Understanding By Design Unit Template

Canadian Indigenous and the Justice System 11

Title of Unit (Moving Forward: Establishing and Realizing) Grade Level
ELA 20 3 weeks (15 days)
Subject Time Frame
Stephanie Draeger
Developed By

Stage 1 - Identify Desired Results

Broad Areas of Learning

How are the BAL incorporated into this unit?

Sense of Self, Community and Place – Students will explore their place as Canadian citizens and use various text forms to critically think about crime
in Canada and look at crime from various perspectives, including but not limited to, First Nations, Metis, Inuit, finding their place and responsibility in
regard to crime in their country. Students will become familiar with not only themselves but with their classmates and learn in an environment that is
inclusive and respectful of the various cultures being discussed within the unit. A basis of respect will be set in order to approach this unit with acceptance
of one another and respect for every individuals place within the classroom community.
Lifelong Learners – Educating students using relevant past and present literature in order to engage them in thinking critically about Canada’s justice
system and the patterns created in regard to Canada’s Indigenous population. Students will be informed of the relevance of what is being taught
throughout this unit in order to motivate their individual inquiry of issues such as this in the future. Throughout this unit students will learn to inquire and
look deeper into the reasons behind crime and street gangs in their country and view both common points and counterpoints. Because this unit will
require maturity and respect for all members of the classroom, I presume the unit will teach not only the content presented but also the cooperation
needed between students for progression to take place, in this way lifelong learning will take place as well as efforts toward reconciliation.
Engaged Citizens – Students will take part in many discussions that allow them to voice their thoughts in a debate or side-taking format that allows
them to explore various perspectives on an argument. This will encourage them to participate in larger scale debates within their communities (city-wide
or country). Getting students engaged in both sides of a national issue, and viewing issues from FNIM perspectives as well as the opposing parties, will
allow them to explore their passions and express them in a way that is helpful and healthy.

Cross curricular Competencies

How will this unit promote the CCC?

Develop Thinking – Students will be expected to think critically about Canada’s crime and victim cycle as well as develop their own opinions and
positions on controversial subject matter, while maintaining acceptance and respect for the classroom community. Students will be asked to think using
positionality and viewing similar situations through different lenses. Students will be expected to think abstractly and outside their comfort zone and think
about issues that are beneath the surface of their everyday lives to achieve a common goal of awareness and humility.
Develop Identity and Interdependence – Students will develop an understanding of where they stand in relation to Canada’s justice system and why
it is important for them to be part of their community in order to stop the viscous cycle of criminalization effecting the indigenous population. Students will
be made aware of the reliance that both cultures must have on each other in order to work together towards reconciliation. Exploration of Indigenous
writing, history and contribution to Canada’s well-being will take place to create knowledge of the respect that will be expected of students for the
Indigenous community as well as to prevent the loss of this information in the future. This will take place by informing our current students of the
Indigenous worldview benefits in hopes that students will acknowledge the interdependence we must create with our indigenous population.
Develop Literacies – Students will strive to communicate their opinions and stance on subjects in a professional and respectable manner that is
appropriate for outside sources. Students will learn appropriate terminology, protocols and significance of various ideologies within the indigenous
community in order to create a deeper understanding of how the justice system must be changed to accommodate spirituality, respectful strategies and
acknowledgement of legitimacy. They will be expected to write, read, and speak from an educated perspective in order to obtain highest relevance.
Develop Social Responsibility – Throughout this unit, students will become educated on the cyclical nature of Canada’s “criminals”, the connection
between this term and our indigenous population, and recognize fully the toxic, often unfair relationship between the justice system and Canada’s
indigenous. Students will develop an understanding of how crucial their personal role is in breaking the cycle and obtain enduring understandings of how
many factors play into a single crime or a life of crime. Students will also find social responsibility in attaining knowledge of the land and culture they
share their country with, this will allow them to gain respect and awareness of why things need to be changed and how they will contribute to this
reconciliation.

Learning Outcomes
What relevant goals will this unit address?
(must come from curriculum; include the designations e.g. IN2.1)

Comprehend and Respond

CR 20.1 - View, listen to, read, comprehend, and respond to a variety of grade-appropriate First Nations, Métis, Saskatchewan, Canadian, and international texts that
address:
 identity (e.g., Relationships with Family and Others);
 social responsibility (e.g., Evolving Roles and Responsibilities); and
 social action (agency) (e.g., The Past and the Present).

CR 20.2 - View, comprehend, and develop coherent and plausible interpretations of informational and literary First Nations, Métis, Saskatchewan, Canadian, and
international texts (including multimedia advertising) that use specialized visual features including illustrations, photographs, art works, maps, charts, graphs.

CR 20.3 - Listen to, comprehend, and develop coherent and plausible interpretations of grade-appropriate informational and literary First Nations, Métis,
Saskatchewan, Canadian, and international texts, including spoken instructions, and argumentative and persuasive speeches.

CR 20.4 - Read and demonstrate comprehension and appreciation of grade-appropriate informational (including instructions and procedural texts) and literary
(including fiction, nonfiction, script, poetry, and essays) First Nations, Métis, Saskatchewan, Canadian, and international texts.
Enduring Understandings
What understandings about the big ideas are desired? (what you want
students to understand & be able to use several years from now)
What misunderstandings are predictable?
Students will understand that...
- There is not always a right or wrong answer when deliberating a
crime or reason for a person’s action
- There is more to Canada’s street gangs than violence and drugs, that
being, but not limited to, loyalty, respect and belonging
Related misconceptions…
- The stereotype surrounding Canada’s indigenous as criminals by
nature
- The danger of a single-story in relation to media and news castings
surrounding Indigenous crime in Canada
Knowledge:
What knowledge will student acquire as a result of this unit? This content
knowledge may come from the indicators, or might also address pre-requisite
knowledge that students will need for this unit.
- How to view a situation from numerous perspectives
- How to form an educated opinion on criminal situations in Canada
- Understanding the contributing factors to crime and criminal life
- The relationship between poverty, racism, generational impact and
crime
Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Essential Questions
What provocative questions will foster inquiry into the content? (open-
ended questions that stimulate thought and inquiry linked to the content
of the enduring understanding)
Content specific….
- What circumstances contribute to Canadian crime?
- Why do Indigenous populations have a higher incarceration and
crime rate?
- What is an author’s purpose when writing about indigenous
crime? (positive or negative and perspective consideration ex)
awareness, information, fact, perception)
FNMI, multicultural, cross-curricular…
- FNIM resources from perspective of Canada’s indigenous
- How is the justice system affecting people in our own
communities?
Skills
What skills will students acquire as a result of this unit? List the skills
and/or behaviors that students will be able to exhibit as a result of their
work in this unit. These will come from the indicators.
- Empathy
- Understanding of situational limitations and consequences
- The ability to sort through media representations and televised
news in order to find facts
Performance Task
This unit will involve the completion of a Current Event Project. Students will use what they have learnt to display, in a form of their choice, a current
event (within the last 5 years), that depicts the criminal justice system in a way that either: correctly handled an indigenous incarceration or justice effort
or, a depiction of the justice system in Canada failing to provide culturally adequate justice efforts. This project can be done in whatever form the students
choose whether that be a PowerPoint, a poster board, or using some other form of presentation that they choose. This element of choice will allow
students to use their individual strengths and display their learning in the best way possible. Guided inquiry based learning is the goal of this project and
will hopefully result in student awareness and increased knowledge and enthusiasm of the unit content overall. The students will be expected to be
creative, have relevant information and provide a plausible argument for their position on the case. This project will aim to have students explore current
events in their country and educate their classmates on the importance and prevalence of indigenous overrepresentation in the justice system. The
presentation will be self and peer assessed using a simplified rubric and will be used to determine a final grade in cooperation with the teacher’s rubric.
GRASPS Elements of the Performance Task
G – Goal Current Event Project
What should students accomplish by Goal – Students should engage in current events and be able to realize the bias, misinformation and perspective
completing this task? in the content and be able to communicate this to their classmates in a presentation format of their choice as
R – Role well as make connections and/or correct the information using research or prior knowledge gained through unit
What role (perspective) will your students lessons.
be taking?
Role – Students will be doing their project using an inclusive and empathetic perspective. They will be informing
A – Audience
Who is the relevant audience?
their peers of current events that depict false information or accurate information depending on their choice of
content. The students will either justify the position of the article or news story, or state what is wrong with it
S – Situation based off what is learnt throughout the unit.
The context or challenge provided to the Audience – The audience for this performance task will be classmates, teachers and also the student
student. themselves as they will be marking themselves on their presentation, contributing to their grade.
Situation – The challenge for students when completing this project will be to choose a current event that
interests them enough to research outside of class. They will become genius on the particular event and provide
their classmates with a summative presentation explaining not only what happened and what information has
been presented so far (in media, online, etc.) but go beyond this and explain the relevance to the unit (make
connections) and identify whether the standing information is accurate, skewed, bias, unfinished, etc.The current
event must be within the context of the unit and be made relevant to the content/knowledge gained throughout
lessons.
P – Product, Performance Product/Performance – The student will create a personalized project that will show their strengths both
What product/performance will the creatively, and educationally. They will be able to present a display of data that they have researched and are
student proud of because if the inquiry (choice) aspect. Since the formatting of this assignment is of the student’s option
create? it is uncertain what they will produce although the criteria for each project will be marked the same.
Standards & Criteria for Success – The students, upon introduction of the assignment early in the unit, will
be given a criteria checklist. This checklist will be used to help ensure success in the student and will not be
marked as a grade. The standards on the rubric (peer, self, and teacher) are delivery, content and organization,
and enthusiasm and awareness. These are three consistent categories that students will use to mark themselves,
their peers. Teacher will collaborate with these in order to provide an overall mark. Students will also be made
aware of these rubric prior to the presentation in order to ensure that standards are communicated and students
are aware of what will be marked.
S – Standards & Criteria for Success Rubrics located at end of Unit Plan
Create the rubric for the Performance Task

Other Evidence Student Self-Assessment

Through what other evidence (work samples, observations, quizzes, tests, How will students reflect upon or self-assess their learning?
journals or other means) will students demonstrate achievement of the
desired results? Formative and summative assessments used throughout
the unit to arrive at the outcomes.
Blog Entries – As a requirement for this unit, students are asked to create a
blog website using wordpress.com. The teacher will provide prompts
throughout the duration of the unit, and students will be asked to respond.
This will be a response to their main text The Ballad of Danny Wolfe. The
students are asked to explain their thoughts and make connections by
utilization of critical thinking, while taking into consideration the impact of
the contents of the novel on Indigenous peoples and cultures in relation to
class discussion. Using a blog will increase student’s technological
awareness and prepare them for the possible demands of high school and
post-secondary schooling. The blog postings will also be available to all
students; therefore, the blogs will be a great resource for all students to
create a community of learning and contribute to mastery of the content.
Group Battle of the Poets – Students will be in groups of 3 or 4, each group
will have a copy of Strength and Struggle: Perspectives from First Nations,
Inuit, and Metis Peoples in Canada. Each group will choose a work of poetry
or short story and create a short essay that will both justify why they liked
it and how it connects to the overall unit. This assignment will be done
during class time. Through this small assignment part-way through the unit,
the teacher will be able to see the connections being made between the
past and the present as well as allow students to explore FNIM content in
poetry form.
Exit Slips – The text “Indians Wear Red”: Colonialism, resistance,
and Aboriginal Street Gangs will be used by the teacher four
times throughout this unit. Small sections will be read at the
beginning of class that connect with the content being
taught that day (or in relation to the unit as a whole). The
students will then have the class period, whilst completing
other work, to think of a response or connection they made
between the passage and what they learnt. An exit slip will
be handed out at the end of class and must be handed in
before the end of class. These exit slips will be to ensure
comprehension and be used by the teacher to guide
subsequent lessons based on questions asked of topics
brought up by the students on their slips.
Stage 3 – Learning Plan
What teaching and learning experiences will you use to:
Pre-Assessment – Students will begin this unit with a version of self-
assessment. They will be asked to complete a chart asking them to list
everything they know about Canada’s Justice System and its relationship to
Canada’s Indigenous population. This activity will allow the instructor to
view what ideals and perspectives they are dealing with within the
classroom and also serves as a form of social justice teaching. Through this
activity students will be made aware of their own personal bias’s and how
these views affect their surroundings. This realization is the first step in
making a change and the student’s acknowledgement of their personal
views and finding their stance on the subject will be the pre-assessment
that searches for prior knowledge and awareness going into the unit. This
chart will not be shared as a class, it will be handed in and observed only by
instructors to prevent unwelcomed class discussion regarding bias’s or
opinions that could be hurtful to class community and dynamic.
This unit involves various ways for students to self-assess and self-reflect.
All of the components being assessed are a form of reflection or have a
reflection component. The students are also explicitly self-assessing their
final performance task. Through the combination of group work and
individual work, students will be able to explore both their own opinions and
how to work in collaboration with peers’ opinions. This collaboration will
contribute to the overall goal in the unit of perspective viewing and building
empathetic relationships. The student’s self-assessment for their
performance task will be a simplified rubric that can be marked following
their presentation. They will also have a section on the self-assessment
rubric for them to add comments they have for themselves. From these
comments, the teacher can see growth or realizations made by the students
that they may not have been able to present during their project. It also
shows reflection on the student’s behalf that will help them to grow in these
areas in the future.
  achieve the desired results identified in Stage 1?
 equip students to complete the assessment tasks identified in Stage 2?
Where are your students headed? Where have they been? How will you make sure the students know where they are going?
What experiences do the learners bring to the unit? How have the interests of the learners been ascertained? Have the learners been
part of the pre-planning in any way? What individual needs do you anticipate will need to be addressed?
Learning environment: Where can this learning best occur? How can the physical environment be arranged to enhance learning?

The goal of this unit is to provide students a pathway to educated opinions and empathetic viewing of Canada’s Indigenous being overrepresented in our
criminal justice system. Students are headed towards an understanding of outside, interrelated factors that contribute to a cyclical process that cannot be
changed without the efforts of citizens like them being aware of this injustice. Students have been unaware of justice systems that our indigenous peoples
have used and that could be used today in an effort to prevent the overrepresentation. In order to ensure that students gain this understanding, I am
providing them with a current main text that identifies a character (Danny Wolfe) who was affected negatively by the justice system. This text is relevant
because of its Canadian and Saskatchewan setting and the current representation of how outside factors contributed to his life in and out of prison.
Students will be aware of where they are headed as they use small assignments in preparation for their performance task to gain knowledge and grow in
understanding of media representation of the justice system and exploring false stereotypes that occur in our society in regard to indigenous criminals.
Students will assist the teacher in the navigation of the unit using their feedback on exit slips and areas of curiosity expressed about planned material. The
exit slips will allow for questions that students may not be comfortable asking in class to be voiced and will allow the teacher to take those inquiries and
incorporate more information into the subsequent lessons. This is a unit with potential for sensitive topics, students will have the opportunity to express
these concerns via exit slips that cannot be seen by other students. In this way, students are being pre-planned for and issues are being predicted and a
plan has been made to address these issues. Individual needs will be addressed depending on the demographic of the classroom, if certain activities (such
as the debate) will not work with a given group of students, alternative plans will be made. This unit requires maturity, consideration and a group of
students willing to be respectful of such content in regard to their classmates. However, at the ELA20 level I feel confident this unit could be used with the
right guidance, supervision and teaching by the instructor. This unit can be set in the classroom because the classroom can be manipulated into talking
circles, group work stations and desks cleared for debate style activity.

How will you engage students at the beginning of the unit? (motivational set)

The introductory lesson of this unit will be the motivational set. Reading Photos/Take A Stand will give students an active start to the unit that engages
them in historical situations where injustice has occurred. Starting the unit in a broad sense, opening the topics to U.S. history and racism over various
generations will allow students to explore the history. Following this, facts will be stated about the Canadian justice system and the overrepresentation of
indigenous peoples, narrowing down and introducing the topic of the unit to show students how close this issue is to home. These will be shock-value
statements that will get the students thinking about the unit to come and the relevance the content will have in their lives and the world around them.
(See lesson plan #1)

What events will help students experience and explore the enduring understandings and essential questions in the unit? How will you
equip them with needed skills and knowledge?
# Lesson Title Lesson Activities CCCs Resources

1 - Students will be shown photos of riots and/or protests that have taken place in the past Social Photos and
 Reading revolving around criminal justice. Class discussion will be held and guiding questions will be Responsib facts to be
Photos/Take a asked in order to make connections between the photos and the upcoming unit ility read (located
Stand - Topic will be narrowed down from broad criminal justice issues to aboriginal in lesson
overrepresentation in Canada’s prisons Identity plan)
- Students will then take part in the Take a Stand activity where they will be read a fact about and
Canada’s justice system or be told a situation and they will either need to “agree” or Interdepe
“disagree” with the situation ndence
- Students will briefly explain why they have chosen the position they embody and begin to
explore their views on Canadian injustice
2 - Students will be separated into home groups; each group member will read an article Thinking http://www.t
Think Pair exemplifying a situation where the media has distorted or mistreated a Canadian Indigenous hemanitoban
Share of person in the justice system Literacies .com/2013/0
Articles (Major - Students will then return to their home groups and explain the article, and the injustice against 8/canadian-
Assignments the person justice-
Introduction) - Students will then be introduced to the three major assignments (blogs, battle of the poets system-
and current events presentation) to be completed within the unit as well as the be given their failing-
major text, The Ballad of Danny Wolfe aboriginal-
people/1582
2/

http://www.j
ustice.gc.ca/
eng/rp-
pr/jr/jf-
pf/2017/jan0
2.html

https://www.
theglobeand
mail.com/opi
nion/tina-
fontaines-
story-shows-
there-is-no-
real-justice-
for-
indigenous-
people-in-
canada/articl
e38086537/

https://www.
utoronto.ca/
news/how-
canadian-
legal-system-
fails-
 indigenous-
people-
colten-
boushie-u-t-
expert

http://www.c
bc.ca/news/c
anada/thund
er-
bay/justice-
system-
failing-first-
nations-
report-finds-
1.1321866
3 - Students will be shown background information on The Ballad of Danny Wolfe Literacies The Ballad of
Ballad of Danny - The instructor will then read to the class the first 2 chapters of the novel Danny Wolfe
Wolfe Intro & - A class discussion will be held surrounding Canadian street gangs and their relation to – Joe Friesen
Blog Creation stereotypes, patterns and the criminal justice system
(exit slip) - Students will then have class time to create their blog websites (a computer room or phones
both acceptable)
- The exit slip for this class will be to write 2 questions they have about the novel or unit so far
- Chapters will be assigned for homework
4 Group Battle of - Students will be separated into groups and given the poetry text Strength and Struggle Literacies Strength and
the Poets - Each group will be challenged to find a poem within the novel that they Struggle:
believe is relatable to the unit or depicts a relevant issue in relation to the Thinking Perspectives
from First
unit
Identity Nations,
- The group will then need to co-create a short essay explaining their choice Inuit, and
and
and justifying the connection to the unit (not due at end of class) Métis
Interdepe
Revision: ndence Peoples in
Rather than submit a group essay to fulfill this portion of the unit. Students will Canada
engage in a Socratic seminar within those groups and answer broad, open-
ended questions that pertain to the poems overall. This will allow for verbal
communication and expression to take precedence over essay writing skill.
Students will be expected to communicate valid statements, have deep,
meaningful conversation regarding the poem chosen and be able to support
their choice with examples and explanation of how it connects to the overall
unit or displays a relevant, related issue.

5 - Teacher will continue reading The Ballad of Danny Wolfe Literacies The Ballad of
Ballad of Danny - Teacher will then read a section from “Indians Wear Red”: Colonialism, Resistance and Danny Wolfe
Wolfe Reading Aboriginal Street Gangs Thinking – Joe Friesen
& Blog Post - Students will then have a work period giving them time to respond to a prompt on their blog
(exit slip) sites, complete an exit slip and work in Battle of the Poets groups on short essay Identity “Indians
 - Chapters will be assigned for homework and Wear Red”:
Interdepe Colonialism,
ndence Resistance
and
Social Aboriginal
Responsib Street Gangs
ility
6 - Students will explore how the Canadian justice system has evolved (or struggled to evolve) Social Justice in
Timeline over time responsibi Aboriginal
Activity - They will compare traditional justice strategies with current justice systems using Ross Green’s lity Communities
Justice in Aboriginal Communities – Ross Green
- Students will then co-create a timeline with the teacher depicting the changes that have been Literacies
made and the changes that need to be made
- Students will explore the history of Canada’s justice system, the history of Aboriginal Thinking
justice system and predict or make educated suggestions towards the integration of 2 systems
to create balance and equality
7 - Teacher will continue reading The Ballad of Danny Wolfe Literacies The Ballad of
Ballad of Danny - Teacher will then read a section from “Indians Wear Red”: Colonialism, Resistance and Danny Wolfe
Wolfe Reading Aboriginal Street Gangs Thinking – Joe Friesen
& Blog Post - Students will have a work period to complete a blog post, respond to an exit slip and work in
(exit slip) Battle of the Poets groups on short essay Social “Indians
- Chapters will be assigned for homework Responsib Wear Red”:
ility Colonialism,
Resistance
Identity and
and Aboriginal
Interdepe Street Gangs
ndence
8 - In this lesson students will research alternative justice methods that have been used Thinking Justice in
Alternative traditionally or are alternatives to the current practice Aboriginal
Justice Addition: Social Communities
(exit slip) This lesson will also involve an interactive chart. Instructor will draw a cyclical diagram on the Responsib – Ross Green
board that is segregated into 4 pieces: Spiritual Wisdom, Human and Nature Relationship, ility
Community Relationship and Respect of Elders. As research is being done by the students to find Cases to be
commonly used justice methods, sticky notes will be utilized to place these methods on the examined
diagram in the category that best suits the methods nature. This diagram will contribute to the
class discussion and give students a stronger grasp on Indigenous worldview.
- As a class, we will examine 2-3 (depending on class discussion) cases where alternative action
should have been taken and determine a more culturally acceptable way of bringing justice
- A prompted exit slip will be completed at the completion of this lesson
9 Ballad of Danny - Teacher will finish reading text to the class Literacies The Ballad of
Wolfe Finish & - Teacher will read section from “Indians Wear Red”: Colonialism, Resistance and Aboriginal Danny Wolfe
Blog Post Street Gangs Social – Joe Friesen
(exit slip) - Students will have class time to respond on blog as well as complete an exit slip Responsib
- Battle of the Poets short essay will be handed in at this time ility “Indians
*Battle of the Wear Red”:
Poets Essay
 Due Colonialism,
Resistance
and
Aboriginal
Street Gangs
10 - During this period students will get a detailed explanation of what is expected of the final Literacies
Current Events performance task
Project Co- - Students and teacher will also co create the checklist the students will be using for their Social
Created assignment (not marked) Responsib
Checklist and - Students will have this time to research a topic and get feedback and questions answered from ility
Research the instructor
Period Identity
and
Interdepe
ndence
11 - This will be work period for students to work on their final performance task as well as finish Literacies
Work Period up other work they may not have completed throughout the unit
- By the end of this period students will need to have submitted their topic to the instructor and Social
have communicated a draft plan for presentation Responsib
ility

Identity
and
Interdepe
ndence
12 - This will be the final work period for students to get feedback on their assignments Literacies
Work Period
Social
Responsib
ility

Identity
and
Interdepe
ndence
13 Presentations Time allotted for presentations to be done Identity
and
Interdepe
ndence
14 Presentations Time allotted for second round of presentations to be done Identity
and
Interdepe
ndence
15 Presentations Time allotted for third round of presentation to be done Identity
and
Interdepe
ndence
16

17

18

19

20

Assess and Reflect (Stage 4)

Considerations
Required Areas of Study:
Is there alignment between outcomes, performance
assessment and learning experiences?
Comments
The learning experiences throughout this unit relate directly to a number of different
outcomes that are required as per the Saskatchewan Curriculum Guide for grade 11
English Language Arts. Specifically, this unit focuses on FNIM content which is a key
component of the Saskatchewan Curriculum. The learning experiences provide students
with knowledge about their justice system while focusing entirely on FNIM content. It also
meets various reading and writing outcomes that are stated in the curriculum. The
performance assessment components of this unit are differentiated so that all students are
provided with the opportunity to succeed. These assessments are adequate, and provide
students with the opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of different
ways. Overall, there is strong alignment between outcomes, performance assessment and
learning experiences.
Adaptive Dimension:
Have I made purposeful adjustments to the curriculum
content (not outcomes), instructional practices, and/or
the learning environment to meet the learning needs and
diversities of all my students?
Instructional Approaches:
Do I use a variety of teacher directed and student
centered instructional approaches?
Resource Based Learning:
Do the students have access to various resources on an
For struggling students:
- a spoken blog vs. a written; students who have trouble transferring thoughts to
word can record their spoken thoughts in order to complete their blog writing
assignment
- for students who need a quiet workplace to avoid distraction, alternative places in
the school (library, resource room, empty classroom, etc) will be booked for all
work periods
- for each specific activity, adaptive measures will be outlined in lesson plans
For students who need a challenge:
- Additional worksheets, reading and activities can be found for students who
regularly finish their work early in order to keep them engaged and prevent them
from working on alternative subjects
- The final project can be adapted for students with gifts or talents to include a
written component that requires additional research and outside sources to
increase the difficulty and level of comprehension
- students who need a challenge can be utilized throughout the unit as guides for
struggling students, they can create new ways for their classmates to understand
content and be of assistance to the educator when alternative measures are not
enough
The six strands of communication are effectively displayed throughout this unit. Teacher
directed and student-centered approaches are used in multiple ways throughout the lesson
activities. All learning preferences are utilized and give students ample opportunity to
demonstrate their personal growth and learning.
Students have access to resources throughout the unit, both that they will have their own
copy of and two that the instructor will own for further inquiry or use by the students
ongoing basis? during any class time. Students will also be encouraged to use mobile devices to locate
additional information that will help them or their classmates understand concepts or find
resources. The student’s blog website will also be an ongoing resource for the students, as
the instructor will post feedback for deeper understanding and consistent, personalized
growth throughout the unit.

FNM/I Content and Perspectives/Gender

Equity/Multicultural Education: This unit nurtures diversity while including a specific focus on FNIM content. Students are
Have I nurtured and promoted diversity while honoring also given the opportunity to showcase their own culture and identity in the final project, if
each child’s identity? chosen, which promotes diversity and acceptance in the classroom environment. Overall,
this unit is effective in its ability to explore FNIM content, while also incorporating aspects
of each student’s personal identity.

From: Wiggins, Grant and J. McTighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, ISBN # 0-87120-313-8 (pbk)