UNIT PLAN: LEARNERS/INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN
Classroom Description Demographics:
The age of the students range from 11-13 years old. Race: (1st Period) 1 Asian/Pacific Islander, 4 Black, 1
Hispanic, 8 White;(2nd Period) 1 Indian, 2 Black, 2 Hispanic, 24 White (3rd Period) 14 Black, 1
Multiracial, 5 White (4th Period) 1 Islander, 7 Black, 1 Hispanic, 2 Multicultural, 8 White (5th Period) 2
Islander, 1 Indian, 10 Black, 3 Hispanic, 2 Multiracial, 5 White (7th Period) 11 Black, 1 Multiracial, 6
White (8th Period) 1 Islander, 5 Black, 1 Hispanic, 1 Multiracial, 5 White ESE: (1st Period) 3 (2nd Period)
11 (3rd Period) 1 (4th Period) 6 (5th Period) 5 (7th Period) 1 (8th Period) 1 ESOL: (1st Period) 1 (2nd
Period) 0 (3rd Period) 0 (4th Period) 1 (5th Period) 7 (7th Period) 0 (8th Period) 1
Student Characteristics
First period, students are mostly quiet. Second period, students are mostly talkative. Third period,
students are mostly talkative. Fourth Period, the students are quiet. Fifth period students are active and
participate. Seventh period students are very talkative. Eighth period are very active and participate.
Classroom management strategies used in the classroom are as follows. Usually used for those classes
that are labeled "talkative". 1. Warning to entire class 2. Warning to student 3. Discipline action taken &
documented on student information sheet. For example, each consequence gets either time out or a
writing assignment. The school has a referral policy that is as follows. the student must have four
consequences documented, parent contact, and then the referral to the dean can be made. Classroom
management is also practiced throughout the class period. The assignments and activities keep the
students learning the whole class period. I practice proximity to make sure the students stay on task. If a
student is off task, I take action.
Students’ Learning Preferences
Most classes prefer lecture and a hands on activity to accommodate those students who do good with
those learning preferences. The class usually starts with a lecture and ends with a hands on activity. The
class period starts with a Bell Ringer question to engage the students at the beginning of class. After the
Bell Ringer, I lecture or review content and Bell Ringer question with the class. Once that is all done, the
class gets started on the activity planned for the day. At the end of the class period, I review any
deadlines and important points with the students. I try to keep them always knowing what is going on
and what is due.
Students’ Skill Levels
First period, 21.4 % of the students are below grade level and about 40% of the students are above
grade level. Second period, about 30% of the students are at grade level and about 60% of the students
are above grade level. Third period, about 60% of the students are below grade level and 30% are at or
above grade level. Fourth period, about 60% of the students are below grade level and about 20% of
students are at or above grade level. Fifth period, about 50% of students are below grade level and
about 30% are above grade level. Seventh period, about 60% of the students are below grade level and
about 35% are above grade level. Eighth period, about 50% of the class are below grade level and 30%
are above grade level.
Quality of Home, School, and Community Setting
Most of the students come from a family of divorce, so the parental role is not always present at home.
The community is set close to an elementary and high school. Some students live close to school and
walk to get to school instead of taking the bus.
Quality of Learning Environment
The classroom mainly has a display of the student’s class work. The students has resources all around
the classroom to use during class. For example, science notebooks are located in designated baskets for
the students to use. There are two dry erase boards in the classroom. One has a schedule for the week
and extra space to put information. The other is in front of the classroom and always has the Bell Ringer,
the plans for the day, and a list of the assignments due that day. The students have lab tables as their
desks, so they have a neighbor they share the table with. All of the students face the front of the
classroom. There are two pencil sharpeners in the room for the students to use as well as two trash bins.
Specific student learning outcomes for unit that align with national and state standards
Given a sheet of paper, the student will create a foldable comparing photosynthesis and cellular
respiration processes with 80% accuracy. F.1.3.6:The student knows that the cells with similar functions
have similar structures, whereas those with different structures have different functions. F.1.3.5: The
student explains how the life functions of organisms are related to what occurs within the cell. Given a
sheet of paper, the student will define the vocabulary of the chapter on plant processes using a frayer
model with 80% accuracy.
Assessment Plan
Screening
PreTest- The students will be given a pretest composed of true/false, multiple choice and matching
questions. The test will be a shorter version of the chapter test given at the end of the unit.
Progress Monitoring
Daily the students will have a Bell Ringer question. The question will consist of content we have covered
in class, so I will monitor the progress. I will review the question with the class to monitor the learning. A
worksheet or activity will be turned in to assess the daily learning. The activities include frayer model,
foldable, and a lab. As the students complete these activities I will monitor their progress to determine if
more time is needed for the unit. The time extension will assist those lower level students understand
the content before the assessment.
Outcome-based Assessment
The students will be given a test with true/false, multiple choice, matching and short answer questions.
The test will have 35-40 questions and will be given at the end of the unit.
Instructional Plan
Monday (Feb 15)
•Bell Ringer: Complete Worksheet on Chapter 13 (Pre test)
•Read about Photosynthesis
•Take notes & watch video clip
Tuesday (Feb 16)
•Bell Ringer: Explain the importance of Photosynthesis
•Read about Cellular Respiration
• Take notes & watch video clip Wednesday (Feb 17)
•Bell Ringer: Explain why cellular respiration is important to the plant.
•Foldable comparing Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration
Thursday (Feb 18) •Bell Ringer: List two things you learned about photosynthesis & cellular respiration.
•KIM or Frayer Model for vocabulary (stomata, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, chlorophyll,
tropism) Friday (Feb 19)
• Foldable due
• Bell Ringer: Why is chlorophyll important to the plant?
• Read Section 2
• Complete Section 2 notes Monday (Feb 22)
• Frayer Model or KIM due • Bell Ringer: Explain tropism in one sentence.
• Chapter 13 Section 1 &2 worksheets (Intro to lab)
Tuesday (Feb 23)
• Bell Ringer: How do we depend on photosynthesis?
• Lab Photosynthesis (PATS students exempt from the lab)
Wednesday (Feb 24)
• Bell Ringer: What does photoperiodism mean in your own words?
• Lab Photosynthesis
• Worksheets due
Thursday (Feb 25)
• Chapter Review
• Lab report due?
Friday (Feb 26)
• Chapter Test
• Turn in notes
Differentiated Instruction:
The students that are ESOL or ESE are paired with another student for cooperative learning. The ESOL
and ESE students use hands on activities that they use to better understand the material. The hands on
activities include graphic organizers, labs, and interactive activities during cooperative learning time.
Some strategies I use to provide instruction for a diverse group of students are as follows. I make sure
that I read all of the directions on any assignment to check for understanding. I allow the students to
pair up with regular students to complete the classwork. The diverse students also get to choose where
they sit, so they are comfortable in the classroom environment. After the lecture and the assignment is
given, I monitor their progress by assisting them individually during class if needed. They receive extra
time if needed on any assignments as well as extra help. All of the students are encouraged to come
before or after school to provide assistance on the content.
UNIT PLAN ANALYSIS/REFLECTION
The pretest was composed of at least twenty questions about chapter seven. The test consisted of five
true or false questions, ten multiple choice questions, and five short answer questions. The students had
the whole class period to complete the pretest. I did not allow the students to look in the textbook. The
post test was given after nine days of instruction. It consisted of at least thirty questions. There were
five true or false questions, ten multiple choice questions, ten matching questions, five completion and
five short answer questions. The students also had five minutes before the test to review their study
materials. With that being said, the students had approximately forty five minutes to complete the post
test. The graph shows the pretest and post test scores for each class period. I averaged each class
period's scores to come up with a class average. The graph shows the difference in each class period.
After the tests were given, the results showed at least an average of a seventeen point gain overall in
each class. With that being said, I would say my instruction was effective. The post test results show that
the students did learn and added to their previous knowledge. I believe the activities and content
coverage helped them understand the material better, and they were able to apply that knowledge to
other situations. Throughout the unit, I periodically assessed the learning by asking questions. Every day
I asked if the class had any questions, so they would be able to clear up any confusion about the
content.
The chart is attached as a document. Since I have 140 students, I grouped the scores according to class
periods. The vertical axis shows the class periods, and the horizontal axis shows the test grade scale.
After the students took the pretest, I averaged the class period's grades to come up with the average
pre test score. I did that for each class period and each test. Each class has an average pre test score and
post test score. This chart shows the gains in test scores among class periods and between pre test and
post test scores. The pre test was given before I taught the unit, and the post test was given on the last
day of the unit. The post test gains show the learning that occurred in each class period.
Chapter 13: Plant Processes
Class Periods
5
4
Post Test
3
PreTest
2
1
0
20
40
60
Test Scores
PreTest
65
42
45
52
60
PostTest
82
61
65
78
84
Gain
17
19
20
26
24
80
100
My plan was effective because I used different strategies for reading comprehension and content
reinforcement. The class as a whole read the sections of the chapter aloud. After we read the sections,
we took notes on each section. After the students took the notes, we review to answer any questions.
Once the material was introduced each student completed several comprehension activities. The Frayer
model contained the vocabulary words for the chapter. This strategy helps the students define,
paraphrase the definition, create a hint and an example for each word. After the student has completed
the Frayer model, I encouraged them to use it to study for the test. The students also created a foldable
which compared photosynthesis and cellular respiration. The students had to use their notes and
textbook to find the details to compare the two processes. The lab was used to show the external
factors that photosynthesis and cellular respiration need. The students observed the process over the
couple of days. They had to answer questions based on their observations. Each student participated in
reading, comprehension activities as well as hands on activities. The plan provided an effective way to
learn the material needed according to the standards. My plan was not effective because not every
student comprehended the material. I should have given a more extensive review before the test. I
should have provided more hands on activities for more of the unit.
My teaching strategies included practicing proximity throughout the classroom, visuals, and
demonstrations. The visuals included videos, utilizing the board, and charts. The demonstrations were
used for the lab and comprehension activities so the students understood how to complete the activity.
I encouraged the students to use the classroom resources including the computers and extra textbooks.
I reviewed the concepts daily, so the students could recall the information. I tried to cater to all learning
styles so that every student could learn. My teaching strengths are that I use visuals, graphic organizers,
and comprehension strategies. I incorporate at least one hands on activity to enhance the content
learning. I also get feedback from the students about the activities to see whether they related to the
activity. I feel that student relativity is important to keep them interested. I could change some of the
activities from individual to partner or group activities. This way the students could interact and learn
from each other as well as learn cooperatively. I would spend more time one on one with the students
to help the individual students understand the material. I would make more lower level student
accommodations to assist the learning. I would also like to teach study skills because most students do
not study effectively.