Unit vs Lesson

How are lesson and unit plans the same or different?

Unit plans teach an entire subject based on a standard. They accomplish a larger goal and can be inter-disciplinary, incorporating different subjects to accomplish a common goal. A unit plan on native peoples of New York can incorporate ELA standards in reading diary entries, social studies when you learn about how native people lived before European contact, science and engineering to recreate ancient technologies.

Lesson plans are the lessons contains within the unit. They both accomplish the goal of teaching the material, but lessons contain short term goals.

A unit plan contains 3-5 lessons that have a cohesive goal. It is important to maintain this goal because it allows students to anticipate what is next and frame their learning in an organized way.


I created a powtoon to explain what a unit plan is and how to create one.

Assessment in science: an art

It can be difficult to assess student learning during an inquiry lesson. How do you determine a student has learned if their path will not result in a static, answerable series of questions? However you approach this issue, assessment is a necessary evil, a driving force of modern classrooms.

I personally like the phrase assessment for learning because it implies a work in progress. Inquiry lessons are not neatly packaged lessons that have definitive answers, as and science. Assessing your students for future learning is a vital resource for an educator to anticipate what learning is needed next.


Here is a slide I made for class on student's self reflections.

I made sure to animate this one

Next, I was tasked with reviewing a PowerPoint and jot down some ideas about assessment. I really liked this slide because it broke down the things that can be assessed in a classroom. These are things I have seen before but have been unable to put a name to. I feel as though so much emphasis is placed on the first category while ignoring the other two. The first category is testable, and graph-able, while the other two are indicators of a student's disposition. They are not easy to quantify. 

This slide showed the difference between three types of assessment, and the next slide gave examples of all three types.

These three types are used to inform the next type. Assessment is not linear, it is a cycle. 

3rd class

I know what you are saying. Third class? Doe, where's class two?

It's not here. I did not write it.

In between class 1, and class 3, I was a nervous wreck working on an assignment I did not fully understand. My previous two posts detail some of those assignments and the work I put in to complete them. That being said, man, am I an expert at the scientific method. I am an INQUIRY MASTER, a 5E aficionado, of sorts. 

Turns out, this was flipped learning. Trial by fire. 

At the beginning of class 3, we all presented our business pitches from the scientific method project and hooooo boy did I feel like I bombed. 

Fortunately, the group of people in my class are kind, gentle souls. It's hard to stand in front of your peers and they know that as well as I do. 

Anyway, I presented my poster relatively early in the firing line. I could see how we were using each other to build on our posters. I referred to the colleagues before me to know how my presentation should go. I felt like I had missed so much detail that every one else after me had included in theirs because they also used mine to expand upon their ideas. I can see this as being a helpful part of a learning environment, but I just wish I had the chance to add more to mine.

NEXT we presented our quizlet. We had some technical difficulties relating to the site. Moving forward, I would have students play quizlet individually, and kahoot collaboratively. All's well that ends well...

FINALLY, we presented on the methods of inquiry with my slides. It did not....go smoothly. Truly it was fine that my slides were incomplete and not properly formatted. I came to class with them, I was prepared to take criticism.

In the week to come, I think I will have a better handle on the material. I will also have a set of expectations that I can use to further the weeks learning. Some things became more clear and the work load seems more manageable and understandable. I will take suggestions to heart and improve on the areas of need. 

Doe, signing off. Look for me in the woods waiting for the leaves to change and trying to find my center. 

No really, where is fall?