Final+Unit+Assignment

Unit Requirements **__EDG 680__**
 * __Fall 2009__**
 * __Overview__**: One of the most difficult parts of beginning the profession of teaching English is having the organization and materials necessary to be effective within your classroom. My objective, then, in assigning this is to give you an opportunity to begin or continue collecting and organizing some “stuff” to get you going when you start teaching.


 * __Requirements__**

Your unit must revolve around some piece of literature. This can include a novel, play, collection of short stories, poems, or combination of them all. It must contain the following documents:

4. A syllabus or schedule of tasks both in and out of class. 5. A collection of actual assignments (should include some kind of convention lesson). This can be written in lesson plan form or as assignment sheets. Remember that lessons don’t have to begin and end during one class period. They could stretch over two or three class periods. 6. A cover sheet that includes the rationale for studying this piece of literature, objectives of your unit, and state standards the unit meets. 7. An incorporation of some form of technology (wiki, blog, skype, etc). While I understand that access could be an issue for you and your students, let’s dream big with this unit. You never know. Plus, many of these things are available free online, so all everyone needs is web access.
 * 1) A revised parent letter or letter of introduction
 * 2) An essay assignment sheet and rubric for assessing.
 * 3) An alternative method of assessment (could be a test, project, or other creative idea you construct) and rubric for assessing.
 * Note: Depending upon the type of test you give, a rubric may not be necessary


 * I would like everything to reflect your personality and style, so while you can certainly “steal” ideas from others, as well as myself, please make the appropriate adjustments to make the assignments, rubrics, etc. your own.


 * __Criteria for Success__**
 * __Excellent__**

An excellent unit possesses thoughtful and clearly articulated objectives, creative and engaging assignments, and is organized in an effective manner for future reference/adjustments. In addition, it is complete, successfully meeting all requirements. In general, all the assignments, lesson plans, and assessments in this portfolio are truly driven by clear objectives stemming from the state standards.


 * __Good__**

This unit will possess similar qualities that an excellent unit possesses: it has thoughtful objectives, creative assignments, and is effectively organized. In addition, it meets all requirements. However, it may not demonstrate the kind of thought, creativity, and/or organization found in an excellent unit. This may include, but is not limited to the following: some objectives may not be articulated clearly enough, some assignments may not clearly fit into meeting objectives, and the essay assignment and/or assessments may not directly assess the students’ abilities to meet the objectives. In other words—this is strong unit, that doesn’t quite meet everything necessary for an excellent rating.


 * __Competent__**

This unit certainly meets all the requirements, but it lacks the kind of creativity, engagement, and organization necessary for a higher rating. In addition, the unit may use objectives and state standards ambiguously, demonstrating some uncertainty regarding exactly why the students are studying the selected text, as well as what they will learn from the unit. Finally, the assessments and/or essay assignments may not clearly relate to objectives of the unit. In short—this unit is a decent start, but will need some significant work as the student moves into the teaching profession.