For my Aquatic Resources class I will be teaching this spring at Elizabethtown Area High School, my first unit of instruction will be Earth’s Water Resources. This unit will be two weeks long and will cover the hydrologic cycle, aquatic ecosystems, water resources, and watersheds. The unit will be assessed with a hydrological cycle poster. Other assignments in the unit include worksheets, color identification maps, case studies, and an in class debate. The unit is designed for an 11th and 12th grade class with 25 students enrolled.
There are several items I hope to accomplish by the end of this unit. First and foremost, I hope to increase student learning and understanding of Earth’s water resources. I hope to promote student interest in aquatics and agriculture. I hope to increase student appreciation for the environment and Earth’s natural resources while keeping students engaged during class. I also want my students to feel like they have a purpose and can accomplish anything.
As far as personal items I hope to accomplish by the end of this unit, I have several as well. First, I hope to improve my instruction. This will be the first class, and first unit, I will be teaching in the spring. I hope to discover my teaching style and find what works for me. I also want my students to want to come to class. I want to be the teacher whose class every student wants to attend. I am also hoping to experience the “aha” moment when a new idea or concept clicks for a student.
The two peer reviews I received for this assignment proved to be very helpful. One reviewer suggested I add the content area under the agricultural standards, which is one thing I will do when I edit my unit plan. I also had a typo under the one section of my unit plan which this reviewer also pointed out. I received a lot of positive feedback from this reviewer as well. She liked several of my lesson ideas and thought my students will too. She felt that I put a lot of time into my unit plan and my passion for the subject showed.
The other peer reviewer suggested I review my daily student learning objectives and make sure each of the three required parts were present. I reviewed these objectives and found that most were missing the criteria under which the objectives should be reached. I worked through each daily learning objective and made the appropriate changes. This reviewer also suggested I write which day each of my learning assessments will be used in class. This information is found in the beginning of the unit plan so I did not feel it was necessary to repeat myself. I did appreciate the suggestion and will keep it in mind as I write future unit plans.
Overall, I have a better understanding of unit plans and see them as a necessity in the planning and preparation process. Feedback from my peers has been beneficial as well. I put a lot of time and effort into my first unit plan and I feel that this was evident to my classmates who peer reviewed my plan. I believe that if I put all of the hard work and time into these planning assignments now, I will be better prepared for the future and will have to spend less time making corrections later. With that being said, I know there is always room for improvement and I appreciate any feedback and suggestions I receive!
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