Using the Differentiated Unit Plan: Literacy Unit Plan Template, your unit plan is to be written for your 6th-grade middle school class with tiered instruction meeting the needs of individual learners functioning above grade level (secondary), on grade level (middle school), and below grade level (elementary). In addition to providing tiered instruction with differentiation for all students, you must identify accommodations for each lesson that will meet the exceptional learning needs of specific students included in the provided student descriptions (see Appendix A: Student Descriptions). T

Differentiated Unit Plan: Literacy Unit Plan Assignment Instructions

 

Overview

This Differentiated Unit Plan project consists of three submissions that include (a) a Literacy Unit Plan, (b) Math Unit Plan, and (c) Accommodation Plan. The Differentiated Unit Plan: Literacy Unit Plan is the first part of the overall project.

 

Instructions

You will select a skill from the Writing category of the English SOL.  Using the Differentiated Unit Plan: Literacy Unit Plan Template, your unit plan is to be written for your 6^th-grade middle school class with tiered instruction meeting the needs of individual learners functioning above grade level (secondary), on grade level (middle school), and below grade level (elementary). In addition to providing tiered instruction with differentiation for all students, you must identify accommodations for each lesson that will meet the exceptional learning needs of specific students included in the provided student descriptions (see Appendix A: Student Descriptions). The unit plan must include five days of direct instruction, with formal and informal assessments included within the daily lesson plans (i.e., day 5 cannot simply be a “testing” day). One day of your Differentiated Unit Plan: Literacy Unit Plan assignment or Differentiated Unit Plan: Math Unit Plan assignment should also include collaboration with a co-teacher or paraprofessional.

 

Co-Teaching: Your Differentiated Unit Plan: Literacy Unit Plan must include collaboration with a co-teacher or paraprofessional (CEC 6.6). In your unit plan, identify the role each teacher will take and what role the co-teacher will take in the lesson. Will they parallel teach, station teach, etc.? 

 

Be sure to review Appendix E: Assistive Technology Guide.

 

When completing your unit plan remember:

• The objective must include the condition, the behavior, and the criterion (e.g., Given X, the student will X, with 4/5 correct).
• Verbs such as know, understand, appreciate, realize, learn, and comprehend are NOT measurable.
• The direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice must reflect differentiated instruction to meet the diverse needs of the students in your class (see Appendix A: Student Descriptions).
• The planned instruction must reflect culturally responsive teaching practices and evidence-based best practices.
• The identified accommodations must address the identified characteristics of the students with special needs per the planned lesson instruction and activities. If no accommodations are needed for a specific student in a particular lesson, a short explanation should state why this is the case.
• Be prepared to attach/upload corresponding activity sheets, lists of materials, etc.
• Familiarize yourself with all Differentiated Unit Plan templates and grading rubrics to gain a better understanding of what is expected in this assignment.
• All highlighted material should be removed before submission of the template.

 

Submission

The Differentiated Unit Plan: Literacy Unit Plan should be submitted via the submission link in Canvas and LiveText per the submission deadline on the Course Schedule.

 

Questions and Answers

 

Question: I am confused, there are so many documents I don’t know where to begin.

Answer:  I suggest you start by reading the Differentiated Unit Plan: Overview.  This will give you an overview of the entire Differentiated Unit Plan project. Also, notice the resources provided on the Differentiated Unit Plan: Literacy Unit Plan assignment page. These are key resources for you.

 

Question: Is there an example?

Answer:  At this time no.  Since this is a new assignment there has not been time to gather samples.  However, I encourage you to read: Appendix D: Differentiated Unit Plan Unit Form Explanation.  This provides detailed information as to what is required in each section.

 

Question: Do the objectives in the lesson plan need the same parts as an IEP’s objectives?

Answer: The unit objectives must include the condition, the behavior, and the criterion (e.g., Given X, the student will X, with 4/5 correct).

• Condition:As stated in Hedin and DeSpain (2018), “Condition statements answer questions such as ‘Where is the behavior performed?’ ‘What materials does the student use to complete the behavior?’ and ‘What level of support is provided?’” (p. 103).
• Behavior:specific observable behavior.  Verbs such as know, understand, appreciate, realize, learn, and comprehend are NOT 

 

 

• Criteria:As stated in Hedin and DeSpain (2018), “The criteria in IEP goals provide two types of information that make goals measurable. Mastery criteria, the first type of information, are the expected levels of performance with respect to particular skills. Retention criteria refer to the number of times or how often students must achieve a mastery level to demonstrate skill acquisition.” (p. 106).

 

Question: Why are all target students listed under accommodations?

Answer:  After completing your lesson plan, you should go under accommodations and ask yourself the following question, “Will this student be able to achieve this goal?”  If not, you need to explain under accommodations what each student will require to achieve the goal.  Your Differentiated Unit Plan: Accommodation assignment will include accommodations from this list.

 

Question: Once appropriate accommodations have been developed for a target student, won’t they be the same for every lesson?

Answer:  No. The accommodations should be specific to the needs of the student AND the tasks/skills required in the lesson. As such, the accommodations should be different for each student and for each day. Please do not copy and paste the same accommodations throughout your unit plan. The same is true for the section concerning UDL and differentiation.  These should be unique to each lesson; please do not simply copy and paste from one lesson to the next.

 

Question: I have not submitted anything to LiveText before. Are there directions?

Answer:  If you are unsure of how to submit an assignment in LiveText from the LiveText website homepage, navigate to the Help for Students area for instructions and tutorials on how to submit an assignment.

 

QUESTION: I have submitted my Differentiated Unit Plan: Literacy Unit Plan in LiveText. Why doesn’t it show as complete?

ANSWER:  When you upload documents into LiveText, you must make sure to finalize your submission so the instructor can receive your work.