrossasunprofessional,butit
wasactuallyfuntothinkabouthowtoreacheachstudentandcreatelessonplans,andaunitplan
thatwasabletoreachourclass.Ihavedefinitelyimprovedincreatingplansthatcanhelpmeet
allofmystudents.
Overall,Iwasabletogrowasaneducatorinawayofreachingthediversityinmyclass.
Ialwayslovedthediversityinmyclasses,butInowhavetheunderstandingofhowtoreachmy
students.AssuggestedbyStandard6,allspecialeducatorshavetounderstandthatdiversityisa
partoffamilies,soteachersneedtobeabletoreachallofthestudentsinourclasses.Ifeelthat
thisunitplanhasgivenmetheopportunitytogrowinthatarea,sothatIamnowbetterequipped
toteachawholevarietyofstudents.