Curriculum Integration to

Promote Student Outcomes

Mary McVey
May 19, 2021
EAD – 520: Strengthening Curricular Programs to Promote Continuous School Improvement
  Saint Joseph High School in Lakewood, CA
 Founded in 1964
 All-Girl Population
 Private, Catholic School
 Promises challenging education and leadership opportunities

School
Information
  More than just a lesson plan

 Covers an entire unit over weeks, months, or an

entire semester

What is Unit
 Helps identify principle objectives
Planning?
 Useful for curriculum review

 Helpful to all
  The Students
 Multiple encounters with a concept
 Chances to learn and relearn

 The School
Who Can Unit  Visualized mapping of your plan
 Cross-curriculum planning
Planning Help?
 You!
 Overall time saver
 Organizes each semester
 Allows for more creativity and flexibility
  Unit plans connect individual lessons to make
connections among key topics

 Brings small ideas together in a big way

The Importance
of Unit
Planning  Important for maintain integrity of unit, while
also allowing flexibility in lessons

 Learning is built on stepping stones

  How to design a unit plan with high
expectations?
 “Summarize the curriculum by listing single
concepts within major categories” (Naegle, 2021)
High  Tackle the unit category by category
Expectations and  Use different teaching materials, tools, resources,
Standards etc.
 Sketch a rough plan and calendar
Alignment  Do not be afraid to change things
 Review and Revamp
  How to align a unit plan to the expected
standards?
 Become familiar with your school district's

High guidelines
 Understand what your school is expecting you to
Expectations and teach
Standards  Compare each category in your unit to a standard
Alignment  “Break the unit into lessons containing learning
activities that match curriculum objectives” and
standards (Naegle, 2021)
  Taking time to create comprehensive unit plans allows for better and
more diverse instructional tools
 Planning ahead can help teachers address all students’ needs
 Tiered assessments
Differentiated  Different paths all leading to the same objective

Instruction and  Time for review

 Avoiding last-minute lesson planning leads to exploration in

Technology technology
 PearDeck
 Edvoice
 Kahoot!
  Keep cultural inclusiveness at the top of your mind while unit
planning

 Continually check unit plans for prejudice or bias

Ensuring  See the big picture through unit planning

Cultural
Inclusiveness  Mix sources and articles introduced in the classroom

 Incorporate more culturally powerful and impactful projects in

the unit
 “Saint Joseph High School enables each student to develop her
intellect, abilities, and gifts through challenging classes and
diverse co-curricular opportunities. The Jesters serve the dear
neighbor without distinction and work toward a just future for

Incorporating all” (Saint Joseph High School, 2020)

School Vision  Unit plans help keep the integrity of our classes

and Goals  Unit plans provide teachers with opportunities to implement

unique lessons and differentiated learning
 Unit plans help identify holes in our culturally inclusive lessons
 Unit plans move us forward toward a common goal and vision
  Unit planning helps students, the school, and you

 Take the time now in order to save time later

 Unit plans look at the big picture

Summary
 Each lesson connects to the next

 Allows time for creativity, flexibility, and review

 Focuses our minds on the main goal of each unit

  Cunningham, G. (2009). The new teacher's companion: practical wisdom for
succeeding in the classroom. ASCD.

 EduSys. (2019, May 4). Lesson Plan vs Unit Plan: 3D: Definition, Difference &
Design. EduSys. https://www.edusys.co/blog/lesson-plan-vs-unit-plan.

 Naegle, P. (2021). 10 Guidelines for Planning Units. Scholastic.

References https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/10-guidelines-
planning-units/.

 Saint Joseph High School. (2020). Mission and Philosophy. Home - Mission and
Philosophy. https://sj-jester.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?
uREC_ID=407559&type=d.

 Weselby, C. (2021, April 29). Differentiated Instruction: Examples & Classroom

Strategies: Resilient Educator. ResilientEducator.com.
https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/examples-of-differentiated-
instruction/.