Unit Plan Reflection- Caroline Gann

1. What was the biggest takeaway from building the unit?

My biggest takeaway from creating this unit was how important it is for me to ensure I am creating access and agency for my students. I began by reflecting on important life skills that could tie into our curriculum and standards. Additionally, I wanted to ensure the unit could provide creativity and flexibility to my students. After creating my unit plan, I was reassured that it is possible to incorporate aspects that are important to me that are aligned with the curriculum. I think a lot of times I can become overwhelmed worrying about planning to meet all aspects of the standards. It was helpful to get practice creating a unit plan and implementing the opportunity for creativity, accessibility and agency to my students. 

2. Describe a connection you’ve made across two or more of the areas in the unit. 

A connection I made while creating this unit was the importance of connecting the overarching concept to students' personal lives. Being able to find a way to tie the unit into applicable aspects of students' lives was really important for me. Although it took some creativity, I feel confident in my ability to create this connection in my unit plan. 

3. What would you think about for the next time you build a unit?

Next time I am building a unit I would like to continue to connect the curriculum to students' lives and draw from their funds of knowledge. Additionally, I would like to continue to create access and agency for my students while implementing flexibility and creativity. If I had the opportunity to create another unit there are a few more things I would implement. I was reflecting on Universal Design for Learning and would like to implement more of these principles into my unit. This could include students having the voice to do their work in a variety of ways and including multiple means of representation for teaching content. For example showing videos, having books, using manipulatives, technological resources, etc. I believe this will create more access and agency for my students.

4. What would you tell people for next semester working on this project? (or for me)

I think the most important thing for me when working on my unit plan was choosing a topic I was passionate about and that I knew my students would enjoy as well. Choosing something I was passionate about made planning the unit fun and exciting. I enjoyed being creative and reflecting on activities that I thought my students would enjoy.