Jonah Secreti Sophia Thraya Allie Yeats Nicole Rathgeber Hoda Zeineddine
PRESERVING SHARKS OFF THE CANADIAN EASTERN COAST: WHAT CAN WE DO?
Grade 7 Unit Design
UNIT OVERVIEW
This unit plan was designed by teachers (in training) for teachers. A multi-discipline heavy, five-week plan used to teach students the importance of human behaviour and positive changes in terms of shark populations on the Canadian Eastern coast. Students will learn through multiple modes of learning such as technology, group work, creative expression, writing, reading, speaking, media, and real-life experiences. Students will learn about shark preservation first hand from meeting with professionals and going on different field trips. Students will even get the chance to see sharks up close and personal at an aquarium later in the unit! This unit is engaging for all learners and teaches tons of curriculum content across Science, Social Studies, and Fine Arts. Students will leave this unit with a sense of pride and passion for positive change in protecting our country’s shark population.
UNIT RATIONALE
This unit plan is student-centered and authentic, as each week allows students to learn through real-life experiences. Our team, as pre-service teachers across disciplines, have collaborated and considered integration practices during this unit planning to support students in deeper learning when solving the wicked problem. Interdisciplinary learning practices promote student productivity, aids motivation and engagement, and assists students to take initiative and develop leadership (Strober, 2009). With interdisciplinary work, students take charge of their learning and learn life skills alongside other competencies (Friesen, et al., 2015). Interdisciplinary teaching helps students learn to tolerate and/or embrace ambiguity, encouraging an appreciation for ethical dimensions of concerns (Serc, n.d.). The need to embrace complicated ethical concerns is essential for students, as it helps them recognize growing complexities of the world and society.
In this unit, students will learn through films, art creation, games and activities, field trips, technology, and more. Students will gain social success from problem-solving collaboration by working in groups and interacting with professionals. Student’s final assessment gives them an opportunity to directly address oceanic officials and promote real change. Students will also learn life skills such as empathy, passion, governing, literacy, and communication. This authentic question and unit create opportunities for learning through different disciplines on how to make real-world changes as individuals and collectives. Even with an ambiguous and challenging problem, our grade seven students will learn that they have all a crucial role to play.