I came across some cartoons that show different views on education. These cartoons are great examples of what we DON'T want a unit to look like and I use them as inspiration, along with our readings, to explain what a STEMS^2 unit should look like.
Designed with a purpose and organized using instructional scaffolding strategies. The unit is made to use immediately in the classroom. A unit should incorporate students' cultural funds of knowledge and provide multiple perspectives.
Flexible enough to evolve with the learning styles and needs of each student because there are multiple ways of learning.
All aspects of STEMS^2, including the arts, should be present and integrated in every lesson (content areas should never be separated). Other aspects of a unit that should be considered:
Target audience will greatly impact each unit. How often will you see the class? What's the size of your class? How long is each class? What grade-level? Is your unit for a content specific class? Based off of Glatthorn's The Nature of Curriculum, a unit tends to last about one to three weeks. Lessons are subsets of units that tend to last from about 20-60 minutes. When I develop lessons, my ideal time for a lesson would be about 45 minutes.
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Kaai - I absolutely loved the comic representations and how you were able to articulate perfectly what we need to do to make our students get the most out of what we teach. As I read through your thoughts, I agreed and kept saying I need to do exactly what you are saying. This year being in a new school, trying to accomplish our STEMS assignments, while sharing them with my team and students has definitely been an uphill battle. I am constantly thinking about how rewarding our time together on the Big Island as a cohort lit a fire under me and I keep thinking how grateful I am that all of you are doing this along side me.
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Ka'ai
10/27/2015 02:31:00 am
Charisse, I'm so glad you loved the comics! I was a little worried it could get confusing.
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AuthorKumu Kaʻai previously taught at Kānehūnāmoku Voyaging Academy and Hawaiian Studies at Wilson Elementary School to K-5 students. Archives
March 2017
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