All Access: Planning for a Unit
This article is intended for teachers utilizing our MTM Platform for All Access and Maneuvering Math.
To begin planning for a unit, we recommend opening the Unit Overview found in the Planning section of each unit.
Our unit overviews include the following sections:
- standards: grade-level standards written out for the unit
- prior knowledge: related standards from the previous grade level
- unit summary: a description which elaborates on the unit objective, the progression of the unit lessons, and connections to problem-solving skills included in the unit
- big ideas: a concise summary of the mathematical concepts and major takeaways from the unit
- content knowledge + instructional prep: a progression of key skills and corresponding lesson video guide to reference as needed while you prepare for instruction
- common misconceptions: common errors and struggles to anticipate and help correct with your students
- academic vocabulary: key vocabulary terms for the unit listed in both English and Spanish
For more details on using our unit overviews (and an editable Google Sheet pacing guide!), visit our blog here.
Our year-long planning guides and unit planning guides are helpful tools to use simultaneously as you consider how to plan utilizing the resources on our platform. We highly recommend watching our 2nd training module (found in Teacher Tools) where we provide practical suggestions for effective and efficient unit planning.
First, we suggest referencing the year-long planning guide before the beginning of a unit to find the number of days recommended for instruction and assessment of the unit concepts. This will help provide a general timeline for the unit before you consider the specific resources within the unit and the number of days you'd like to spend on each lesson.
With the total number of allotted days in mind, we recommend opening the unit pacing guide next. As you look at each lesson on the unit page and consider any activities available, this document will serve as a helpful place to record the specific resources you'd like to use from each lesson. Based on the lesson and any activities you plan to use, you can then record the number of days you will spend on each lesson accordingly. At the conclusion of the unit's lessons, you’ll want to look back at the total number of days recommended by the year-long guide to ensure that your plans will fit within the bigger picture of your school year.
The image below shows an example of filtering by activities in a unit. This can be a helpful view to consider all of the available activities for a unit at once rather than accessing them one lesson at a time. Often times there are more activities included in a unit than teachers are able to utilize, so we encourage selecting the activities that work best for your classroom and specific needs.
The exact number of days and details may need modifying according to specific circumstances, but it is our hope that the planning guides provide a helpful starting point to plan intentionally for each unit!
These blog posts may provide additional support in how to plan with the number of minutes you have in your classes.