ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

The purpose of this study is to provide students with the opportunity to explore what has made them the individuals that they have become today. Throughout this self-exploration, students will gain an increased respect of themselves and others. Throughout the several years during which I have worked as a school counselor, I have learned that as students reach the upper elementary grades, they are going through many personal, social, emotional, and academic changes. It is essential that students are able to identify their attributes, interests, talents, needs, and goals for the future. Learning about themselves and their similarities and differences from others will lead to a greater respect and tolerance of differences. When students have not achieved self-awareness, they are negatively influenced by their peers, often leading to problems such as substance abuse, bullying, social/emotional issues. The North Dakota School Counselors Association has recently proposed the North Dakota School Counselors Curriculum Framework. This framework includes three domains, one of them being the Personal/Social Domain. In the Personal/Social Domain, there are three standards that students must meet. The standards that this unit will address are outlined specifically within Assignment 2. Our school is also in its third year of our school improvement plan; one of our school improvement goals is respect. This unit will become part of our school improvement plan, particularly at the 4-6 grade levels. The purpose of this study is to provide students with the opportunity to explore what has made them the individuals that they have become today. Throughout this self-exploration, students will gain an increased respect of themselves and others. Throughout the several years during which I have worked as a school counselor, I have learned that as students reach the upper elementary grades, they are going through many personal, social, emotional, and academic changes. It is essential that students are able to identify their attributes, interests, talents, needs, and goals for the future. Learning about themselves and their similarities and differences from others will lead to a greater respect and tolerance of differences. When students have not achieved self-awareness, they are negatively influenced by their peers, often leading to problems such as substance abuse, bullying, social/emotional issues. The North Dakota School Counselors Association has recently proposed the North Dakota School Counselors Curriculum Framework. This framework includes three domains, one of them being the Personal/Social Domain. In the Personal/Social Domain, there are three standards that students must meet. The standards that this unit will address are outlined specifically within Assignment 2. Our school is also in its third year of our school improvement plan; one of our school improvement goals is respect. This unit will become part of our school improvement plan, particularly at the 4-6 grade levels.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: 1. I want my students to believe that they are unique individuals, that they are different from everybody else.  2. I want them to embrace the diversity among them and appreciate the many ways that they are different from their peers. 3. I hope the knowledge they gain leads to a greater tolerance and acceptance of those from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Goal(s): 1. Students will learn how they have become the people they are today.  2. Students will understand how their cultural backgrounds affect their lives and respect those who are different from them.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. What makes you the person that you are today? (What makes you “you”?)  2. What are some of your strengths? Weaknesses?  3. In which ways are you similar/different from other students your age?  4. Why are you special?
Objectives: 1. Given a timeline exercise, students will identify high and low points in their lives from birth to present upon successful completion of timeline exercise.  2. In creating “Being Me” books, students will show how their family and friends affect who they are with 90% accuracy upon completion of book as reflected on the “Being Me” rubric.  3. Given a journal exercise, students will identify their strengths and weaknesses with 90% accuracy as reflected on the self-reflection journal rubric.  4. Through class discussion, students will use their self awareness to share how they are similar to and different from their peers while actively participating in the discussion. 5. In the school setting, students will demonstrate respect toward others 100% of the time.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding?  No quiz and/or test items will be used.
What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? 1. Open-ended questions will be used. These questions will be related to the students’ self-awareness and provoke a response within them. 2. The questions used will “hook” the students and make them want to learn more about themselves. 3. Examples of open-ended questions that will be used are as follows: “What makes you the person you are today?” “In which ways are you different from/similar to your peers?”

What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? 1. Students will be tolerant of differences among them. 2. They will show respect for all individuals at school, home, and in the community. 3. These students will be role models for the younger students in school by showing respect for others.  4. In the community, the students will advocate for respect of differences (i.e. making posters to promote respect, volunteering in a soup kitchen, holding the door for elderly individuals, etc).

What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect?  1. Students will create personal timelines, “Being Me” books, and posters to promote respect (all of which are outlined in detail in assignment).  2. They will share their “highs” and “lows” through dialogue with their classmates one time each week as facilitated by the school counselor.

Instructional Strategies

During this unit of study, students will be provided with the opportunity to become actively involved in the learning process through the use of inquiry-based learning. They will be given many hands-on tasks to complete independently and cooperatively. The students will be motivated by their own curiosity to seek information and to gain knowledge. Once the students have formulated ideas which they want to explore, the students will become involved in investigating their ideas/questions. Upon completion of the investigation process, the students will share their findings with their peers. Then, the students will apply the knowledge which they have gained to a real-life setting (authentic learning). In this particular unit of study, the students will investigate themselves. They will be given the opportunity to learn why they are the individuals they have become, how family and friends have influenced them, what their strengths and weaknesses are, how they are different from their peers, and why they are special. Upon completion of this process, students will gain a better understanding of why it is important to respect and tolerate differences among them. They will apply the knowledge they have gained at school into their lives within their homes and communities.