Guide to Curriculum Units by Fellows of the Yale National Initiative 2007

by Susan Hillary Buckson Greene

Finding purpose—discovering meaning in life—the journey…each describes our quest to become better individuals. Some find meaning within the context of socially stereotyped structures, others in religious (or dare I say mysterious) traditions; yet, of the two, religion has been most instrumental. Our understanding of such relationship or lack thereof, ultimately forms our concept of self.

Homer's The Odyssey juxtaposes the struggle of one man, Odysseus, finding his place in this relationship as he journeys home. He is not unique in his quest. In literature and in films, such characters—be they heroes or the girl next door—are prevalent (even Dorothy was hailed as a savior after killing the Wicked Witch of the West). Many works themselves parallel epic characteristics with their vast setting, covering many nations/worlds, consistent deeds of valor and supernatural interventions.

This 2-week unit designed for ninth grade students at Booker T. Washington High School enrolled in the School of Fine, Visual and Performing Arts examines the elements of the written epic as well as contextual parallels through the use of modern films, O Brother Where Art Thou? and The Wiz.

(Developed for Literature, grade 9, and AP English Literature, grade 12)

by Kristen Kurzawski

Hamlet and Hollywood: Using Film Adaptation to Analyze Ophelia and Gertrude, by Kristen S. Kurzawski

After teaching English literature to high school students for ten years I have realized that film adaptations of literature can make an incredible difference to a student's basic comprehension of literature and aid in his/her analysis. However, I also realize that adaptations create a specific interpretation of a text. The students come to see this adaptation as the definitive interpretation of a piece of writing. I have had trouble helping students see that a director is doing the same thing as a reader of a text. The director is interpreting the text and transforming that text into a visual form. Students do this naturally. They have been programmed by modern society to think in pictures and sound bites. They are bombarded by sensory stimuli. I have noticed that students discuss literature in visual terms, and they respond well to visual writers. Therefore, I see the need for a unit that engages students while teaching them that film is a powerful interpretive tool, one that offers an interpretation, but not necessarily a definitive one.

With these things in mind I decided to create a unit which uses various interpretations of William Shakepeare's Hamlet to initiate the students into film analysis as well as aid their analysis of a staged text. Specifically this unit asks students to examine clips from Grigori Kozintsev's Hamlet (1964), Franco Zeffirelli's Hamlet (1990), and Michael Almereyda's Hamlet (2000). These directors have adapted Shakespeare's work in three distinctly different ways that allow for a myriad of discussion opportunities, but my unit will focus our analysis on the opening scenes of the films and the portrayal of Ophelia and Gertrude within the films. I believe discussion of the adaptations will lead to interesting interpretations of the text as well as a new found way to examine film and Shakespeare.

(Developed for AP English IV, grade 12; recommended for English, grade 12)

by Deborah Samuel

William Shakespeare's Macbeth is both the author's shortest and bloodiest play. It is therefore a natural choice for high school students. Plays are meant to be performed and not merely read, as is usually the case in the high school classroom. Therefore, it is a happy occurrence that instructors may now use video recordings, audio recordings, and DVDs to bring the performance element into the classroom. But performance on film was not Shakespeare's medium. On stage, the audience gets to look where it wants. The actors get to say their lines without fear of winding up on the cutting floor. When we switch from a play to a film, the director is king, and we now have possibly quite a different experience.

The artistry of cinema and the difficult task of taking a stage play and reinterpreting it for a different medium offer students and teachers a plethora of interesting, and sometimes controversial choices to examine. The intention of this curriculum unit is to examine four screen adaptations of Macbeth and to use them to enrich the classroom discussion of Macbeth. These adaptations include Orson Welles' Macbeth (1948), Akira Kurasawa's Throne of Blood (1957), Roman Polanski's Macbeth (1971), and Men of Respect(1990). Each director has his own approach, visible in camera angles, lighting, sound, casting, omission and inclusion of Shakespeare's lines, and the addition of scenes never written by Shakespeare. We will examine Macbeth through the questions it raises about the nature of men and women. How are the witches and Lady Macbeth depicted? Who do they cast? How are they dressed? How do they sound and move? Students will view selected scenes of the women in Macbeth to enrich their discussions of Shakespeare's apparent attitudes. What is Shakespeare's original intent, and do the directors aim to be faithful to this, or do they alter the meaning of the play as written to suit a contemporary audience or personal point of view? Extensive background information as well as lesson plans meant to address these issues in the classroom are included.

(Developed for AP English Literature and Composition, grade 12; recommended for English, grade 12)

by Thomas J. Vari

This unit's ultimate purpose is to teach research skills, and is intended for tenth graders. The selections used to meet this purpose are Shakespeare's Othello and adaptations of this play. In fact, a portion of this unit's focus is adaptation itself. Students will realize that Shakespeare's play is actually an adaptation of an Italian writer's short story. The play, Othello, is used as a backdrop for the lessons herein and the unit uses the themes from this play to hook students prior to reading Shakespearean language. The unit uses film to engage students as well as to provide a basis for the questioning strategies. These concepts and theories can be used to teach film, adaptation, Shakespeare plays, and research skills. In this unit, my students look at modern film to see that Shakespeare's themes can be applied to their own lives and situations. They also see that Shakespeare adapted his work from another writer's. And, finally, they use this background knowledge about the power of adaptation and the influence of Shakespeare to research other adaptations of Othello and write a documented research report about an adaptation they've found on their own.

(Developed for English, grade 10; recommended for English, grades 9-12)

by Claudia L. Miller

Film as an instructional genre fits well into my full-inclusion, differentiated-instruction classroom sessions at Alameda Middle School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The promise that many of my special needs students hold truly blossoms when they are afforded a new learning tool and a creative means for assessing what they've learned. My current unit will look at H. G. Wells' famous 1898 text, The War of the Worlds, and the societal times during which it was written. We will listen to the 1938 Halloween Eve radio broadcast of Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre adaptation of the text which managed to petrify the nation. Students will be the judges of how the political times in America set the scene for their gullibility. Two very different cinematic versions of The War of the Worlds were released in 1953 and 2005. We'll view them in their entirety. A fourth medium, periodicals, will allow students to read journalistic reports of the fallout from the radio broadcast and reviews of the book, the broadcast, and the two movies.

All necessary background research will be included in this unit for my teaching colleagues. An annotated book bibliography will aid in your selecting which texts you may want to peruse. I afford a selection of teaching strategies and lesson plans which you can accommodate to a vast heterogeneous population of students. They correlate with the content standards for all states. Lastly, assessment techniques will be included for teacher perusal as a measurable means of student success.

(Developed for Language Arts, grade 8; recommended for Language Arts and Social Studies, Interdisciplinary Unit with Language Arts)

by Ane Nyoka Ebie-Mouton

This curriculum unit serves a two-fold purpose. It will first examine the intertwining lives of season-three American Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino, and the female protagonist Celie in Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Color Purple, including its film adaptation. The three categories for examination of these two characters will be Self-Esteem, Generational Curses, and Illumination of the Gift. The second section will involve a critical examination of the book and its adaptation into a film and musical, in tandem with the passion all three mediums have evoked. This passion has come in the form of controversy and love, which made these mediums the subject of much criticism. The predominantly African-American fifth grade demographic I impact will benefit from the first part of this study through creating real-world implications of these intertwining lives with their own. The second part of this unit will develop the skills of in-depth analysis that will eqiup them to begin examining various mediums of storytelling through a critical lens.

by Clary W. Carleton

This curriculum unit provides a guide to teaching Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and the film adaptation, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. Both texts explore ethical and philosophical ideas related to artificial intelligence. Because the unit is intended for a mixed-level, mixed-grade English class, it could be adapted to a variety of teaching settings. For English teachers unfamiliar with these works, the unit articulates a rationale for teaching by enhancing students' critical thinking, close reading, oral language, and writing skills.

Unlike other adaptation histories, it is the achievement of the film that has inspired a reassessment of the novel. The unit will approach the film as an artistic accomplishment in its own right, rather than as a mere supplement to the novel. Students will explore issues surrounding the idea of adaptation itself, empowering them to consider how and why stories change, and the impact of the medium through which they are conveyed.

Through a variety of activities, students will focus on characterization, theme, and allusions in both the novel and the film. They will also explore film noir and the elements of cinema, helping them elaborate upon ideas in the novel. Overall, this unit aims to show students how these two texts work together as one "meta-art" classic.

(Developed for English, grades 9-12; recommended for English, grades 9-12)

by Maria Cardalliaguet

"Spanish Cultures Through Film and Literature" is designed to expose Spanish I and II students to a multi-disciplinary unit that uses exceptional literary pieces and their filmic adaptations as vehicles to explore culture in context, since cultural understanding is crucial when learning a foreign language. Through this unit students will acquire a deep understanding of the history, literature, art and music of two Spanish speaking countries: Spain and Colombia. By doing so, students will also start thinking about global consciousness and the importance of embracing global understanding.

Students will learn to analyze films in order to understand them as works of art with a complex structure and many different layers of meaning and film techniques. My intention is that at the end of this curriculum unit students will be able to discern the difference between a shot and a scene, a flashback and a flashforward, voice-over and voice-off, mise-en-scéne and editing, etc.

Finally, This unit will also help me to implement the five-goal areas the National Standards of Foreign Language Learning called the Five C's of Foreign Language Education: communication, cultures, connections (among disciplines), comparisons (between cultures) and communities. My students will understand and interpret spoken and written language; they will demonstrate an understanding of the traditions, products (texts and films) and perspectives of the Spanish cultures; they will reinforce and expand their knowledge of other areas of study (literature and film studies) through Spanish, and they will be able to compare the textual sources and their adaptations to film.

The unit is recommended for Spanish students with a lower-intermediate level, but it could be used on upper level courses with proper modifications.

(Developed for Spanish I and II, grades 9-12; recommended for Spanish I, II, and III, grades 9-12)

by Sharon Monique Ponder Ballard

"And we have decided to move into our house because my father, my father, he earned it for us, brick by brick."

Walter Lee

When Walter Lee presents the question to mama, "Why did you move here to Chicago forty years ago from the south?" mama explains, "I guess I came here to make a better life for me and my family." This will serve as the springboard for introducing the Great Black Migration and the artistic expressions it occasioned in poetry and drama. Since my eighth grade students live in Chicago, we will examine jobs, housing and educational opportunities, organizational support systems and poetic protest.

Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun sets the stage for examining conflicts and themes that arise from these historical and social events. Almost fifty years ago a young African American woman wrote the play Raisin in the Sun describing some of the conflicts faced by a family struggling to achieve the American Dream. Have the Dreams of African American's dried up like a Raisin in the Sun? The poet Langston Hughes asks this very compelling question: "what happens to a dream deferred?" As a writer Lorraine Hansberry uses the plot of her play to explore the overarching theme of fulfilling one's dreams which reverberates in each of her characters.

"Does a play or film reflect society's cultural, social or political views or visa-versa?" In this unit students will examine, identify, interpret, and constructively critique recurring themes in the play and film. As a Nationally Board Certified Teacher in the field of Middle Childhood Generalist, I have the richness of integrating curriculum across content areas. Excerpts from the play and poetry will be used to emphasize various themes that students can also identify through film analysis, making real life connections in the process.

(Developed for Language, Visual and Performance Arts, and Social Studies, grades 7-10; recommended for Language, Visual and Performance Arts, and Social Studies, grades 7-10)

by Jeffrey C. Joyce

This unit deals with films, among other major media types, and the sway they might have on one's political ideals. More pointedly, the unit asks that my Advanced Placement American Government students remember and research their own histories to determine the political pressures that have been exerted on them over the course of many years. Indeed, I want them to think about how they have had to adapt to their political climate given the media barrage that has been a near constant in their lives and then how the media has had an effect on their political thoughts and feelings.

The process is referred to as political socialization, or the ways that people become their political selves. Most often political scientists give primary weight in this matter to family. But as times have changed and children expose themselves to, and are often manipulated by, multiple forms of media, it is worth asking whether or not their political opinions are in many ways a byproduct of the materials they consume. Therefore, this unit emphasizes the role that film has played in my students' political development.

This unit includes the study of political ideologies first and then uses film analysis to find political rhetoric in popular media. The unit then poses the question to students: have the films you have digested changed you, politically? The overarching goal is to have students learn not only to appropriately define general political ideologies in context, but to apply their understanding to their own lives and then, through some self-discovery, pinpoint the origins of their own political belief system.

(Developed for AP Government and Politics, grade 12; recommended for AP Government and Politics, grade 12)

by Jessica Colbert

This curriculum unit will focus on the writings of Walter Mosley. It will center on the whole class reading of Devil in a Blue Dress, with the possibility of exploring other Easy Rawlins stories and/or other detective fiction written by African American authors.

This unit will be implemented in a mixed grade level (9-12) special education resource English class in a low-income high school. Included in the class are students with learning and/or emotional disabilities as determined by a psychological report and Individualized Education Plan (IEP). It is my opinion that this unit can be modified and adapted for a regular education classroom as well. Included in this unit is a section for an activity used as an extension for my population of students with learning disabilities. This activity includes examining the notion of double-consciousness in Devil in a Blue Dress and subsequent Easy Rawlins novels. This portion of the unit would be very appropriate for any regular or honors education class.

(Developed for English-Learning Support, grades 9-12; recommended for English, grades 9-12)

by Cathy C. Kinzler

This unit is designed to promote reading for pleasure and the use of higher order thinking skills in middle school reluctant readers, particularly seventh and eighth graders. I use one mystery novel, Blood Trail by Nancy Springer, but the activities could be adapted for other literature. The mystery genre is a great choice for engaging students who do not enjoy reading because it capitalizes on the current popularity of television programs dealing with crime solving. Mysteries provide a perfect opportunity to grab students' attention. Trying to solve the "whodunit?" can pull them into the print world of the characters' emotions and quandaries, making them experience questions like "Shall I 'snitch' on a friend?" This novel is excellent for my purposes because it is short and written at about a fifth-sixth grade level, allowing students to become personally involved in a story involving the murder of a high school boy by his twin brother and the ethical situations surrounding it. Activities include using oral language skills and graphic organizers, writing expository and persuasive narratives, working with elements of a story, summarizing, predicting, and higher order thinking skills such as inferential and imaginative thinking. An extensive list of mystery novels is included.

(Developed for English, grade 7; recommended for Reading and English Language Arts, grades 7-8)

by Ella M. Boyd

This unit, "Using Detective Fiction to Reinforce Problem Solving Strategies and the Scientific Method," is meant to be used in a middle school science classroom. It is a unit designed for integration of the science and language arts curricula. The focus for this particular unit is a short story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but greater participation from the language arts teacher would allow the use of a full novel. The unit will focus primarily on observation and inference skills, the basic kinds of skills needed for critical thinking in science. Science should be taught as a process, not memorization of facts, and the use of detective fiction will help to accomplish that goal. The classroom activities include a series of activities to practice observation skills, to practice making inferences, and then to apply those skills to solve a short mystery story. The difference between inductive and deductive reasoning is discussed, especially the way Sherlock Holmes uses those skills for solving crimes.

(Developed for General Science, grade 7; recommended for General Science, grades 6-8)

by Mary Lou L. Narowski

This unit combines the use of mystery board games to grip my students in ways that will really stimulate them and hold their interest, with negotiation of a labyrinth of intrigue found in detective fiction. I have chosen eleven mystery stories, one of which is in film version, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as I feel that these stories are accessible to my students in terms of appropriateness and reading ability. Added to this is the complement of their personal voices expressed in an expository writing (crime) journal. These mystery stories will engage students while producing and reinforcing emergent literacy abilities, all while following the detective in the whodunit, what happened world of secrecy and suspense. These stories will help in the development of logic, reasoning, and higher order critical thinking as they struggle to find the explanation of the crime. The basic literary elements inherent in any story will also be reinforced. Finally, the invention of group mystery games will provide ample room for innovation and creativity as the students proceed from playing the marketed game of Clue, Master Detective, with their own cast of characters, creating their own reading level version of a crime game.

(Developed for Language Arts, grades 7-8; recommended for English Language Arts, grades 7-9)

by Deborah Denise Dabbs

As it has become increasingly obvious over the years, educators do not operate in a vacuum. We are, to a degree, dependent upon the efforts and cooperation of our colleagues. Therefore, this curriculum unit seeks to use the study of the detective genre to develop and hone students' problem solving skills. By using the conventions and tenets associated with detective fiction, the students will write stories in this genre. Because this course of study calls for the students to encode as they write, their use of the tenets of detective fiction will aid them in learning to decode in other areas, specifically academic areas which require the use of problem solving skills. This will occur because the study of this genre highlights the fact that the key to acquiring all of the necessary ingredients to solve a detective mystery is an attention to detail. Therefore, through their writing of stories which require that their detectives use this skill as they endeavor to solve crimes, the students will hone their own abilities to detect details and uncover clues which allow them to glean the understanding necessary to solve problems presented. Their mastery of the skills necessary to write detective fiction will enable them to develop and use critical thinking skills, thus fostering higher order learning.

(Developed for English IV, grade 12, and Creative Writing, grades 9-12; recommended for English I-IV and Creative Writing, grades 9-12)

by Bonnee L. Breese Bentum

This curriculum unit investigates the detective novel series of three African-American writers, Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series, Barbara Neely's Blanche series, and finally Chester Himes' Coffin Ed and Grave Digger series. The focus of the unit takes students through a curriculum study in giving them familiarity with African-American writers who have contributed exceptional mystery writing to the literary canon. This unit, more specifically, is intended to have students explore issues of race, economic status, community, social structure, good versus evil, and gender in the creation of a story that uses the principles of the crime fiction genre. Furthermore, this unit will be evidence for students to understand how close the connections are between literature and history. The unit allows students to read and write about their own societal issues in a way that is accessible and entertaining. This curriculum unit is intended for use in the high school English Language Arts classroom.

(Developed for English Language Arts, grades 9 and 12; recommended for English Language Arts, African American History, and African American Literature, grades 9-12)

by Laura Viviana Sturgeon

Detective fiction, a genre often considered solely for entertainment, abounds with good writing and trenchant social criticism; it is also a treasure trove of high interest literature, accessible for students of all backgrounds and levels. In this particular unit, I target 11th grade American Literature students who attend a Vocational-Technical High School in New Castle County, Delaware. The unit revolves around four novels: Walter Mosley's Devil in a Blue Dress, Barbara Neely's Blanche among the Talented Tenth, Sharyn McCrumb's If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him, and Tony Hillerman's A Thief of Time. It also includes stories by Dorothy Sayers and Raymond Chandler in order to familiarize students with the genre's traditional conventions so that they will better understand how the novelists subvert or alter these conventions for purposes which include social criticism and the creation of an aesthetic that is true to each author's social and cultural identity. The novels deal with themes of identity, social class, race, ethnicity, gender, assimilation, and discrimination, while containing complex protagonists and intricate plots; hence they can be used to study characters and to analyze the structure and conventions of plot and narrative. Meanwhile, students will enjoy the challenge of beating the protagonists to the solution of the mystery.

(Developed for American Literature, grade 11; recommended for English, grade 11)

by William Sandy Lewis

(Developed for English, grade 10; recommended for English and Social Studies, grades 10-12)

by Christine Shaub

Police investigations are challenged without a cooperative witness. To snitch or not to snitch is a question the witness to a criminal offense must answer. This unit was devised so students could learn more about the challenges of solving crimes when there is an uncooperative witness. Those persons who do come forth may be "tagged" as a snitch. This is an ethical dilemma for students if ever faced with such a situation.

Through crime fiction, students will look at the meticulous work of crime detectives. When a witness withholds information, the detective must utilize clues from the crime scene, and beyond, to put together pieces of the puzzle. Using crime fiction to teach about witness intimidation will give the students an opportunity to walk in the shoes of the detective and better understand investigative challenges.

Students will create a mystery skit, a mock trial, a new courtroom design, and an informative witness brochure. Students will have a better understanding of police procedures in relation to solving crime, witness intimidation, witness protection, police corruption, as well as the social and cultural implications of the snitching phenomenon.

(Developed for Introduction to Criminal Justice and Legal Administrative Assistant Career Program, grades 9-12; recommended for grades 8-12)

by Sheila Lorraine Carter-Jones

This unit gives a theoretical and historical basis for the inclusion of the African American voice in the reporting of the history of slavery in America. Students will participate in creative dramatics activities as ways of understanding real events in the lives of enslaved Africans in America and the function of the Underground Railroad. They will also refine and broaden their understanding of important human qualities: courage, perseverance, respect for the dignity of human life and the concept of freedom-as justice. Intellectually, they will have the opportunity to engage concrete stimuli with an imaginative response, increase their ability to be intellectual risk-takers, and generate optional ways to think, feel, and do and to solve problems.

Through writing and map making/reading/interpreting skills students will have the opportunity to identify and come to terms with some of their own feelings, perspectives and understandings of slavery and the physical and psychic geography of plantation life. Using literary devices to engage real people in history as literary characters, all students will learn historical truths and understand how they each are a part of and not apart from American history. Let me add here that the following lessons provide learning activities for the eighth grade but can be adapted in small ways to be suitable learning activities for any grade level.

(Developed for Communications, History, and Community, grades 6-12; recommended for Communications and History, grades 4-12)

by Anne Marie Esposito

To appreciate and value a culture an individual needs to experience it and that is what Chinua Achebe allows a reader to do in his novel, Things Fall Apart. This unit helps students see how a Eurocentric view of the world and its peoples allowed European nations to systematically expand their influence and control in Africa even though it was populated by many tribes who had an established and civilized way of life. Through their study of various European maps, students will learn that maps have a purpose and point of view. Often the maps we have been shown support a belief that Africa was in need of European governance and that the European powers were on a humanitarian mission to save the people of Africa. After examining these maps students will know that maps can alter the way someone or someplace is perceived since maps can reveal as well as hide information. As they read Things Fall Apart, students will learn, as Achehe intended, that the people of Africa had a rich and sophisticated tribal society worthy of recognition and respect. Through Okonkwo, students will uncover the traditions and values of Igbo society and its rich oral traditions.

(Developed for English, grade 12; recommended for English, grade 12)

by Elizabeth R. Lasure

As I read the outline for this seminar I was immediately struck by the similarities of the challenges of the early explorers/mapmakers and that of art making. The world for them must have appeared both exhilarating and intimidating. The risk these early explorers took combined a spirit of adventure, a knowledge (limited as it was) or sense of place and a great deal of courage and conviction. I believe the nature of art making to be similar.

No doubt, art making is hard. To be inspired, to create innovative marks on a page, and to confront personal censure are difficult challenges for artists and teachers alike.

Through a series of 'personal geographies' - or works of art that map their past and future lives- students will explore the history of maps and mapmaking. What ways do we use maps? How do they define their subject? How do they define what is not know or cannot be seen? How do they lie? These questions will help students consider the content of the maps they study, as well as the potential expressive qualities of the map as a medium in art making. Maps have their own inherent visual qualities of tone, value, and density. Maps also make use of such dominant elements as line and color. Maps make use of both the literal and conceptual make-up of a work of art.

(Developed for Studio Art, grades 10-12; recommended for Studio Art, grades 10-12)

by Mayra Muller-Schmidt

The mind's eye that humans have is a very special ability that rarely is mentioned. Humans are able to see and take measurement of land, and convert it in their minds as line and contours. The idea of a map and then drawing it according to scale is part of a very special ability. It is called spatial reasoning. How does one develop this? Obviously, abstract thinking is involved. Understanding a map has its spatial or visual requirements. It is a cognitive and abstract thought. You see flat yet think in round terms. Illustrated maps can summon visions of ancient places, treasure maps and top secret places. Maps are everywhere. Indeed, maps are an integral part of common daily life.

The middle school child is at the point of expanding his visual sense of spatial reasoning. To think of angles, transparency, parallels, and the like makes an introduction to abstract thought, geometry, algebra, and other concepts easier to grasp. That also leads to being able to display an understanding of patterns and relationships. So what does that have to do with making and learning about maps? Map-making is one of the oldest and least talked about skills. Additionally, the beauty of mapmaking is rarely presented as an art skill. The knowledge of using the compass, charting, measuring and all other tools of the trade must be understood by the map-maker. My unit will provide discussion, research, writing, science, geography, history and art to surround the students with ways in which to enrich their spatial reasoning skills.

(Developed for Fine Arts, grade 6, and History, grades 6-8; recommended for Geography, Fine Arts, History, and Mathematics, grades 6-10)

by Janelle A. Price

The creation of their own personal life story map is the guide for students in developing a writing portfolio of three to five episodic short short stories, a sub-genre of short stories using only 500 to 1,000 words. The students begin the unit through the exploration of cartography, centering on the decorative mappae mundi and portolan charts of the Medieval period. The short short story sub-genre is simultaneously introduced through classic and modern examples. The unit shifts to a writing focus with exercises that illustrate the specific characteristics of the sub-genre, but can be used for any story writing. These exercises include: the development of a motif, use of tension, dialogue, story prompts, and revision cues. Included in the unit are assignment sheets, rubrics, a brief early history of cartography with a vocabulary list, and suggested maps and short short stories to use in the classroom.

(Developed for English IV, grade 12; recommended for English, grades 10-12)

by Ralph E. Russo

The acquisition of new territories by the United States between 1783 and 1850 expanded the nation's borders to the Mississippi, then to the Rocky Mountains, and finally to the Southwest and West Coast. A pageant of now famous historical figures, as well as, lesser known, and unknown persons, pushed the frontier further westward through politics, diplomacy, squatting, courage, good fortune, warfare and, at times, apparent thievery. However, of all the tools at the disposal of politicians, patriots, explorers, adventurers, businessmen, and speculators, the map, above all things, legitimized westward expansion and symbolically made these gains manifest. With all of its rhetorical powers, lies, and limitations, the map became the concrete embodiment of the notion of Manifest Destiny.

This unit is created to incorporate the rhetoric of maps, 18th and 19th surveying and mapmaking techniques, and the historical events that lead to the westward expansion of the United States into the United States history curriculum at Wilbur Cross High School, a comprehensive urban high school in New Haven, Connecticut. While it is specifically designed to target student needs in my 10th grade United States History I class, it should be easily adapted to work with students in grades 7-12. The unit includes background information on events such as the Mason Dixon Line, the Land Ordinance of 1785, and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It also contains reference to numerous map collections and authoritative works. Most importantly I believe my unit features an instructional, yet fun, map practicum where students will use period mapmaking tools and techniques (compass, striding, and Gunter's chain) to measure, scale and draw space around our school.

(Developed for U.S. History I, grade 10; recommended for History and Social Studies, grades 7-12)

by Meredith Charlton Tilp

In a world of constant overstimulation, how do we get a student's attention and hold it? How does the teacher compete in the multi-dimensional world of iPhones, Ipods, and text messaging? How do we utilize multi-media teaching in assisting students to grasp complicated concepts? Like the early explorer who made maps as he/she entered unknown territories, the modern teacher can use maps to explicate concepts and make them visually available to students.

Maps, in so far as they use color and symbols, size and shape, are student attention grabbers. Historical maps, political maps and tourist maps all have a point-of-view. Data maps pretend to be representative yet they are distinctly biased. Maps of poverty average incomes to provide a synopsis of events, lives and 'a snapshots of facts.' They require critical thinking, analysis and imagination—powerful teaching tools.

Even more powerful is the hands-on process of mapmaking - because it engages students in research that allows them to experience information viscerally instead of in the abstract. Students will learn to make their own maps in which their local world is the center.

(Developed for U.S. History, grade 11, and U.S. Government and Economics, grade 12; recommended for U.S. History, Geography, U.S. Government and Economics, and Civics, grades 11-12)

by Kimberly Kellog Towne

This curriculum unit is designed for middle school students but could easily be adapted to upper elementary and high school students. The students will explore the viewer's relationship to place by exploring perspective in some depth. In short, we will look at perspective, both technically and metaphorically. The students will be introduced to basic linear perspective techniques and how artists use the various techniques to depict a 3D effect on a 2D surface. They will be expected to be able to describe and use a variety of techniques, including position, size, overlapping, detail, and atmospheric perspective. We will then focus on perspective from four main points of view: worm's eye view, human's eye view, bird's eye view and satellite view. The students will explore a variety of maps and landscapes from different times and different places. City maps from the Renaissance period will be a major focus, as will the landscape paintings of the Australian Aboriginals. The realistic, bird's eye view of the Renaissance city maps will be contrasted with the symbolic, satellite views in Aboriginal art. Students will ultimately have a much deeper understanding of perspective, both visually and cognitively.

(Developed for Art, grade 6; recommended for Art, grades 5-9)

by Stephanie R. Felder

Why study the Great Migration of 1916-1930? Philadelphia is a city that is more than fifty-percent African American. Many of the people that live in the city today have origins in other parts of the country and the world. Historically, as a city located in a border state during slavery, Philadelphia has a long history of being a home for free African Americans. Throughout history, people have migrated to and emigrated from places. Migration is nothing new but the time period of 1916-1930 brought about a movement of African Americans from the South that has not been duplicated since. As a mandated part of the Philadelphia High School curriculum, African American history is a vital part of the education that my students receive. Students today do not seem to inquire about the social, economic and political aspects of society. This curriculum unit will give them an historical perspective about one group of people in American society. I hope that students learn to be inquisitive about their own past and well as that of others. In doing so, I want my students to gain the analysis and inquiry skills needed to be successful in today's educational climate and society as a whole. In this curriculum unit I will utilize the geographic themes of location, place, human- environment interactions, movement and regions. I will also turn to the social studies themes of culture; time, continuity and change; people, places and environments; individual development and identity; individuals, groups and institutions; power, governance and authority; production, distribution and consumption; science, technology and society; and global interactions. I will use these themes to examine and explore migration. My purpose in using the themes of geography is to help students understand the absolute and relative position of a place on Earth's surface, how physical and human characteristics define and distinguish a place, how humans modify and adapt to natural settings, how people, ideas and material move between and among locations, and how an area displays unity in terms of physical and human characteristics. These social studies themes will provide the framework for the standards that will be addressed in this unit. Having studied maps and map making from an artistic, historical and practical perspective, I endeavor to have students gain not only a historical perspective of "The Great Migration" and also a practical understanding of maps and map making. I plan to do this through giving students the opportunity to study about geography, which is sorely lacking in the high school curriculum, but also to drive the study of geography by analyzing and examining a historical event that is relevant to our coursework, our local community and many of their cultures.

The unit will span the course of a semester as students study various topics in an African American History course designed for high school students. The grade level is primarily eleventh. The unit will consist of six lessons of history and geography.

(Developed for African American History, grade 11; recommended for American History, African American History, and American Literature, grades 9-12)

by Samuel A. Reed

This unit draws upon social studies, performing arts and literature to show the interconnections between Latino and African-American cultures. It is intended for middle grade students (grades 6th-8th) at a predominately African American school. The unit involves an inquiry process where students learn about Latino culture while also learning about their selves. The films Mad Hot Ballroom and West Side Story will serve as anchors for exploring how Latin-Caribbean culture interrelates with African American culture. Students will conduct their own inquiry, using the essential question "what cultural connections do Puerto Ricans and Dominicans share with African Americans?" Concurrently, students will explore and analyze popular Latin Caribbean dance movements, music, bilingual poetry, historical and current events to uncover the connections Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and African Americans share. To enhance the inquiry process, students will participate in a pen-pal exchange with sixth and seventh grade students at the Hon. Luís Muñoz Marín School, a predominately Latino school located in the Central East Region of the School District of Philadelphia. To culminate this unit, students will present multi-media renditions of what they learned about the connections between Latin-Caribbean and African American cultures.

(Recommended for Social Studies and Literacy, grades 6-8.)

by Nicole Marie Schubert

This unit examines the struggles Mexican immigrants have faced in the U.S., comparing the conflicts faced by migrant laborers in the early 20th century to those plaguing present-day Mexican immigrants. I am an 8th grade language arts teacher and will be using non-fiction texts as well other first-person perspective texts to teach this concept. Since Charlotte, North Carolina has seen an enormous increase in the number or Latino, specifically Mexican, immigrants during the past fifteen years it is important for my students to learn about the new face of Charlotte. Instead of teaching the strategies for reading non-fiction by using many unrelated topics, I decided to use news articles, editorials, political cartoons, first-person narratives, corridos, a film, short stories and a novel that address the issues surrounding Mexican immigration to the U.S. In order to teach the components of a news article, editorial and feature story I have selected six texts the students will read in order to identify the features of each as well as compare and contrast the information about important issues like border control, the 700 mile fence, family conflicts involved with immigrating, legal versus illegal immigration, and many other issues surrounding this controversial and significant topic.

(Developed for Language Arts, grade 8; recommended for Language Arts, grades 7-8, and English, grades 9-10)

by Sara E. McGrimley

As an urban teacher I have had to find ways incorporate reading and writing across the disciplines within my art curriculum. I have decided to do this through art analysis, followed later by art creation. Students will be looking at icons, analyzing them, placing them in context, determining how context changes the analysis, and then creating their own icon within a specific context. First I will show students a set of images of the Virgin of Guadalupe focusing on analysis, supporting their interpretation with information from the artwork. The second set of images we view will be of Malinche and we will focus on the importance of understanding context. I will use these two different Mexican icons whom artists have represented in a variety of different ways, to teach students these skills. As a culminating activity I would like students to choose an icon that is interesting to them, and then choose a context in which they would like to appropriate that icon. They will need to determine how they would like the viewer to see that icon differently, and what symbols they are going to use to express that idea, using the examples we have viewed as an inspiration for process.

(Developed for AP Art, grades 11-12, and Introduction to Art, grades 9-10; recommended for AP Art, grades 11-12, and Introduction to Art, grades 9-10)

by Raymond F. Theilacker

This curriculum unit immerses students in several genres of Latino literature with the dual purposes of exposing eleventh or twelfth grade students to a selection of Latino literature, and of raising multicultural awareness and appreciation. The goal is to feature Latino issues in the literature so that Latino students enjoy familiar models, while non-Latino students gain cultural knowledge and appreciation. Students work in groups with self-described immigrant characteristics which they have detailed in an identity profile; then they respond to the reading and film assignments according to these profiles. There is accompanying study of literary devices, while students learn to create identity profiles based on their invented immigration status, in a sustained role-playing activity.

Implementation of the unit spans a 5 to 7 day period in a block schedule, but is fully adaptable to a school year structured in two semesters, spanning a 2 to 3 week period, on a standard forty-minute class schedule. The lessons are designed for collaborative teamwork, and for direct instruction toward literary analysis and personal expressive writing. By the conclusion of the unit, students have information from the reading, and from periodic journaling activities that enable them to respond to a personal essay prompt. The personal essay serves as the summative assessment in this unit.

(Developed for English, grade 12; recommended for English, grades 11-12)

by Yvette Moorehead Carter

As a music educator for pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade, I value the study of music and the opportunities it provides for subject integration. I teach music in a way that embodies the beginning studies of the elements of music and includes interdisciplinary experiences with mathematics, history, science, reading, visual arts, and writing. Consciously or unconsciously, music is usually taught in a way that includes reading song lyrics, using mathematical skills in assigning and counting note values, and exploring the science of vocal and instrumental sounds through the study of vibrations. As a result, students are able to experience music in a variety of ways. My goal is to teach a unit that will use "chocolate" as a motivational theme for writing, a task that is not often favorably approached by elementary students. My theme is inspired by the Latino folk song, "Bate, Bate Chocolate." This song serves as the core of my unit.

Music is a language with universal appeal. It can be written down or passed from one person to another. As songs and chants move orally from one generation to another, they often carry with them cultural traditions and customs. "Bate, Bate Chocolate" embodies a rich cultural history that includes both the historical significance of the Aztec Empire and the history of chocolate. These nuances allow for the integration of both history and writing with music.

I have attempted to address not only the needs of music teachers, but also the needs of second through fifth grade classroom teachers by designing this unit in a way that can be adapted to explore exciting, age-appropriate themes for writing within any subject area. Teachers can select themes from sources within their areas of expertise and create the desire for writing that students seek.

(Developed for General Music and Music, grade 5; recommended for General Music, Music, English, and Writing, grade 5)

by Paulina Alexandra Salvador

Recent immigration from Mexico and Central America has profoundly changed the cultural landscape of the United States. My fifth grade bilingual classroom is a microcosm of the Latino immigrant community residing in Santa Fe, New Mexico. My students represent the social, political, economic and educational needs of this burgeoning Latino immigrant community which is largely concentrated in one area of the city. This nine-week curricular unit explores best practices for literacy development, incorporating progressive teaching strategies for English language learners. It also aims to create a learning environment that is challenging and culturally inclusive. Throughout the teaching-learning process students will have several opportunities to interact with literature and reflect on their ethnic and bicultural identities. Memoirs, narratives, poetry, and oral histories of immigrant Latinos are incorporated to reveal the parallels that the students may find with their own experiences. Students will also consider the history of immigration, in general, and of Latinos in the United States. As culminating writing activities, students will write an oral history of a recent immigrant whom they know well. Using the oral history as a primary source, they will create an illustrated third person memoir picture book.

(Developed for Elementary Bilingual Education, grade 5; recommended for Elementary and Middle School grades 5-8)

by Kathy Howell Zimbaldi

This unit is written with the transitional ESL student in mind. While the target group is at 4th grade level, it is flexible enough to be used with various ages of ELL's who are transitioning to total English instruction .Its goal is broad and inclusive; each activity is designed to promote English language skills in the four language arts strands of reading, writing, listening and speaking. In this unit, I chose to introduce my students to the 3 Caribbean islands of Cuba, The Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico through the reading of the folktales common to each island. While my primary goal was language acquisition, my secondary goal was cultural. My students, all of Mexican extraction, lack information about Hispanic people with whom they share a mother tongue. Because these islands together account for the largest number after Mexico) of migrants in the U.S., I hope to broaden their perspectives about the Hispanic /American immigrant experience and increase their understanding of the Latino presence in the U.S.

(Developed for ESL Transitional, grade 4; recommended for ESL Transitional, grades 4-6)

by Justin T. Benz

This is a unit designed for a high school environmental technology program. This unit explores the carbon cycle almost in a "cradle to grave" sense, starting with plants fixing carbon using solar radiation during the process of photosynthesis, tracking inputs from anthropogenic sources (most notably transportation), exploring the global fluxes of carbon and cycling into the carbon sinks and quantifying how carbon is sequestered by our oceans and our terrestrial systems. Students research alternatives to current transportation fuels to determine the best options for transportation in order to lower the carbon output of our transportation sector. Students gain field experience when they run biometry measurements on local woodland and then calculate the amount of carbon the woodland can sequester. Students use molecular models to understand hydrocarbons and the chemistry of the products made out of them as well as the process of combustion. Using the new knowledge gained from the unit, the students gain an appreciation for conserving our petroleum resource as feed stock for products instead of burning it all as a fuel.

(Developed for Environmental Landscape Technology, grade 10; recommended for Environmental Science, Agriscience, and Natural Resources, grades 9-12)

by Emily Betts

In the time of dire predictions about climate change, there are questions we must ask about renewable technologies. Which technology can shift our carbon-based economy to one that reduces carbon dioxide in the environment? How will we meet energy demands, and do we actually have the technology to do so? Teaching students about renewable energy is crucial to help them understand the potential and reality of these energies in their lives.

Solar energy may hold the greatest potential for replacing fossil fuels as our primary energy source, since enough energy from the sun strikes the Earth in one hour to supply all the energy consumed by humans in one year. My curriculum unit focuses on the biological sources of solar energy including biomass, which incorporates solar energy through photosynthesis and is then burned or converted into fuel. While biomass is a renewable technology, use of biomass is not always a benefit to the environment. Combustion of biomass does release carbon dioxide, and the growing and transport of biomass is also a emissions concern.

Students need to have knowledge and experience with the new renewable technologies so that they will be more likely to incorporate viable technologies into their lives.

(Developed for Biology, grades 9-10, and Environmental Science, grades 9-12; recommended for Life Science and Environmental Science, grades 6-8, and Earth Science and Biology, grades 9-12)

by Cherisse Campbell

When taken out of context, the standard high school chemistry curriculum can be seen as an obscure chain of unrelated factoids. This curriculum unit will address several standards-based curriculum components by situating them within the context of a topic that has been receiving significant attention in the popular media, the need for alternative energy sources. The unit has four parts, each offering a method of addressing traditional chemistry content through engaging connections and activities. Although the theme of the unit is centered on alternative energy sources, it is intended to address content required in the chemistry curriculum, including atomic inventory, classification of matter, balancing equations, naming covalent compounds, moles, stoichiometry and heat capacity. This will be accomplished through the use of literature and lab experiments such as the synthesis of biodiesel. The lessons presented in this unit are not intended to serve as the sole reinforcement for the chemistry content covered, but to serve as a unifying theme throughout a course that is commonly characterized by content that appears unrelated and irrelevant to students.

(Developed for Chemistry, grade 11; recommended for Chemistry, High School grades)

by Jeffrey C. Davis

This curriculum unit teaches students about their responsibility and potential as stewards of the Earth via a study of renewable energy with an emphasis on wind power.

The unit is written for a fifth/sixth grade class and can be modified to use in younger or older students. Though addressing local issues in New Mexico, environmental concerns in any region can be addressed though the methods in this unit.

The unit is conceived as a longitudinal project with most of it being completed in one quarter and some parts extending throughout the year. There are three major sections that overlap during the unit. Students will learn about energy, global warming, and renewable energy (emphasis on wind power), culminating in the construction of a wind turbine model. Student learning about energy issues and debate will underpin the second major part—presenting a case to waive county height restrictions for the construction wind turbine on the school campus. The third part of the unit concerns the weather and will continue throughout the year. Students will learn the fundamentals of weather and weather forecasting (e.g., patterns, fronts). Students will track and report the weather to the school each morning.

(Developed for Science and Social Studies, grade 5; recommended for Science, grades 5-7)

by Jennifer B. Esty

This unit is designed to introduce students to various sources of energy for vehicles. It will explore the technology currently available for vehicular transportation and the technologies that are being developed for future use in vehicles.

The unit is written for a ninth grade integrated science (sometimes called Phy/Chem) class. In our school system, that means that we cover primarily physical sciences in this class. This unit is intended to address three of the science standards we are supposed to cover: the use of fossil fuels and other technologies in the generation of electricity, the chemistry of hydrocarbon combustion, and the environmental impact of human transportation choices.

This unit is broken into three major sections. In the first section, past and current, commonly available transportation technology options are discussed. The second section looks to the future where transportation technologies that are being developed and perfected today are discussed. The final section of this unit is the project that the students will produce based on the information presented in the first two sections of this unit.

(Developed for General Science, grade 9; recommended for General Science, grade 9, and Environmental Science, High School grades)

by K. Gothie

The curriculum unit, "The Power of the Sun" is designed to be taught to sixth grade students during their science period. The focus of the unit is on solar energy and covers elements of Earth and Space Science, Life science, and Physical science. This unit is designed to provide students will a broad understanding of global warming and the need for alternative and renewable energy production. A majority of the activities in this unit are investigative and hands-on. The primary focus of the investigations will be for the students to understand processes of scientific investigations and use inquiry and scientific methods to develop questions, design and conduct experiments using appropriate technologies. The culminating activity will be the design and construction of a model solar car.

(Developed for Science, grade 6; recommended for Science, grades 5-7)

by Georgia Redonet

"The will to act—that's a renewable resource—let's do it."

Al Gore, February 25, 2007

Former vice president, Al Gore, made the above statement when accepting an Academy Award for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth. It is a point well taken. Humans posses the energy and ability to affect change and that energy is a limitless renewable resource. Whether our ideas are big or small, they can all add up to a change in how we live that can improve the world in which we live. The issue of global warming bypasses any questions as to how much petroleum energy is left for the world to use. CO2 emissions must be reduced and every individual can play a role in that reduction. This curriculum unit will focus on architectural alternatives in home construction using solar energy. Our studies will culminate with a look at Earthships. These homes present what appears to be the most all-inclusive use of alternative applications using solar energy. The main purpose of this unit is to use architecture to introduce my students to the topic of renewable and alternative energy, which is quickly becoming a part of our mainstream dialogue.

(Developed for Texas History, grade 7; recommended for Science and History, grades K-12, and Architecture, Construction, and Engineering, High School Grades)

by Connie Scercy Wood

The main goal of this unit is to create a way to teach a rather complex process—photosynthesis—using a three-dimensional approach that provides students with a concrete way of understanding this very difficult topic. This unit was designed with upper level Biology classes, like Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate, in mind. Even these students have difficulty understanding things that happen at the molecular level. Included in this unit is a summary of the most current information we have about photosynthesis. Using this information, I have put together instructions for building and using a model of a chloroplast, to teach, and to help students make connections between the molecular process and what they are observing in the lab. There are also activities that help students enter into the molecular realm of photosynthesis through role-playing. Once they can visualize the invisible, students will have a better basis for the formation of hypotheses and conclusions in inquiry labs. Based on the model and role-playing, students could then develop their own simple models for demonstrating the variations in photosynthesis by C4 and CAM plants.

(Developed for IB Biology, grade 11; recommended for AP Biology and IB Biology, grades 11-12)

by Tanya Shannon

Many students have difficulties when attempting to solve word problems. Many reasons are given for the students' lack of success in word problems. These reasons include students' lack of exposure to life outside of television and their neighborhoods, minimal reading skills, and difficulty in comprehension skills. I do not dispute these reasons for students' failure, but I propose that there is a way to ensure that problem solving permeates the mathematics classroom while simultaneously maintaining student interest. This unit will help teachers that are looking to implement strategies that will change the way that students read and understand addition and subtraction word problems. Additionally, it will help teachers to learn the various methods that they can use in order to develop meaningful word problems for all of their students. Although it was written for second grade, these strategies and accompanying appendix of word problems are adaptable for grades one through four.

(Developed for Mathematics, grade 2; recommended for Mathematics, grade 2)

by Huwerl Thornton

This unit covers the structure of addition and subtraction math word problems. It analyzes the different ways that addition and subtraction word problems can be created. The unit looks at how word problems strike fear in the hearts of many people and how teachers can help their students to develop ways to attack word problems. This in turn will hopefully help students develop a love for word problems. More importantly, the unit helps teachers realize that the creation of word problems is something that should be done with great care and should be created with a specific objective to be taught.

The second part of the unit looks at how to use reading strategies to help students solve word problems. It explores the use of making connections, asking questions, visualization, determining importance, inferring and predicting, and synthesizing. The unit focuses on a modified KWL chart called KWC. The KWC and using reading strategies to help solve word problems comes from Arthur Hyde's book Comprehending Math: Adapting Reading Strategies to Teach Mathematics, K-6. The lessons in the unit are about teaching the KWC to the class to use as a strategy and tool to solve word problems.

by Nancy Ann Wasser

This unit explores the process of subtraction through the study of word problems. It begins by providing a presentation of the decimal number system and base-ten operations as a scaffolding to support cognitive understanding of subtraction as the inverse process of addition. It teaches composing and decomposing of tens as opposed to the more traditional method of carrying and borrowing. It presents lessons treating various subtraction situations including: take-away, difference, and comparison and part-whole relations, especially missing addend problems. Students learn to identify key elements of problems, formulate conjectures and work in groups to problem solve. Lessons teach students to identify the unknown in a word problem. They also teach subtracting across zeroes and present mental math techniques.

The unit is written for a fourth grade bilingual English/Spanish class, therefore the word problems are in one or the other language; however, it could easily be adapted for a monolingual English fourth grade class. Taxonomies are included which provide useful nomenclature and methodologies for problem solving. An appendix of word problems, in English and Spanish, is provided as well, along with an annotated bibliography.

(Developed for Mathematics, grades 4-5; recommended for Mathematics, grades 3-5)

by Karlene E. McGowen

This curriculum unit will look at math word problems from a language arts point of view. Many times students are able to do the math computation but get stumped by the wording in the problem. This unit can show them how to read the problem the same way they might read a novel or a non-fiction passage, they will then have greater success at solving the word problem correctly.

The unit is divided into two sections; however these two sections are designed to be used together. The first section involves the use of math picture books. Look at these picture story books as one giant word problem. By beginning with these books we can show the students that a word problem is simply a story that involves math. The second section of the unit involves the collaboration of efforts between the Language Arts teachers and the Math teachers. Call it Word Problem(s) of the Week. The students will receive a word problem on Monday or day one. The students take the problem to the Reading teacher, English teacher and then Math teacher over the course of a couple of days. Each teacher helps the students with a different aspect of reading and solving the problem. In merging these two sections, it would be ideal to use the word problems created specifically for the picture books as problems of the week. Although the unit utilizes picture books, the word problems are leveled for middle school students.

(Developed for Reading, grade 8; recommended for Mathematics, Reading, and English, grades 6-8)

by Valerie J. Schwarz

Dr. Word Problem is a unit designed to examine the structure of word problems involving the four operations of arithmetic. This unit focuses on teaching a strategy that is a visual approach to solving word problems. The students will be exposed to Singapore bar models as a technique to aid in understanding and solving problems. Students are taught how to represent word problems by drawing a Singapore bar model. The unit explores the bar models beginning with basic addition facts. The unit progresses to subtraction, multiplication, division, and multi-step problems. A key aspect of this unit is connecting the four operations. By developing children's understanding of the relationships that the four operations share, children will also build a stronger foundation that will invaluable, especially as the multi-step problem domain is investigated. The unit also addresses common pitfalls and limited strategies to problem solving. Dr. Word Problem aspires to overcome these pitfalls by developing arithmetical understanding. This unit can also be adapted to work with word problems dealing with fractions and decimals. The models can also be used to solve algebra problems without using algebra.

(Developed for Mathematics, grade 4; recommended for Mathematics, grades 3-5)

by Moses B. Jackson

This unit, Percent in Real Life Situations, uses the concepts of percents to teach 9th grade students of the School District of Philadelphia how to solve word problems. It presents a template that can be used to translate percent word problems, in all forms, into mathematical sentences.

The unit is intended to be taught in four weeks with a focus on how to help students analyze open ended questions and Critical Response Problems (CRP) that are usually a component of regular Standardized State Tests. The template deals with a manipulation of the statement, "percent times whole equals part". Hopefully, math teachers will find this unit helpful as an added resource for their classrooms and lesson plans.

(Developed for Mathematics, grade 9; recommended for Mathematics and World Problems, grades 9-10)

by Angel Johnson

As we continue to use mathematics as a tool to model physical or real world phenomena, more complex situations will be represented by word problems. As a global society, educators and students must become extremely comfortable in incorporating, using, and solving word problems. This three-week unit is designed to introduce Algebra 9th grade students to the language of mathematics and show them how to model situations symbolically—known as concise representation. The unit develops algebraic concepts through the use of everyday arithmetic situations. Students learn that, through the rules of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and procedures for finding the unknown values, they can systematically translate concrete situations into algebraic expressions and manipulate and evaluate those expressions to arrive at a solution. Specifically, students learn what expressions say, and how to translate back and forth between verbal formulations and symbolic ones. Students will develop notational representation (numerical and algebraic), simplify expressions, and apply these skills for reinforcement. Students will also have an opportunity to review, identify and apply the associative, commutative, distributive, and identity properties. Some relevant vocabulary words are: additive identity, algebraic expression, associative property, coefficient, commutative property, distributive property, factors, like terms, multiplicative identity, order of operations, product, and variables.

(Developed for Algebra I, grade 9; recommended for Algebra I, grade 9)

by Jill Elizabeth Smith

The Art of Solving Word Problems by Using Proportions focuses on the struggles that multi-level students face preparing to correctly solve a word problem. In the North Carolina curriculum, a major objective in seventh grade math is solving problems by using proportions. In this unit, my main focus is on word problems that involve unit rates, percents and similar figures/models. Most students at varying levels struggle with setting up a proportion when given a word problem. Students tend to have the knowledge to solve proportions by cross multiplying, but their application is sometimes faulty. This unit assists this issue by breaking down the problems into different difficulty levels and subject matter. Included in the unit, there are also lessons, activities and sample problems that involve real life situations to help students further grasp the concept. It also emphasizes repetition of the basics by completing several problems that contain the same scenario yet have a changing variable. The unit I have written will give students a better understanding and higher confidence level of a major objective and help them to be more successful.

(Developed for Mathematics, grade 7; recommended for Mathematics Proportions and Science Proportions, grade 7)

by Patricia Lee Marasco

This unit is written for freshman, ages 13/14. The purpose of this unit is to supply students with the basic tools and ideas they will need to begin their study of linear equations. I will help students go from simple to more complex problems by having them recognize the similarities and differences between problems. I believe that once a student can recognize and categorize the given problems, they will then feel confident enough to attempt to solve these and the more complex problems we will study later in the year. This is just another way of saying we are going to categorize or group problems. It is important for students to recognize what red flags there are in each problem that categorizes a problem as such, by identifying the subtle differences or similarities. I will also spend some time going over the language of word problems. I believe that there is a tendency of teachers not to explain key conventions and assumptions. I have found that going over the language is beneficial for two reasons. The first reason is that it clarifies the meaning of the terms. The second reason is that it sends a message to the students that it is OK to ask if they don't understand. How can they answer the question if they don't know what they are being asked? This unit is designed to help my students recognize various problems and use several different tools to derive an answer that makes sense. In addition, I hope to add some fun to their math experience.

(Developed for Algebra I, grade 9; recommended for Algebra I, grade 9)

by Paula West

This unit maintains a focus on various strategies and approaches to implementing word problems. For example, the lessons utilize mental math and tables to help aid to the mathematical thinking involved in problem solving. Furthermore, the lessons emphasize starting with simple mathematical language, then completing more complex problems. The goal is to build a strong problem solving foundation. The lessons are built around the idea that math is similar to learning a foreign language. Hence, students have to be prepared to handle mathematics with the idea in mind that with more exposure the language becomes much easier to translate. The unit seeks to illustrate methods that help address the difficulties that mathematical language presents to students. Classroom activities will analyze meaning in word problems in order to arrive at the correct answer. My goal for this unit is to have students be able to attack word problems without fear and frustration. I hope the strategies explored here inspire educators to analyze word problems with their students more easily and effectively.

(Developed for Algebra I, grade 9; recommended for Algebra I, grade 9)

by Tyler B. Willoughby

Word problems are a problem. The objective for this curriculum unit is to show students the multiple ways that system of equations can be used to solve real-world problems. In order for students to be engaged and interested in learning, they need to see the real-world practicality behind the math concept being learned. Without a lot of practice, System of Equations can be difficult for students to compute correctly and efficiently. Therefore, in order to capture the attention and interest of our students, I will first identify a variety of system of equations and then explain how to solve each using three different methods. Utilizing the substitution method, addition/subtraction elimination and multiplication/elimination methods, we will review how to solve a system of equations.

Then I will combine the distance (d = rt) and interest (I = prt) formulas together with a system of equations and demonstrate how to solve real-world scenarios and exciting problems. I will also provide practical examples to problems involving wind and water currents, chemistry problems involving mixtures and solutions, more interest problems involving the time value of money, and other practical examples that involve systems of equations.

(Developed for Algebra, grade 8; recommended for Algebra, grades 8-10, and Algebra II, grades 10-12)

by Nancy Rudolph

This unit is based on a collection of quadratic word problems that are intended to be relevant to teenagers, and are organized differently from traditional math textbooks. Progressing through the problems, students' quadratic-solving skills should improve, and they should gain a better understanding of how each small change affects the solution and/or the choice of solution method. The unit begins with projectile motion problems that relate to sports since most teenagers can relate to them, and because the parabolic path of objects in flight, as a function of time, is visually represented by the graph of the quadratic function. They move on to geometry problems where they will gain much-needed practice in setting up and solving area and volume equations based on information given in word problems. And finally, they study the effects of dilations (changes in scale factor) on area. While the dilation problems are written specifically for vocational students, many of them address interests of typical high school students. The unit assumes students are able to find x-intercepts and coordinates of the vertex of a quadratic function by factoring, using the Quadratic Formula, or examining a graph or table on a graphing calculator.

(Developed for Integrated Math III, grades 10-11; recommended for Algebra I and Algebra II, grades 9-12)

by Stuart Surrey

In general, most high school chemistry courses around the country teach students about the elements from an organizational point of view. That is, the elements are taught in conjunction with the development of the periodic table. Students learn about the arrangement of the elements based on increasing atomic numbers, similar chemical and physical properties, as well as trends within the periodic table. Whereas most high school chemistry textbooks briefly mention the occurrence and/or abundance of specific elements on Earth or in the atmosphere, they rarely give any insight into the actual origin of the elements. Therefore, the aim of this curriculum unit is to present the students with a basic understanding of how and where the elements were formed prior to discussing the periodic table. This will include current information on Big Bang or primordial, stellar, and supernova nucleosynthsis. In doing so, the students will study the history of the Big Bang theory and stellar evolution as a means of understanding the origin of the elements as well as stimulating interest in astronomy and cosmology.

(Developed for Chemistry, grade 11; recommended for Chemistry, grade 11)

by Ram Bhagat

Beyond the Atom: Interpreting the Origin of the Elements is an imaginative approach to teach students about the birth of matter. In technical terms, this approach combines the principles of Aesthetic Education, Science Education, Emotional Intelligence and Multicultural Education. Put simply, this method integrates the Performing Arts—specifically Drumming, Dance, and Drama—into the Chemistry curriculum. Beyond the Atom is an interdisciplinary unit with an emphasis on Reading Across the Curriculum. Consequently, students will read Charles A. Cerami's biography on Benjamin Banneker and interpret the impact of African Astronomy on contemporary American society through dance. In addition, Beyond the Atom addresses the issue of "Science Literacy" in the United States. My overall goal is to motivate urban minority youth, especially African American male adolescents (AAma), to develop creative problem-solving skills and enhance their intellectual, social and emotional abilities. The federal imperative to "Leave No Child Behind" combined with mandatory End-of-Course testing on the state level places AAma at a tremendous risk for poor academic and social performance. This unit recommends an African-centered pedagogy to address these disparities. Researchers have found that infusing Arts Education across the curriculum in an urban setting enhances the learning experience of all students.

(Developed for Chemistry, Atomic Structure and Periodic Table, grades 10-12; recommended for Chemistry, Atomic Structure and Periodic Table, grades 9-12)

by Eric J. Laurenson

"Are we Alone in the Universe?" This question has been pondered for much of human history, but scientific, technological advances in Astronomy have added a tremendous amount of data to the discussion. Ever since the famous Drake equation was proposed in 1965, scientists have attempted to predict the likelihood of intelligent extraterrestrial life. It is my goal in this unit to explore the current data that exists regarding the requirements for life, the probability that such life could find a suitable existence elsewhere in the Universe and the physics required to detect it.

The debate ranges from those that claim that intelligent life is very rare to those scientists who believe that intelligent life is pervasive throughout the Universe. I will be considering the factors that are postulated to be prerequisites for life, the history of life on our planet that has resulted in our own existence and the relative significance of this fact, the scientific data that allows us to predict the probabilities of life elsewhere in the Universe and the reliability of these claims. I will be considering all of these issues in light of the physics involved in searching for extraterrestrial life. I intend to teach this unit in physics classes to explore probabilities in scientific claims. Using all of this information it is my intention to present a scientific discourse about the relative likelihood that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the Universe.

(Developed for AP Physics, grade 12, and Honors Physics and General Physics, grades 11-12; recommended for AP Physics, grade 12, and Honors Physics and General Physics, grades 11-12)

by Debra Blake Semmler

I have developed a curriculum unit that includes space science and technology as a unifying theme throughout the study of introductory physics. The purpose of the unit is two fold. First, so often the study of physics appears to be a series of mathematical manipulations with little connection to understanding how and why the Universe works, which is the true study of science. I believe the integration of space science will ignite interest and allow students to recognize that the study of physics is not just formula manipulations but has implications beyond solving the daily homework problems. The second purpose is that the students we teach will be part of the decision-making for the future, and need a basic understanding of physical principles of the Universe to make informed decisions, not only about space travel, but about energy resources and the environment. I believe that including the science of space in my curriculum will motivate and inspire students to have a richer understanding of the concepts of physics. The unit includes problem sets, class discussions, presentations and demonstrations, and an inquiry design cycle experiment on rocket science.

(Developed for Honors Physics I, grades 10-12; recommended for Physics, grades 10-12)

by Lori Paderewski

Third and fourth grade teachers will love this unit on Space, covering in depth, the Sun, Moon, and Earth system. Science and space exploration is constantly being improved and updated so we can get a better understanding of the areas, which are outside of Earth's realm. Just as space is huge, so is the number of concepts that need to be taught in order for students to gain a basic understanding of the topic. According to the Delaware State Science Coalition, there are two essential questions, which need to be addressed in order for the students to be able to build upon the grade four expectations. Those questions are: What predictable, observable patterns occur because of the interaction between the Earth, Moon and Sun? and How has technology expanded our knowledge of the Earth, Moon and Sun system? Both of these questions will be answered and expanded upon in this Unit. However, the Unit will also cover other basics of astronomy that will help us give a better foundation for when the students advance on to the upper grades. Therefore, the purpose for this Unit will be for students to learn about the relationships between the Earth, Moon and Sun.

(Developed for Elementary Science, grade 3; recommended for Elementary Science, grade 3)

by Barbara C. Natale

This unit "Space Illustrated: There and Back" will provide students in grade four with an exciting opportunity to explore the Solar System. During the lessons, students will come to the realization that Space and the technology of Space is an interesting subject, one that they may determine to be a future career. I have planned the lessons to embrace content material with several hands on activities. One, students will make a rocket ship and launch it into "Space". Students will shrink down the Planets with objects and make an imaginary Solar System on the school playground. Two, students will participate in an imaginary space trip, conduct an interview and publish a space magazine. This magazine, called "Space Illustrated" will include an interview with an astronaut and pictures. This magazine will be theirs to keep and enjoy. The class will share their magazine at Davis Street Interdistrict Magnet School's publishing party in May.

Any teacher, regular or special education, can utilize any or all of this unit, modified or used as it is written. These lessons allow teachers and students the opportunity to work together to better understand the mysteries of outer space. Fourth graders are at a very impressionable age, and maybe one of the lessons in this unit will inspire them to become an Astronaut and travel to a galaxy far, far away.

(Developed for Science, grade 4; recommended for Science, grade 4)

by Francisca Eunice Gomez Rebullida

The science and technology of the Apollo Space Program is a curriculum unit written for second language learners in the fifth grade. The unit could be adapted for mainstreamed fifth graders too. You can integrate English as a Second Language Instruction with science/reading using the literature approach. Are you ready to travel historically to the Moon with the astronauts? I am about to take you to the Moon with the former astronauts of the manned Apollo Space Program. As we travel you will learn about the six Apollo Missions that took twelve astronauts to explore the Moon and the other six astronauts who piloted the Command Module and returned safely to Earth. We will learn how the astronauts explored the Moon and helped the scientists with their experiments of the lunar samples. The unit will provide you information on the technology that allows humans to work on the Moon's environment. We will also read about space exploration, how 400,000 people landed Apollo 11 on the Moon, and the first Hispanic woman astronaut.

You will learn how to become an astronaut, how astronauts live in space, and try space food. We will sing spacey songs, read and write out- of -this world spacey stories. To blast off, tap into students' prior knowledge such as space, weightlessness- zero g, microgravity, Newton' three laws and address misinformation that they may have about space. So put on your space suits, and "climb aboard" the spacecraft. Are you ready? Ten. . .nine. . . eight. . . seven. . . six. . . five. . . four. . . three. . . two. . . one. . . blast off!

(Developed for ESL and Science, grade 5; recommended for Science, grade 5)