Program: Instruction and Curriculum: M.A.T.

Course: Theory and practice in teaching mathematics (EMSE 5323)

Or: Theory and practice in teaching science (EMSE 5330)

Assessment: Interdisciplinary Unit Plan

  1. Description of Assessment: The Interdisciplinary Unit Plan is assigned to teacher candidates in the EMSE 5323 (Theory and Practice in Teaching Mathematics), and in the EMSE 5330 (Theory and Practice in Teaching Science) courses. These are the second level, specialization courses, and teacher candidates are required to integrate another subject with the major course being taught. In EMSE 5323, Teacher candidates align the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards(NJCCCS) in Mathematics with the goals in the Unit Plan. In EMSE 5330, Teacher candidates align the NJCCCS in Science with the goals in the Unit Plan. For both Unit Plans, it is expected that at least one other subject be integrated with the primary subject (ex. Mathematics with Language Arts, or Science with Social Studies).
  1. Alignment between the Interdisciplinary Unit Plan and College of Education’s Advanced Learning Outcomes (COE ALO):

The Interdisciplinary Unit Plan uses similar words to those of the COE ALO, and therefore the Unit Plan attains a very close correspondence between 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 and 2.5 of the Standards and the Plan. There are four main parts of the Interdisciplinary unit Plan (which is a subset of the TWS):

  1. The Introduction to the Unit Plan which clearly defines its purpose, describes the outcomes met by the teacher candidate, makes relevant connections between the elements of the Unit Plan and the outcomes. The introduction has a unifying theme, encompassing all the lesson plans.
  2. The Behavioral Objectives and New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards addressed, aligns with COE ALO 2.1 to 2.7, which links learning goals and assessment strategies with tasks that teacher candidates have developed in the classroom that teach specific content in more than one subject areas (hence the Interdisciplinary nature of the Plan).
  3. The Design for Instruction is the heart of the matter: the Interdisciplinary Unit Plan. It is a multi-day plan for instructing students, according to the Learning Goals, and using the Assessment Plan to monitor students’ progress. The Design for Instruction is aligned with ACEI standards 2.1 through 2.7, and 3.1 through 3.4. This Unit integrates at least two subjects, and so would cover the ACEI standards in the subjects it addresses. As well, the Unit requires teacher candidates to use a variety of teaching techniques (ACEI Standard 3.1) and to engage students in critical thinking and problem solving (ACEI Standard 3.3).
  4. The Assessment part is a plan for assessing students, whether it be pre or post assessments, or formative or summative assessments. The assessment plan part aligns with ACEI Standard 4.0, which calls for the design of formal and informal assessments, and for pre and post assessments to monitor student progress.

The ACEI Content Standards are:

2.1. English language arts—Candidates demonstrate a high level of competence in use of English language arts and they know, understand, and use concepts from reading, language and child development, to teach reading, writing, speaking, viewing, listening, and thinking skills and to help students successfully apply their developing skills to many different situations, materials, and ideas.

2.2. Science—Candidates know, understand, and use fundamental concepts in the subject matter of science—including physical, life, and earth and space sciences—as well as concepts in science and technology, science in personal and social perspectives, the history and nature of science, the unifying concepts of science, and the inquiry processes scientists use in discovery of new knowledge to build a base for scientific and technological literacy.

2.3. Mathematics—Candidates know, understand, and use the major concepts, procedures, and reasoning processes of mathematics that define number systems and number sense, geometry, measurement, statistics and probability, and algebra in order to foster student understanding and use of patterns, quantities, and spatial relationships that can represent phenomena, solve problems, and manage data.

2.4. Social studies—Candidates know, understand, and use the major concepts and modes of inquiry from the social studies—the integrated study of history, geography, the social sciences, and other related areas —to promote elementary students’ abilities to make informed decisions as citizens of a culturally diverse democratic society and interdependent world.

2.5. The arts—Candidates know, understand, and use—as appropriate to their own understanding and skills—the content, functions, and achievements of dance, music, theater, and the several visual arts as primary media for communication, inquiry, and insight among elementary students.

3.Assignment – Thematic Unit Plan

Prepare a Unit Plan that includes atleast five sequential lesson plans, each of which is designed for a fifty-minute lesson in Mathematics. The Unit Plan is the unifying document for a set of lesson plans, and as such should contain the overarching philosophy that ties all of the lesson plans together. Specifically, the Unit Plan should address these topics:

1. UnifyingTheme - The overarching rationale that unifies all the lesson plans includedin the unit.

  1. Instructional Objectives - Objectives that focus on the intended outcomes of the Unit. This should name the content and concepts intended to be addressed in this unit, using Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs.

3. NJCCCS Addressed - The New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards to beaddressed by the

lessons in this unit

4. Materials List - A list of all instructional materials you will need for the unit,including any

manipulative or audio-visual equipment

5. Daily Lesson Plans - The lesson plans of this unit (a paragraph will be fine; do notwrite down full

lesson plans)

6. InstructionalDesigns - What strategies and/or techniques will you use to deliver thelesson, including computer technology (if appropriate)

7. Assessment - What ways will you know that the students have understoodthe lesson objectives?

8. Follow-up Activity - What activities will you give students to have them extend or deepen their understanding of the lesson? This may take the form of a research paper, internet project, or a presentation to the class.

4.Rubric

EMSE 5323: Theory and Practice in Teaching Mathematics:

Thematic Unit plan Rubric

Nascent ( >70 ) / Apprentice ( 71 – 80 )
Thematic Unit plan /
  • Some of the eight categories are not addressed
  • Introduction to the unit plan is scattered, the outcomes in the classroom are not clear, and an outline of the unit plan is partial or nonexistent
  • Unifying theme encompasses only part of the unit. There is no unit starter activity included in the Unifying theme, or the activity is not related to the unit
  • Learning Goals do not use Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs. Only some of the objectives for the unit are addressed in this section
  • Not all NJCCCS for Math that are addressed in the unit are represented here
  • The materials list is missing or partial
  • Daily lesson plans are a short description of the lesson. Each lesson description is less than ½ page.
  • Assessment strategies for formative assessment are articulated for none or a few lessons in the unit
  • Activity(ies) do not deepen or extend students’ understanding. The unit plan is a test, or a book report
/
  • Some of the eight categories are not addressed
  • Introduction to the unit plan is scattered, the outcomes in the classroom may not be clear, and an outline of the unit plan is partial or nonexistent
  • Unifying theme does not encompass the entire unit. A unit starter activity may not be included, or is not related to the unit.
  • One subject is represented in the unit plan
  • Learning Goals may not use Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs. Few objectives for the entire unit are in this section
  • NJCCCS for Math that are addressed in the unit are not represented here.
  • A list of materials needed for the unit are listed (not full)
  • Daily lesson plans are a short description of the lesson, not a full lesson plan. Each lesson description is less than ½ page.
  • Assessment strategies are articulated for few lessons in the unit
  • Activity(ies) may not deepen or extend students’ understanding. The activity is a test, or a book report.

Journeyman ( 81-90 ) / Master ( > 90 )
  • All eight categories are addressed
  • Introduction to the unit plan is concise, the outcomes in the classroom may not be clear, and an outline of the unit plan is partial
  • Unifying theme may not encompass the entire unit. A unit starter activity may not be included.
  • At least two subjects are integrated in the plan (Math Science, History, English)
  • Learning Goals use Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs. Some of the Goals address higher thinking skills. All goals for the entire unit are in this section
  • NJCCCS for Math that are addressed in the unit may not be represented here.
  • A list of materials needed for the unit are listed (not necessarily full)
  • Daily lesson plans are a short description of the lesson, not a full lesson plan. Each lesson description is less than. ½ page.
  • Assessment strategies are articulated for some lessons in the unit
  • Activity(ies) may or may not deepen or extend students’ understanding. The unit activity is a test, a book report, or a field trip.
/
  • All eight categories are addressed
  • Introduction to the unit plan is concise, the outcomes in the classroom are clear, and an outline of the unit plan is complete
  • Unifying theme encompasses the entire unit. A unit starter activity is included in the Unifying theme
  • At least three subjects are integrated in the plan (Math, Science, History, English)
  • Learning Goals use Bloom’s Taxonomy verbs, with at least half addressing higher levels of thinking. All goals for the entire unit are in this section
  • All NJCCCS for Math that are addressed in the unit are represented here, and none that are not addressed in the unit are here
  • A full list of all materials needed for the unit are listed
  • Daily lesson plans are a short description of the lesson, not a full lesson plan. Each lesson description is approx. ½ page.
  • Assessment strategies for formative assessment are articulated for all lessons in the unit
  • Activity(ies) are designed to deepen or extend students’ understanding, and summarize or utilize the whole unit.. The unit activity(ies) is/are a test, or a Webquest, or a field trip, or a play, or a large research project (PBL)

5.Data Table

Score level / Number of students
Master (>45) / 2
Journeyman (40-44) / 26
Apprentice (35-39) / 4
Nascent (<35) / 1
Total / 33