12 pages

CONCEPT-BASED CURRICULUM TITLES

People often give unit plans broad, topical titles such as “Families, Community Helpers, Seasons, or Ocean Life.” While this kind of broad title can work for a project plan (where there is much more time to investigate in depth and decide what concepts to attend to), it is a problem to give unit plans such broad titles. Broad topical titles for unit plans can lead to learning a bunch of unrelated facts about a topic, and never focusing on any of the key concepts about the topic—concepts that are crucial in understanding one or more disciplines or aspects of life.

For example, by saying we are studying “Families” for a week or two, we could learn a bunch of unconnected facts about different kids families, and while this could have some value for getting to know each other, we are missing an opportunity to give the unit a clearer focus and help kids wrestle with important concepts. By contrast, if we study “Family Traditions and Values,” we help kids understand families through the lens of tradition and values—two concepts that are important across history, political science, sociology, psychology, anthropology, cultural studies, etc. Virtually any human institution or phenomenon could be studied by using the lens of traditions or values, or both.

Thus, in planning units, it is important to add a concept or two to a main topic of study—in order to create a more focused unit with potential for more powerful learning.

Many unit topics (e.g., inventions”) can be taken more towards science OR towards social studies depending on the concepts used to focus the unit plan. If we add to “inventions” concepts having to do with how inventions help humans meet their needs or how human life was changed by inventions, we are steering the unit more towards social studies. However, if we focus more on the technology or scientific understandings involved in the invention/creation or on how certain inventions spurred other technological advances, we are steering the focus more towards science.

Play with the way the title is worded. Family Traditions and Values could also be Families: Traditions and Values, or even How Traditions and Values Shape Families.

Notice that this title leads to different curriculum than if we were to study Families: Roles and Responsibilities, or The Use of Power in Families.

One key to coming up with ideas for concept that might focus the main topic of the unit is to read about the general unit idea (e.g., Families) and write down all the concepts that come up. Then think about how using different concepts will lead the unit to different types of experiences for children, and decide which focus has the best potential or best fits other things the class is doing.