Model Unit Plan

The first unit plan. I imagine 30 years from now, I may think back and try to remember what the first unit plan I wrote was and how it turned out. I am hoping at the age of 52 I would have mastered the art of writing unit plans. So for my 52 year old self I am going to document the before, after, and future of my first unit plan.

Basic Information:
Unit: Welding Orientation and Safety
Class Sessions: 15
Length of Sessions: 80 minutes

My thought bubbles before:
- Formatting. I wanted it to possess an easy to read yet creative flare! Who's template can I steal?
- What section do I actually begin with?
- Standards are daunting and will take forever to find! Ugh
- Am I really in charge of deciding the order in which this class is taught? Who said I was ready for this?
- I have to know what materials to put down without writing a lesson plan? Weird.

These were my thoughts and questions before I started to tackle my first unit plan. After completing my unit plan I figured a few things out...

- Formatting. I wanted it to possess an easy to read yet creative flare! Who's template can I steal?
Combine a variety of different people's templates to make my own hybrid unit plan template. There is no "right" template. 
- What section do I actually begin with?
Start with the end in mind...assessments
- Standards are daunting and will take forever to find! Ugh
Wrong, "Control F" is your best friend
- Am I really in charge of deciding the order in which this class is taught? Who said I was ready for this?
You do not learn until you do, so dive on in!
- I have to know what materials to put down without writing a lesson plan? Weird.
Not weird, normal. PLAN PLAN PLAN! Being prepared for every detail is normal and necessary for success. 

All of my initial concerns and thoughts were addressed through simply completing my unit plan. The unknown became known and the " I do not know why I need to include this?" made sense after simply trying. Let me assure you I am no where near a master unit plan writer but my first go around was not a complete flop.

I was fortunate enough to have two peers review and critique my unit plan and they both did such a great job! They shared with me to review the rubric for minor details, such as using APA for my citations as well as be mindful of the number of references or objectives I need to include for each lesson. The major critique
was on my objectives. Remembering to include all 3 components of an objective, condition, criteria, and behavior is where I fell short. My objective criteria especially need to be checked to ensure what I was asking students to do was reasonably measurable and/or attainable. The positive feedback I received was that my unit plan format was easy to read and view and my materials list was detailed and complete.

So why blog about this?
This is the first foundational block and learning experience in my unit planning journey. To be able to reread this blog post after completing my first student teaching experience will be insightful because at that point I will have laid many more blocks of my foundation. Also, I would have had to use this unit plan and I will see just how successful it was.