Thematic Unit Definition and Tips for Teachers

A Thematic unit is the organization of a curriculum around a central theme. In other words, its a series of lessons that integrate subjects across the curriculum, such as math, reading, social studies, science, language arts, etc. that all tie into the main theme of the unit. Each activity should have a main focus toward the thematic idea. A thematic unit is much broader than just choosing a topic. They cover a wide range such as Australia, mammals, or the solar system. Many teachers choose a different thematic unit for their classroom each week, while others plan their teaching themes for two to nine weeks. Why Use Thematic Units It increases students interestHelps students understand connectionsExpands assessment strategiesKeeps students engagedcompacts the curriculumSaves teachers time because it incorporates all subjectsDraws on connections from the real world and life experiences Key Components of a Thematic Unit There are eight key components of a thematic unit lesson plan. Follow these guidelines when you are creating your classroom unit. Theme - Select the theme of the unit based on Common Core standards, student interests or student experience.Grade Level - Select the appropriate grade level.Objectives - Identify the specific objectives that you would like to master during the course of the unit.Materials - Determine the materials you will use throughout the unit.Activities - Develop the activities that you will use for your thematic unit. Make sure you cover activities across the curriculum.Discussion Questions - Create a variety of discussion questions to help students think about the theme of the unit.Literature Selections - Select a variety of books that correlate with the activities and the central theme of the unit.Assessment - Evaluate student progress throughout the unit. Measure student growth through rubrics or other means of assessment. Tips for Creating Thematic Units Here are three tips to help you create a thematic unit in your classroom. Find an engaging theme - Themes can be planned around books, benchmarks, skills students need to develop, or just from student interest. Find a theme that will motivate and captivate students interest. Units are typically longer than a week, so its important to find a theme that will keep the students engaged.Create fun activities - The activities you choose are the heart of the unit. These activities need to cross the curriculum and keep students interest. Learning centers are a great way for students to get hands-on experience while learning important skills.Evaluate Students Learning - While finding a central theme, and creating engaging cross-curriculum activities are important, so is evaluating what the students have learned. Portfolio-based assessment is a great way to see students progress throughout a period of time. For example, a habitat portfolio can be created to document the progress the students made throughout the unit of habitats.

Martin Luther King, Jr.s American Dream Essay - 763 Words

Throughout history America has been the arriving place of immigrants searching for a better life. America is perceived as the land were endless opportunities are available. The greatest explanation of the American dream is Martin Luther King, Jr. speech; I Have a Dream. Dr. King speech is more like a testimony of truth, rather than a speech. At the time of his speech African Americans were not free, while the Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal. Dr. King’s movement established the way for the idea that there is an American dream. The idea that somebody can be anything they would like to be. This idea is still relevant now in America. Americans pursue their dream everyday by having the opportunity to attend†¦show more content†¦America has the opportunity for everyone that comes into this country to receive an education. The thing is while other people would love to take advantage of getting an education, and having a job, Americans take f or granted what we have every day. In the story â€Å"Scratch beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream, Adam Sheppard pretends to start his life over as if he were homeless. The reason for doing this is to demonstrate that a homeless man has about the same stature as if he were an immigrant. During this book Adam Sheppard demonstrates his ability to establish a life out of absolutely nothing. Adam goes from being homeless 70 days before to having a 1 room apartment and a job as a mover. The purpose of his experience is to show that anybody can establish a fairly successful life in America. The idea that the American dream still exists is true. Now we see more immigrants coming to America more than ever. In today’s society one can see the growth of population in America. The past is just repeating itself because, all Americans are Immigrants. Today’s Americans have certainly followed their dreams. Today’s immigrants are working harder than ever before to leave their homeland due to hostile situations. People are using, all means necessary to get here human smugglers, homemade tunnels , and whatever they can think of to get here without getting caught. People risks their lives and lose them trying to pursue the American Dream. This should showShow MoreRelatedRhetorical Analysis of the I Have a Dream Speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.1219 Words   |  5 Pagesthroughout Washington D.C. August 28, 1963 as Martin Luther King Jr. paved the path to freedom for those suffering from racial segregation. It was the day of the March on Washington, which promoted Civil Rights and economic equality for African Americans. In order to share his feelings and dreams with the rest of the nation, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his speech encouraging all to overcome racial segregation. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech was very effective due to the use ofRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.1046 Wor ds   |  5 Pagesactivist, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his memorable â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech while standing at the feet of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. His uplifting speech is one of the most admired during the civil rights era and arguably one of the best in American history. On August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the true American dream: equality. Although the video of his oral spectacle is powerful, the written document portrays exactly how brilliant Martin Luther King Jr. reallyRead MoreOutliers Essay909 Words   |  4 PagesOutlier Essay: Martin Luther King Jr. An outlier is a person or thing situated away or detached from the main body or system. In other words, an outlier is somebody who goes out of his or her way and does something extraordinary in order to accomplish their goal. Martin Luther King Jr. is a true example of an outlier. In the early 1900s, segregation was strongly recognized in the United States, until Martin Luther King Jr. stood up for what he believed in and made a change. Although he made a differenceRead Moreâ€Å"I Am Happy To Join With You Today In What Will Go Down1420 Words   |  6 Pagesnation.† (Lerone Bennett Jr. pg.125) Being a hero means to be a leader. To be a leader you have to have strength, courage, and commitment. In the 1960s, there were many leaders fighting for what they believe is the right of freedom and equality of all people. A major leader, Martin Luther King Jr. was involved in the Civil Rights Movement during the 60s. King was influenced by advocates of nonviolence such as Mahatma Gand hi. He wanted to seek equality for African Americans that were underprivilegedRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr.: How Society Changed859 Words   |  4 Pagesroles. The most prominent and persistent activist of African American rights movement was Martin Luther King Jr. King’s ideas sparked the ideal perspective of equality. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for equality by organizing marches, giving powerful speeches, and staying positive through adversity. Martin Luther King Jr. knew of the constant racism and cruelty in Birmingham, Alabama and decided to lead a march in 1963. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy, treasurer of the SCLC, led a group ofRead MoreEssay on The Life of Martin Luther King Jr.1244 Words   |  5 Pagesworld. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born to Alberta and Martin Luther King. Alberta Williams King was born September 13, 1904 in Atlanta, Georgia. Martin Luther King, Sr. was born December 19, 1899 in Stockbridge, Georgia. Martins dad was a pastor at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia. His mother was a school teacher. His siblings were Christine King Farris born September 11, 1927, and Alfred Daniel Williams King born July 30, 1930. Martin was the middle child. Martin Luther KingRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr s I Have A Dream Speech1480 Words   |  6 PagesMovement, Martin Luther King Jr s I Have A Dream speech was broadcasted across the nation and heard by millions of Americans on August 28, 1963. Throughout the decades, many have promoted the importance of racial equality in America. Leaders such as William J. Clinton, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush have contributed to modern social movements by, doing as Dr. King himself, giving speeches to varying audiences concerning the issue of racial inequality. Above all, Martin Luther King Jr made the strongestRead MoreThe Fight for Freedom1312 Words   |  6 Pageslate 1950’s though the 1960’s, however; Tricia Andryszewski informs her readers that Black Americans had been working for change since before the civil war, but mainly beyond. Some of the most prominent civil rights leaders include Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Philip Randolph, and Bayard Rustin. The two main goals of the civil rights activists being, equal rights and treatment for all races. As a result, the â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech was written by Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whoRead MoreMartin Malcolm : A Dream Or A Nightmare951 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Martin Malcolm America Peace† If one man never steps forward to show all the others that change is possible, nothing will ever change. When you look back at history of the American civil rights movement, Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are still often two of the first names even someone of today’s society may think of. They were, and still are, some of the most influential men to ever live. As young African-American men living during a time of harsh global, but most importantlyRead MoreMartin Luther Kings Impact On The Civil Rights Movement1030 Words   |  5 PagesMartin Luther King, Jr. was an American priest, activist, and important leader in the African-American Civil Rights movement. His main hope was to secure progress on civil rights in the United States, and he has become a human rights icon. King was a Baptist minister and activist. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president. King s effort s led to the 1963 March on Washington, where King delivered his

Historiography/Primary Sources Project Free Essays

â€Å"Every empire tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires and that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate† is a quote by Edward W. Said. During the 19th century, Western nations started expansion into territorial imperialism to collect resources from colonies to benefit economically, politically, and socially. We will write a custom essay sample on Historiography/Primary Sources Project or any similar topic only for you Order Now Jules Ferry, a former French prime minister, created a colonial policy to colonize territories for France’s benefits and to civilize the people in those territories. His biased views may affect the historical impact and people should not believe everything they hear. One should analyze a document and take past knowledge on the issue into consideration before making any decisions. â€Å"The French Colonial Expansion† is a modernized text of the â€Å"Speech Before the French Chamber of Deputies† by the former French prime minister, Jules Francois Camille Ferry, on March 28, 1884. Jules Ferry made this speech to show his support for imperialism and that it was the only way, at the time, for a nation to be powerful. He believed that the colonial expansion policy consisted of economic ideas, the most far-reaching ideas of civilization, and ideas of a political and patriotic sort (Watts, Int. ). He backed his argument up with some statistics of how other nations, like Germany or the United States of America, have outlets, or colonies to export goods to, and this helped expand their market. Colonial policy will allow for France to compete against other powerful nations and help solve problems like the freedom of trade and supply and demand (Arkenberg, Int. ). Not only did Ferry want to maintain France’s power, he also believed that Europeans were the â€Å"superior race† because they were civilized. A social issue he wanted to overcome was to civilize the â€Å"inferior races† because it was the higher races’ duty to do so (Arkenberg, Int. . In addition, Ferry made a good point that France needs colonies to support its navy with harbors, defenses, and supplies that can only be obtained overseas. Ferry was for imperialism because it had many benefits to the nation. However, many socialists and conservative critics were against his policy for differe nt reasons (Jules, Int. ). He was addressing his speech to those that opposed imperialism and the French Chamber of Deputies. His motivation was to spread the ideas of imperialism and point out the benefits of it to the people of France. Obviously, he has a lot of pride in his country because he believes that they are the superior race,† so he wants to spread the feel of nationalism by gaining power to France (Watts, Int. ). The power of a nation is gained by the amount of land it has. The colonial policy led France to annex Tunis, Madagascar, Indo-China, and explore the Congo and the Niger region (Jules, Int. ). Based on all of the exploration done by France, one can conclude that France is a powerful nation and its colonial policy went into effect. They were great competitors with other Europeans and the United States because they took over many rich African and Asian countries. With all of their new territories, they would have a better market because they would have raw materials sent to them from those countries, and they would sell them back (Arkenberg, Int. ). In addition, the French have a lot of pride in themselves because they believe that they are the â€Å"superior race,† so they would try to civilize the people in many of their territories. Therefore, the local culture of those countries probably went down and there was a lot of hatred towards the French for the change of their way of living, style, and religion. Because Jules Ferry believed that the Europeans were a â€Å"superior race,† this proves that he was biased because he only looked at the European view of imperialism. He only sees that the colonial policy will benefit and solve France’s economic, social, and political problems. However, he doesn’t look at the view of the African and Asian countries being claimed. To them, imperialism is a horrible thing because their way of life is being taken away and replaced by a different life style. Also, imperialism would stop their learning curve and affect their nation’s development. New problems would arise as well. For example, after the division of African territory between each European nation, African tribes were moved and this created more fights between them. Ferry also leaves out the conflicts between the European nations and the U. S. Imperialism is not always beneficial to a nation because there would always be arguments between two or more nations over land, and war would erupt if the issue is non-negotiable. Edward W. Said’s quote, â€Å"every empire tells itself and the world that it is unlike all other empires and that its mission is not to plunder and control but to educate and liberate† shows that Jules Ferry is biased because he is only presenting the benefits to France and not the problems that it could do to the colonized territories or to Western nations all together. One should never completely believe everything they hear and analysis is needed to see both sides of a story. How to cite Historiography/Primary Sources Project, Papers

Strength And Weekness free essay sample

Thus, the competition among real estate agencies will be more and ore intense. 2. Threat of new entrants Foxtrots Group PLY is one of the city biggest real estate agents. Firstly, the access and exit barriers of real estate are high, it is difficult for enterprises to enter and grab the property market in a short period of time. Secondly, as Foxtrots mentions in 2014 Annual Report, in recent years, since the uncertainty political and economic in the KICK and Europe, some of the adverse changes in government policy, laws and more serious mortgage loan regulations may influence the residential property sales or lettings transactions.Thus it can be seen that new entrants will have little effects on he existing real estate agencies. However, with less than half a month before the votes of UK (7th May), through the data from the Bank of England indicated the risky mortgage were in an increasing statue, which never appeared in last nine month (Wright, 2015). We will write a custom essay sample on Strength And Weekness or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is absolute good news to real estate industry. The threat of new real estate agencies entrants will be more and more serious under this trending. 3.Threat of substitute products Porter (1979) believes that the competition pressure will be more powerful if the price of substitute products is low, as well as the low switching costs of consumers. For the real estate industry in the KICK, one of the threats of substitute products is that the government provide house for low-income, such as affordable social rents housing and council housing. These people can apply affordable housing only using half of the market price, or even free to live in. But they cannot resell or rent to others. The good news is that this kind of affordable housing only occupies a minority group. And this cannot make much threat for the whole real estate industry. 4. Bargaining power of suppliers In recent years, more and more building regulations and restrictions have en put forward, so there are few number of new estate launched. But with the growing population of London, the existing housing seriously can not meet the market demand, which result in an increasing bargaining power of suppliers. . Bargaining power of buyers In London property market, although there are a lot of real estate agency competitors, they provide the housing prices are almost the same. But for every resident, housing is the most essential property of life. Therefore, while the switching cost is low, buyers bargaining power is still much below than Foxtrots Group PLY (2014). Annual Report and Accounts. Porter, M. E. (1979). How Competitive Forces Shape Strategy, Harvard Business Review. Wright, B. (2015).