The core of the ELA learning experience breaks down into two hemispheres: improving communicative skills and exploring the world around us. These two inextricable realities can be occurring at the same time, and should be. We explore our environment and we communicate our thoughts on what we see – what conclusions we’ve drawn from our observations. The DNA of this whole experience is inquiry. Without that, the system won’t work. So I start with that. Constructing the wire frame of a lesson or unit is best done in community. I’ve done it on my own and I’ve done it with others. Adding other minds to the process rarely disappoints. For this reason I take great care in fostering collaborative discussions where people feel safe to question and innovate – even admit their blind spots. In the planning phase of any unit, my approach has always been to consider the knowledge and skills that will result from the study. Some will identify this as instructional outcomes – others call call them standards. Either way, planning and preparation is a complex mixture of occupying oneself with the destination and the many roads that will take students there.
Planning Units: A quick thought.
