When schools embark on the effort of documenting their curriculum in terms of unitized curriculum maps, one of the first tools they should think through is the unit planner and the curricular elements it should include.

1. Curricular Elements Commonly
Captured in Unit Planners
Dr. Suad Alazzam
suad [at] portlandstate.org
© 2011 All Rights Reserved

2. • When schools embark on the effort of
documenting their curriculum in terms
of unitized curriculum maps, one of the
first tools they should think through is
the unit planner and the curricular
elements it should include.

3. There are eight elements that schools
commonly include in their unit
planners. These are:
1. Curriculum Standards
2. Big Ideas
3. Essential Questions
4. Content
5. Skills
6. Assessments
7. Learning Activities
8. Teaching Resources

4. A possible lay-out of a unit planner that
includes the common eight curricular
elements:

5. Let’s now briefly define each of these
eight curricular elements.

6. 1. Curriculum Standards
Standards refer to the intended
learning outcomes in terms of what the
students need to know and be able to
do at each grade/ stage level in each
subject area.

7. 2. Big Ideas
Big ideas refer to the concepts,
abstracts, and generalizations that
function like umbrellas connecting the
bits and pieces of information
introduced and covered in different
subjects. Big ideas transcend
disciplinary boundaries and encourage
learners to reach deep understandings.

8. 3. Essential Questions
Essential questions are the Big Ideas
(concepts, abstracts, and
generalizations) formulated as
questions that encourage students to
research, inquire, and think critically.
They provide frameworks for
interdisciplinary connections as well.

9. 4. Content
Content is the declarative knowledge. It
is what we want students to know in
terms of information and facts related
to the topic of the taught unit.

10. 5. Skills
Skills refer to the procedural
knowledge. It is what we want the
students to be able to do as an
outcome of learning the unit under
study.

11. 6. Assessments
Assessment is measuring student
learning of intended content and skills.
Assessment could be formative
(assessment for learning) or summative
(assessment of learning). Assessment
methods should be diversified and not
limited to the traditional testing of
memorized information.

12. 7. Learning Activities
Learning activities refer to the
opportunities offered for students in
the classroom to learn the intended
content and acquire the intended skills.
It should be differentiated based on the
individual differences of the learners
such as ability levels, interest, learning
style, etc.

13. 8. Teaching Resources
Teaching resources are the aids
employed by the teacher to carry out
the learning activities within the unit to
help the students learn the intended
content and skills. This includes digital
and hard-copy materials among others.

14. Remember that the presented generic
unit planner can by adapted to fit the
unique requirements of your school or
curriculum programs.
Do not hesitate to send along any questions.

15. Thank You!
Dr. Suad Alazzam
suad [at] portlandstate.org
© 2011 All Rights Reserved