How do I select appropriate goals
for the unit?
There are several ways this can be done. One way is to take the chapters of the text(s) that make up your unit. Notice that each chapter will be divided by major subheadings. Focus on the first subheading. Read the material under it. Ask: What is the major thing I want the students to learn from this first section? (Note: there may be more than one major thing.) Write your answer as a broad objective. It becomes your first goal. Repeat the process for the remaining major subheadings.
How many goals should there be in
a unit?
There is no set answer to this question. Since the instructional objectives will be developed from the goals, one way to determine an adequate number is to consider the following: If one has a two-week unit plan and averaged covering three objectives a day, that would result in a unit plan with 30 objectives (10 days X 3 objectives per day). That means one would need enough goals from which 30 objectives could be created.
How do you create objectives from
goals?
Here’s an illustration. Let’s say that this is your first goal: The students will compare/contrast the economies of the North and South prior to the Civil War. Ask yourself, what objectives could be derived from this goal, or, what specific things would students need to know in order to master the goal?
Objectives that could be derived from that goal might be:
How do I select instructional
procedures for the unit?
Take each goal, one at a time, and ask: What are the major things I will do to teach this goal? Major things would include reading an outside book, a role play, debate, inquiry lesson, Socratic seminar, project work, etc. List these strategies in the same manner you write instructional procedures for a lesson plan. The difference is that in the unit plan, you are matching the instruction with the goals instead of the objectives. (Note: the minor things you will do to teach the goals would be included in the lesson plan, but not the unit plan).
During student teaching I am asked to discuss how the following impacted my unit preparation: geographic location of the school, the nature of the student population (gender, race, SES breakdown, etc.). How do I answer these questions?
Let’s use the Civil War example above. Close to half of your student population will be females. Do any of your goals and objectives address the role of women in the Civil War or do they focus exclusively on males? If the location of the school is near Civil War sites, are those resources utilized?
In other words, one takes each factor (location, race, gender, number of special needs students, etc.) and writes a brief description of how the development of the unit was influenced by that feature. Maybe it shows up in the selection of goals and objectives, or the types of instructional strategies selected, or the materials that will be used.