Closing Statement

                This was the first time that I have created a full unit plan for an English class. I used the backwards design approach which worked very well for organizational and quality purposes. I chose to focus on feminism and gender stereotypes as an overall theme for the unit which led to choosing Jane Eyre as the novel. My ideas spawned from these main broad ideas. I was then able to generate multiple activities and assignments which were organized to best scaffold learning. I really found this approach to be helpful and the best way to manage all of the information that I wanted to cover throughout my unit.
               The organization was easier than I expected due to backwards design approach. It was creating valuable and fair differentiated learning and assessments that was most challenging. Creating one lesson that suits students with varying interests and learning styles can become very difficult. I relied on the benefits of technology and student choice to engage and differentiate learning for all students. What is essential for a few students can also benefit all students. An example of this would be the blog format as a journal and discussion space. Online learning and writing using a keyboard is often very important for many exceptionalities as well as beneficial to many specific learning styles. For the average student, a blog format may not be essential but it is a way to generate interest and provide a unique way of exploring their own interests surrounding the topic. I think that the blog is also a very fair method of on-going assessment for both the students and myself, as the teacher. There is a clear visual documentation of progress and understanding of the novel that helps everybody gauge their strengths and weaknesses.
             I think that there is still a lot to learn about how students engage with various activities and methods of assessment and evaluation. As a beginning teacher I will learn a lot during my first years that will impact the way I develop a unit plan. Right now, I think that the methods I employed would work well for many students. I also believe that if I knew my students I could cater my lessons to their strengths and needs even more effectively. Knowing my students, classroom and school setting will definitely factor into the creation of unit plans and lesson plans in the future. However, I think that this unit plan is a great first step towards accumulating self-made resources for my future as an educator.