Introduction
"Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid," Albert Einstein - Theoretical Physicist, 1879.1
This six-week unit is an interdisciplinary teaching curriculum specifically designed for high school (grades 9-12) Life Skills special education self-contained classroom using maps. The project-based learning assignments will be taught across the subjects of social studies, English, science, and math. My plan for this curriculum unit is to begin with an introductory overview of maps and the history of Hearne, Texas. The students will be able to understand the map making process, which will include research, selecting a map, and determining which product design method to use after reviewing various cartographic technologies. Students will study the history of Hearne, using past, current and future city maps, family history trees, videos, field trips, and historical artifacts. The products at the end of the study will be individual students’ portfolios encompassing all of the maps, writings, art, and artifacts they designed and collected during their research and classroom activities. Their portfolios will be showcased in the Hearne High School Library and the community will be invited to tour the exhibit and meet the students.
This unit will be challenging students who will struggle to advance to a deeper level of critical thinking, relevance, and rigor. I chose this study about maps, because reading, writing, and speaking is challenging for students with learning disabilities. Implementing differentiation of instruction and specifically designed instruction (SDI) strategies to ensure the elements of each student’s IEP modifications and accommodations are implemented, is critical in the planning and delivery of curriculum. Studying maps is a great way to apply multisensory structured language to combine visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile pathways to enhance learning and memory for reading and writing.
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