Welcome to the 7th and 8th Grade Exemplary Units page! Here you will be able to access the Exemplary Units developed by a team of teachers in Jordan School District and aligned to Utah's SEEd Standards. Please use, change, adjust, etc. these lessons to fit your classroom needs! Keep in mind that they are in draft form and are continuously being updated.
- Teachers requesting common unpacking of the new SEEd standards including proficiency scales.
- Teachers asking for model lessons and assessments.
- New RISE, ACT Aspire, and ACT assessments include all content areas driving the need for content-specific common assessments for use during PLCs ultimately driving instructional shifts.
- District's goal of supporting strong school-based PLCs with a foundation of common resources.
- The goal of establishing and supporting a strong district and ultimately interdistrict-wide PLCs with a foundation of common resources.
- Standards were grouped into units in an effort to scaffold and provide a smooth flow and transition of all 3 dimensions of the standards with an overall unit proficiency scale.
- Most of the learning activities include a teacher resource page and a student page. (Teacher resources will continue to be developed and revised based on teacher feedback.)
- Each Unit is structured around an anchoring phenomenon and driving question that is referred back to throughout the unit as students build more understanding and skills.
- Units were scaffolded with the use of learning goals ensuring standard alignment and allowing teachers to incrementally formatively assess student learning and skills.
- The units follow the 5E model with a focus on at least one Explore and Explain learning opportunity for each of the learning goals, an Elaboration component at the end of each unit pulling skills and content together prior to the Evaluation or summative assessment. (Formative assessment opportunities occur throughout the unit for each learning goal or piece of each learning goal.)
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- Investigations and lessons were provided for each learning goal. If teachers choose to reorganize and add alternative learning activities it is highly recommended that the unpacking/learning goals are reorganized and lessons are aligned as much as possible.
- Unit descriptions and proposed pacing guides are included for each unit in physics and chemistry. Additional scaffolding may need to be added to meet the needs of individual schools and students.
- Alternative activities that align to each learning goal can definitely be used and sharing is encouraged.
- Alternative activities if aligned to the learning goals should not affect student performance on the summative assessment.
- Summative Assessments will be accessible to teachers by emailing Lynsey Williams
- Proposed: District Wide PLCs for each content area will be held, via zoom, on singleton Fridays during PLC time to prepare for lessons, share tips and tricks of setup and classroom management and analyze summative assessment data.
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- (While revisions have been made throughout the creation process as writing team members used the lessons, continued revisions will be made based on more teacher use and feedback.)
- All units and assessments are considered to be DRAFT form with the intention of revising them throughout the year based on teacher feedback during district-wide PLCs.
- Writing team members will continue to make changes as identified and alternative options will be added as teachers share them.
- Proficiency scales for each learning goal will be created as part of the continued district-wide PLC work.
- Continued professional development opportunities will be provided throughout the year with an emphasis on assessment and lesson alignment.
- Teachers from other districts are welcome to participate in our professional development and PLC work. Please email Lynsey Williams for more information and permissions.
- The ultimate goal of this work is to create strong and sustainable PLCs at all levels while continuing the work of creating and providing valuable teacher resources, strengthening tier one instruction, and ultimately student learning, engagement, and love of science.