unit calendar
This integrated thematic unit is designed to take place over the course of two weeks on a block schedule where classes meet every other day for two-hour sessions. This translates to four individual class sessions per subject area, with the final class session being co-taught as part of the collaborative culminating project. The following calendar outlines the standards, objectives, assessments, and student activities that will be addressed during each class session. The lessons are designed for students in grades 9-10.
DAYS 1-2 (Class Session 1)
Mini-Theme: Outbreak
biologyHow does disease spread? What are differences between viruses and bacteria?
STANDARDS: Content:
OBJECTIVES: Content:
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social studiesHistory related to plagues/outbreak; how epidemic shaped the cultural geography of Latin America and affected the economy of Europe
STANDARDS: Content:
OBJECTIVES:
ASSESSMENTS:
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
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spanishSmallpox epidemics in Latin America
STANDARDS: Content:
Part I: Interacting in Meaningful Ways
OBJECTIVES: After reading a section of the smallpox text with a small group of classmates, SWBAT demonstrate their ability to read closely by completing a graphic organizer that identifies three main ideas from the passage and two new vocabulary words.
Formative, Informal: Students will complete a graphic organizer that identifies three main ideas and two new vocabulary words from their assigned section of the smallpox text. Formative, Informal: Students will teach a section of the smallpox text to their peers (jigsaw reading activity). Formative, Informal: Students will contribute to a class discussion about the similarities and differences between the smallpox epidemic that occurred in Latin America and a zombie apocalypse. STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
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DAYS 3-4 (Class Session 2)
Mini-Theme: Prevention
BIOLOGYHow do you prevent the spread of disease?
STANDARDS: Content:
Content:
ASSESSMENTS:
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SOCIAL STUDIESHistory of scientific advancements that led to greater understanding of disease prevention.
STANDARDS: Content:
ELD:
OBJECTIVES:
ASSESSMENTS:
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
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SPANISHLearning vocabulary in Spanish related to disease, outbreak, medicine
STANDARDS: Content:
OBJECTIVE: Students will be able to arrange and construct Spanish vocabulary related to medicine, illnesses, and outbreaks through reading, writing, and answering related questions to a series of activities while collaborating with a partner. ASSESSMENTS:
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
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DAYS 5-6 (Class Session 3)
Mini-Theme: Human Behavior
BIOLOGYHow do we react to spread of outbreak? What careers in science play an important role during an outbreak?
STANDARDS: Content:
Content:
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SOCIAL STUDIESHuman behavior during apocalypse; sickness as a stigma (social justice theme)
STANDARDS: Content - Common Core:
OBJECTIVES: Students develop empathy and a common narrative language to describe the challenge of accommodating otherness. ASSESSMENTS:
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
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SPANISHHow to discuss an emergency situation/crisis - imagine yourself in an apocalypse - news brief project
STANDARDS: Content:
OBJECTIVES: After researching apocalyptic events and reviewing how to use the preterite and imperfect tense, students will be able to write and present a news brief in Spanish about a zombie pandemic.
Formal, Summative: Students will write and present a news brief in Spanish about a zombie pandemic (at least five sentences long, uses preterite and imperfect tense; includes visuals - graded on a rubric). STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
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DAYS 7-8 (Class Session 4)
Mini-Theme: Social Justice/Art
BIOLOGYHistory of protective medical gear. How can we protect ourselves from the spread of disease?
STANDARDS: Content:
OBJECTIVES: Content:
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
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SOCIAL STUDIESHealth in the developing world; World Health Organization statistics
STANDARDS: Content:
OBJECTIVES:
ASSESSMENTS:
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
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SPANISHThe vaccine debate; availability/access issues
STANDARDS: Content: Stage I
n. Parts of the body, illness ELD:
OBJECTIVES: Students will list and interpret the use of possessives by constructing notes and connecting the language through writing questions and answers in Spanish. Students will use and relate their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar in Spanish by drawing conclusions from a logical argument about the use of medical vaccines. ASSESSMENTS:
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
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DAYS 9-10 (Class Session 5)
Mini-Theme: Service Learning – Public Health Campaign
co-taught, all subjects: BIOLOGY, social studies & spanish
STANDARDS:
Content (Common Core):
OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to plan and carry out a zombie flash mob with at least fifty participants by working together to set rules for decision-making, clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
ASSESSMENTS:
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
Content (Common Core):
- SL 1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- SL 1b. Work with peers to set rules for collegial discussions and decision-making (e.g., informal consensus, taking votes on key issues, presentation of alternate views), clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
- SL 1c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that relate the current discussion to broader themes or larger ideas; actively incorporate others into the discussion; and clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions.
- WHST 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
- WHST 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
- Part I: Interacting in Meaningful Ways - 2. Interacting via written English (Expanding) "Collaborate with peers to engage in increasingly complex, grade‐appropriate written exchanges and writing projects, using technology as appropriate."
- Part I: Interacting in Meaningful Ways - 3. Supporting opinions and persuading others (Expanding) "Negotiate with or persuade others in conversations (e.g., to provide counterarguments) using a growing number of learned phrases (I see your point, but . . .) and open responses to express and defend nuanced opinions."
- Part I: Interacting in Meaningful Ways 10b. Writing (Expanding) "Write increasingly concise summaries of texts and experiences using complete sentences and key words (e.g., from notes or graphic organizers)."
OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to plan and carry out a zombie flash mob with at least fifty participants by working together to set rules for decision-making, clear goals and deadlines, and individual roles as needed.
- Objective type: psychomotor, language
- Standard addressed: CCSS SL 1b (Content)
- Objective type: cognitive, language
- Standard addressed: CCSS WHST 7 (Content); Interacting in Meaningful Ways 2 (Expanding) & 10b (Expanding) (ELD)
- Objective type: cognitive, language
- Standard addressed: CCSS SL 1 & SL 1c (Content); Interacting in Meaningful Ways 3 (Expanding) (ELD)
- Objective type: cognitive, language
- Standard addressed: CCSS WHST 6 (Content); Interacting in Meaningful Ways 2 (Expanding) & 10b (Expanding) (ELD)
ASSESSMENTS:
- Informal, Formative: Students carry out zombie flash mob with at least fifty participants.
- Formal, Summative: Students create posters in English and Spanish that identify tips for staying healthy.
- Formal, Summative: Students present and defend perspectives by participating in a public student panel on global and local health issues.
- Formal, Summative: Students contribute to a website that archives the public health campaign.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES:
- Students will organize and carry out a zombie flash mob to kick-off/promote the public health campaign.
- Students will create flyers in English and Spanish about staying healthy and preventing the spread of disease on campus.
- A student panel will present perspectives and discussion on public health issues globally and locally.
- Students will archive the public health campaign by creating a website to display resources related to health issues on campus and in society at large, an online gallery of the flyers that were displayed on campus, videos of the zombie flash mob and the student panel, and more.