Unit Implementation Reflection

Of course all plans are subject to change and this unit required flexibility and a willingness to change to meet the needs of a new class of students. The integration that was planned with Kim Jacques, the Art teacher, did not happen...for several reasons.
Kim had written an Arts grant that needed to be implemented in the Fall Semester. This gave her a full plate. Additionally she was starting a Graduate program herself and that took what little time she had for meeting and coordinating this unit with me.
My 2009-10 classroom membership made integration, outside of the classroom, difficult. One quarter of my students changed from the starting date of school. The unit needed major revision to accommodate the academic and social needs of these children. Trying to integrate with a partner, as I was constantly changing activities and assessment goals, was impractical.
As I reflect on the implementation of this unit I would make the following recommendations:

• Teach this unit as a Spring unit when students have better Reading and Writing skills.
• Choose fewer books to share with the class. Use a variety of versions to share and compare and contrast with Reading groups. The smaller setting can better enable all to share, become involved, and target teaching.
  
• Keep the planned assessments and activities. They served both the boys and the girls and a variety of learning styles as well. The perception survey results indicated that the children enjoyed the unit and plan to read this gendre on their own.

I hope to share the unit and assessments with the other Second Grade teachers in my PLC. They will be teaching a Fairy Tale Unit in the Spring and are looking for ways to integrate technology into the classroom. My student samples can serve as exemplars for their students as the proceed through the unit. Additionally, the Backwards Planning model will provide food for conversation for the group. I will be happy to provide leadership by sharing resources and providing support for further reading, exploration and lesson/unit design.
I have not given up on integrating Art and the Fairy Tale Unit with Kim. Hopefully her schedule and my class composition, next year, will enable this to happen and I will make more adjustments to this unit.