Unit Plans: Caution...Conflict Ahead!!!!!

I try to incorporate as many social skills as possible into every unit. I would like to impliment a unit plan that would center around the idea of conflict resolution.

Essential Question: How does conflict impact your life?
Unit Questions:
What conflicts have changed the world?


Content Questions: In the novel The Outsiders, what are the major conflicts?

Opportunities for Deeper Thinking Using Projects

Projects are a great way to enhance deeper thinking in my classroom. Most of my students are hands-on learners. Projects all members to be actively engaged in the learning. For example, to ask students to describe the setting in the form of a discussion question will usually result in frustation for some of my students. However, when I ask my students to create a scene from a novel replicating the setting, the students seem to be more interested and try harder in general. Projects also generate peer discussions that reinforce the standard. As the students creatye the diorama, they are usually talking to one another about thier ideas. This leads to students "piggybacking" ideas. The students also seem to take ownership of the learning.

Target Thinking Skills for My Classroom

The thinking skills that need to be targeted in my classroom center around the weaknesses demonstrated most frequently. I also chose the thinking skills that I felt would help my students relate and function successfully in real world situations. For example, many of the students in my class for students with emotional disabilities are very impulsive. Managing this impulsiveness would have a direct positive effect on their classroom experiences. Organizing and analyzing information are also essential skills. Examining meta cognition can serve as a platform to teach decision making skills and responsible risk taking behaviors. Finding humor is also important to my classroom so that students feel that creating and learning can be positive.