Off we GO! Let the Adventure Begin!  

                                                                                                                                                                    Next: Subject Matter Outline

Start with UP Title & I.  1. Cover Page 

Now the real planning begins! The design of the unit of study begins with the establishment of the major focus. It is the foundation for the rest of the unit and provides the focus from which the instruction is planned and delivered. The major focus identifies what students are to know and be able to do at the completion of the unit of study, and establishes the context for the learning. It consists of three components that work together -- the title/overview, targeted standards, and essential questions.                

Overview & Rationale

An overview is used to describe the chosen theme for the unit plan (the WHAT of the UP. It describes the scope of the content the unit plan will cover and what concepts it will introduce and what skills, understandings, values it will develop. The Rationale explains the reason of the choice of the theme (the WHY of the UP). You should prove the appropriateness of the choice to the students' age/specific grade level and the relativeness to their real-life, experiences, needs and interests.

Length: up to a half or 1  pages. If you are in BizWorld Foundation projects, use this BizWorld Foundation and the BizWorld Blog sites for your outlining the Overview/rationale sections.

There are different ways how to write the rationale. The rationale is designed to summarize the importance of the theme chosen, it explains what prior knowledge, prerequisite skills and experiences are required for an effective study of its topics, shows the essential concepts that build understanding of the theme; what subjects will be incorporated in the unit and what standard areas they will address; it states what culminating project of the Unit will be like, and how it will engage different domains, modalities, intelligences and levels of cognition.

Finish the rationale with the formulation of the essential question/questions that will guide and challenge students’ learning and motivate them for the upcoming Unit of study. More on essential questions (see the menu & p. 31 and more)

Samples of Social Studies Unit plans - see: Overview and Rationale

Overview samples (recommended to follow when brainstorming ideas for the overview of your UP!)

Study the criteria outlined in the MSMC Unit Plan Rubric:. (Tip: click on the link and on the next page hit "Download" on the top of the pack)