Unit Plan Context Reflection 1
Unit Plan Context Reflection
Mitchell Duram
University of Lethbridge
March 4th, 2018
Unit Plan Context Reflection 2
My EDUC 3600 placement is at Cardston Jr. High School. I will be teaching four Grade 6
Social Studies classes about direct democracy using ancient Athens as a case study. This involves
learning about the structure of government, citizen participation, identity, status, and class
structure in ancient Athens, as well as fairness and equity. At the end of my unit, students will be
able to answer the following critical inquiry question: “Is direct democracy the best way to make
decisions?”
I have a unique community, school, and classroom context. Cardston’s population is
largely Mormon. This is reflected in the school’s population – almost 70% of students are
Mormon. Although I have only been in the school for one day, I worry that my students may
have a relatively narrow mindset. My goal is to broaden their understanding of the world without
offending them. I do not think that this will be a major challenge as I am very thoughtful of the
people around me and I have planned my unit accordingly. I will, for example, avoid direct
instruction in my lessons. Instead, I want to facilitate students’ learning and have them discover
the information on their own (I will make sure to model this process and allow students to
practice). My hope is that this will help to promote critical thinking and allow students to come
to their own conclusions. It also gives them agency in their learning and, most importantly,
encourages them to think about opposing viewpoints before they make a judgement. As I said in
my Response to Presentations assignment, students need to be exposed to and work through
difficult issues in order for them to grow as individuals. It is a careful balance between respecting
the beliefs of students and pushing them to broaden their understanding of themselves, others,
and the world around them. Interestingly, my Teacher Associate was quick to warn me that
nudity has been an issue in the past given the prevalence of it in ancient Greek art. As a result,
none of the resources used in this unit contain nudity. I will also ask students to explore ancient
Unit Plan Context Reflection 3
Athenian religion in one of my lessons. I am unsure if this will be a problem, so I have indicated
in my unit plan that I want to discuss it with my Teacher Associate.
Cardston Jr. High School is also located near the Blood Reserve – Indigenous students
make up approximately 30% of the school’s population. My Teacher Associate runs the First
Nations Leadership Club, so I am incredibly excited to learn from her. To prepare for practicum,
I examined my colleagues’ critical inquiry presentations to learn how I can better create an
inclusive classroom environment for my FNMI students. I also want to promote positive attitudes
in all of my students towards reconciliation. Crystal and Kyla’s presentation offered strategies
that I plan to implement in my classroom. I have planned, for example, to give students a
reasonable amount of independence. Moreover, I will strive to present information to students in
a story-like way. This strategy engages all students and improves the experience of Indigenous
students. I will provide a number of opportunities for discussion too. I should also note that the
Accountability Pillar for FNMI students at Cardston Jr. High School indicates a need for more
intensive learning supports. Although this does not directly relate to my unit plan, I recognize
that educators’ efforts in supporting reconciliation are best directed towards supporting their
FNMI students not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. I will therefore be
caring, supportive, and understanding; I will build strong relationships with my students based
on mutual trust.
My unit aims to begin preparing students for the upcoming Provincial Achievement Tests
(PATs) as well. This will be done through regular formative assessments to ensure their
understanding of key concepts, direct instruction on test-taking strategies, and regular quizzes
with questions styled similarly to those on the PATs. My unit’s culminating task also works to
prepare students for the PAT as they will be required to write a newspaper article. The
Unit Plan Context Reflection 4
aforementioned efforts will be in support of one of Cardston Jr. High School’s priorities – the
school has identified PAT results and student achievement as areas upon which to improve
(Cardston Junior High School, 2016).
Cardston Jr. High School has identified an increased use of technology for teaching and
learning as one of its priorities too. The school has iPads, Chromebooks, and laptops for student
use. I feel I have integrated a significant amount of technology into my unit plan and culminating
task. Students will use a variety of technology (e.g. websites, Chromebooks, video recording
devices, editing software, etc.) to participate in learning activities and complete formative and
summative assessments. I will model how to use technologies that they have not used before and
provide students with ample time to gain hands on experience with these new technologies.
Overall, I am incredibly excited to teach at Cardston Jr. High School. I have considered
the community, school, and classroom population as well as the school’s priorities in its Three
Year Plan while planning my unit. As a result, my unit will be more relevant to my students’
needs and, in my opinion, effectively address them. That being said, my unit plan will
undoubtedly change as I learn more about my students personal and academic needs in the
coming weeks. I look forward to the learning and growth that will occur in the next six weeks!
Unit Plan Context Reflection 5
References
Cardston Junior High School. (2016). AERR/Three Year Education Plan 2016-2017. Retrieved
from [Link]