Unit Plan Project Requirements

PHY 312 -- Physics Teaching from the Historical Perspective (Inquiry!)

Physics Teacher Education Program
Illinois State University

One of the major goals of Physics 312 is to provide you the opportunity to integrate your knowledge of physics, physics/science education research, educational psychology, and pedagogy. Creating a unit plan will give you the opportunity to think about and synthesize all you know about teaching, students, and a particular area of physics. The end in view is to create something that will be useful not only to you, but to your classmates, future physics education majors, and physics teachers globally. Your unit plan will be, in part, a compilation of broad educational goals, specific objectives, subject matter, instructional activities and resources, and appropriate evaluation instruments, all of which are associated with a central theme, topic, or issue.

A major advantage of writing a unit plan now is that planning will take place when you have the time and energy to construct realistic and balanced goals, to sort through a maze of resources to select and include the most appropriate activities, to plan for a wide range of educational activities, to create both alternative and authentic assessment instruments, and to see how this all fits into a pre-determined schedule. Chances are such that this opportunity will not present itself once you begin student teaching.

As you develop your unit plan, you'll want to regularly consult the Unit Plan Scoring Rubric. Please not the a Lesson Plan Scoring Rubric also is available for review.

RESOURCES

Work with your cooperating teacher to identify suitable topics for each of your unit plan. The unit plan should focus on a topic you will teach second and third during your student teacher practicum. Read background for your topic by referencing each of the following works as necessary:

• Arons, A. B. (1997). Teaching Introductory Physics. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Cunningham, J. & Herr, N. (1994). Hands-On Physics Activities with Real-Life Applications. The Center for Applied Research in Education.
• Knight, R.D. (2004). Five Easy Lessons. San Francisco: Addison Wesley.
• Mader, J. & Winn, M. (2008). Teaching Physics for the First Time. American Association of Physics Teachers: Product Code WSP - 15
• Swartz, C. E. & Miner, T. (1998). Teaching Introductory Physics: A Sourcebook. New York: Springer-Verlag.

All of these books can be borrowed as necessary from your course instructor.

UNIT PLAN PROJECT

In this project you will develop a unit plan including two associated and sequential inquiry-oriented lessons. This project will require you to meet with your cooperating teacher to develop an understanding of the school curriculum, student needs, and teaching resources for your unit. As you develop the unit and lesson plans, be certain to take advantage of the various materials you have developed as part of Student Teacher Effectiveness Reporting System (STERS).

Your unit plan and lessons should be prepared in strict compliance with the guidelines below. Appropriately number and label each section of your unit plan and lesson plans as indicated in the corresponding guidelines. As you develop your unit and lesson plans, be certain to regularly submit them to your course instructor for formative evaluation and corrective feedback. In addition, you should frequently refer to the Unit Plan and Lesson Plan scoring rubrics used to assess this project.

Before you begin detailing your unit and lesson plans, think carefully about how you expect them to satisfy the following NSTA Standards:

• Addresses the relevant major concepts, principles, theories, laws, and interrelationships of their fields of licensure and supporting fields as recommended by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA Standard 1a).
• Examines the unifying concepts of science delineated by the National Science Education Standards (NSTA Standard 1b).
• Addresses important personal and technological applications of science in this area (NSTA Standard 1c).
• Addresses the historical and cultural development of science and the evolution of knowledge in this area (NSTA Standard 2a).
• Examines the philosophical tenets, assumptions, goals, and values that distinguish science from technology and from other ways of knowing the world (NSTA Standard 2b).
• Engages students successfully in studies of the nature of science including, when possible, the critical analysis of false or doubtful assertions made in the name of science (NSTA Standard 2c).
• Understands the processes, tenets, and assumptions of multiple methods of inquiry leading to scientific knowledge. (NSTA Standard 3a)
• Engages students successfully in developmentally appropriate inquiries that require them to develop concepts and relationships from their observations, data, and inferences in a scientific manner (NSTA Standard 3b).
• Addresses socially important issues related to science and technology in this area, as well as processes used to analyze and make decisions on such issues (NSTA Standard 4a).
• Engages students successfully in the analysis of problems, including considerations of risks, costs, and benefits of alternative solutions; relating these to the knowledge, goals and values of the students (NSTA Standard 4b)
• Vary their teaching actions, strategies, and methods to promote the development of multiple student skills and levels of understanding (NSTA Standard 5a)
• Successfully promote the learning of science by students with different abilities, needs, interests, and backgrounds (NSTA Standard 5b)
• Successfully organize and engage students in collaborative learning using different student group learning strategies (NSTA Standard 5c)
• Successfully use technological tools, including but not limited to computer technology, to access resources, collect and process data, and facilitate the learning of science (NSTA Standard 5d)
• Understand and build effectively upon the prior beliefs, knowledge, experiences, and interests of students (NSTA Standard 5e)
• Understand the curricular recommendations of the National Science Education Standards, and can identify, access, and/or create resources and activities for science education that are consistent with the standards (NSTA Standard 6a)
• Plan and implement internally consistent units of study that address the diverse goals of the National Science Education Standards and the needs and abilities of students (NSTA Standard 6b)
• Identifies ways to relate science to the community, involve stakeholders, and use community resources to promote the learning of science (NSTA Standard 7a).
• Involves students successfully in activities that relate science to resources and stakeholders in the community or to the resolution of issues important to the community (NSTA Standard 7b).
• Use multiple assessment tools and strategies to achieve important goals for instruction that are aligned with methods of instruction and the needs of students (NSTA Standard 8a)
• Use the results of multiple assessments to guide and modify instruction, the classroom environment, or the assessment process (NSTA Standard 8b)
• Use the results of assessments as vehicles for students to analyze their own learning, engaging students in reflective self-analysis of their own work (NSTA Standard 8c)
• Understand the legal and ethical responsibilities of science teachers for the welfare of their students, the proper treatment of animals, and the maintenance and disposal of material (NSTA Standard 9a)

Unit Plan Requirements

I. Overview (2 points)

A. Give the title of your unit (e.g., kinematics, dynamics, energy, momentum, electrostatics, magnetism, optics, etc.)
B. Indicate how your unit fits into the overall course.
C. Give a short summary of the major content your unit plan will address.
D. Explain briefly improvements in intellectual process skills (scientific, critical, and reflective thinking) that you expect your students to exhibit at the conclusion of your unit.
E. Explain briefly the improvements in scientific dispositions that you expect your students to exhibit at the conclusion of this unit and state how you could assess it.

II. Rationale (2 points)

A. Note and characterize the student population in your course.
B. Describe the presence of any students in your class(es) with different learning abilities, needs, interests, and backgrounds.
C. Explain how this unit fits the abilities, needs, interests, and backgrounds of all students in your class(es).
D. Explain how your unit addresses the general needs of society.
E. Explain how your unit addresses the needs of the science professions.

III. Materials/Technology/Resources (2 points)

A. List all demonstration equipment available to you in your school for teaching this unit.
B. List all laboratory equipment/activities you have available in your school for teaching this unit.
C. List all computer simulations as well as hardware and software available in your school for teaching this unit.

IV. Content Outline (6 points)

Create an outline, including sub points, of the key subject matter you will address during this unit. For instance, the key topic energy is conserved might have the following sub points: energy before = energy after, energy = (1/2)mv**2, and so on.

V. Student Performance Objectives (3 points)

Prepare and give not less than five specific student performance objectives associated with the overall aims of science education and general goals of your course. Be certain that all performances are observable and directly testable (e.g., do not use the words “will understand” or “will be able to”).

VI. Alternative Conceptions (3 points)

A. List the alternative conceptions and other learning difficulties students have with the subject matter of your unit.
B. Be certain to reference any sources used - you should not be the source of these alternative conceptions.

VII. Inquiry-Oriented Activities (2 points)

Explain generally how you will engage your students regularly and effectively in science inquiry and facilitate understanding of the role inquiry plays in the development of scientific knowledge associated with your unit. Note that specific details are requested in section IX.

VIII. Assessments (2 points)

Explain generally how you will conduct assessments in this unit. Address the following points. Note that specific details are requested in section IX.

A. Identify not less than three different formal assessment types (including at least one formative and one summative) that you will include to assess content knowledge in your instructional practice for this unit.
B. Explain how you will use the results of these assessments to guide and modify your instruction.
C. Explain how you might evaluate the social, personal, and scientific dispositions of your students.

IX. Internal Alignments (6 points)

It is imperative that your (1) student performance objectives, (2) inquiry-oriented in-class or homework activities, and (3) student performance assessments. Provide a day-by-day description of the subject matter and activities, including any summative assessments. CAUTION: When describing assessments in this section, do not simply use the terms worksheet, quiz, or test. You need to explain what sort of observable student performance you will assess. Create a three-column table in which you provide these elements, being certain to include not less than five student performance objectives. Be certain to vary your teaching actions, strategies, and methods to promote the development of multiple student skills and levels of understanding.

X. Metacognitive Practices (2 points)

State the type and frequency of metacognitive practices that you will use with your students to help them self-assess and regulate their behaviors in such a way as to improve learning.

XI. History and Nature of Science (2 points)

Explain how you will engage students in activities to define the values, beliefs and assumptions inherent in the creation of scientific knowledge within the scientific community, and contrast science with other ways of knowing. Keep in mind the NOS Resource Cards you developed in PHY 310.

XII. Context of Science (2 points)

Explain briefly how you will relate science to the daily lives and interests of students and to a larger framework of human endeavor and understanding. Give specific examples.

XIII. Social Context (1 points)

Explain how you might relate science to the community and how you might use human and institutional resources in the community to advance the education of your students in science.

XIV. Unifying Concepts (2 points)

Explain how you will address the need to teach the unifying concepts of science. Give one or more specific examples, and explain where you will teaching these concepts within the context of course content.

XV. Alignment with State Standards (2 points)

State which and to what degree the Illinois Learning Standards are addressed in your unit, including the Applications for Learning. This includes in addition only goals 11, 12, and 13.

XVI. Legal, Safety, and Ethical Considerations (2 points)

List all safety concerns associated with teaching this unit plan, and state how these concerns will be addressed in both legal and ethical fashions. Be certain to reference any sources used.

Sample Lesson Plans (see guidelines elsewhere)

Given your cooperative learning experiences with Lesson Study in PHY 311, you should now be able to independently developed inquiry-oriented instructional activities based on your unit plan topic as well as your knowledge of levels of inquiry and the associated learning sequences. Develop two sequential inquiry-oriented lesson plans that include a variety of instructional approaches. Be certain to include the following components as a minimum. See the Lesson Plan Scoring Rubric for detailed requirements:

A. Guiding Question(s)
B. Student Performance Objective(s)
C. Science Content and Standards
D. Alternative Conceptions
E. Instructional Approach(es)
F. Introduction
G. Instructional Activities including Accommodations
H. Checking for Understanding
I. Extensions/Homework
J. Materials and Safety
K. Backup Plan