Head on I want us to tackle another myth or challenge about creating unit studies which is that they are hard to grade and even harder to satisfy educational standards. That doesn’t have to be the case with unit studies. But like any creative teaching tool, you need to put measured steps in place.
Satisfying the educationalese of a state or country if you live in one that requires stricter record keeping is important. Even if you don’t live in a state or country that requires strict planning like I do, it is very important to decide what you want to extract from any unit study. A unit study is only beneficial if it serves your goals or objectives.
If you want to include goals or objectives, then you will want to do them at this point in your planning.
Exploring Unit Study Goals & Objectives
Goals and objectives are technically or educationally speaking two very different things. I won’t bombard you with too many educationalese, but it helps to understand a bit about them so you can chart progress.
Objectives are tiny measured steps. It is hard to boil down about what objectives are to a few sentences, but at the same time I don’t want you to think there isn’t a simple explanation either.
Objectives in the educational world are precise, measurable and specific steps or what you want your children to learn. Taking this one step further you want a clear objective because lesson plans are based on an objective. The lesson plan is the explanation of how you are going to accomplish that very specific outcome you described in the objective.
Make sense?
On the other hand, a goal is just a broad sweeping statement about what you are going to study. It is not about how you are going to do it. A goal is like a mission statement.
Having a non-public school teacher background helps me to appreciate that I can either set objectives first or like I did with you here, choose the sub-topics first and then create objectives. The second option may seem probably weird, crazy and far-fetched for a public school teacher who plans normally the other way around. In other words, standards are in place first. So they would plan a course description or goal and then jot down specific, measurable objectives to reach those standards.
I don’t want to cloud the difference for you. We have freedom as home educators when it comes to preparing objectives or goals of a unit study. We can choose child-led learning by focusing on unit study topics and sub-topics and not objectives. Then, write our goal and objectives. This is perfectly sane, unique, and creative because you are putting the needs and interest of your family ahead of meeting standards. If however, you want to write standards for each grade and plan the other way like a public school teacher, it is fine too.
Overall, the nifty tip to being a technical teacher when you have to be and you don’t have a public school teacher background is knowing that a transition into creating objectives can be done by choosing sub-topics first.
Look at my goals and objectives on the Ocean Unit Study that I started below. I divided my objectives into 2 general grade levels.
My Goal for the Ocean Unit Study
“To provide a learning experience showing the importance of oceans to all life on our planet.”
That’s it! Easy. I could stop there because it is simple enough. But, I also want to add in “To marvel at the vastness of the ocean and the creation in it.” In other words, I want to remember that one of my goals is to build in my sons an appreciation for creation too.
Extracting Unit Study Objectives
Now, look at some of these objectives I came up with. Remember, the key to creating your objectives is to be very specific and describe what your child is expected to do by the end of the unit.
Lower/Elementary level
- Students will know the approximate size of the ocean.
- Identify the oceans of the world.
- Students will identify some animal and plant life that lives in the ocean.
- Compare and contrast the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
- Tell what coral is.
Middle/High School level
- ·Using hands-on ideas students will identify how water moves around the world.
- Build a model showing the tidal zones.
- Identify the composition of seawater, currents, tides, waves, and marine life.
- Analyze ways to protect our ocean resources.
This is certainly not all I would want to add, but I wanted you to get a running start in how you could create objectives and be technical if you ever needed to be.
{Note: If you have purchased my unit study planner, I have a comprehensive set of goal/objective pages that I will be sending to you shortly IF you emailed me after you purchased my planner to let me know that you wanted updates.}
I hope I didn’t lose you in all this. My mind goes to details of planning and I just wanted to arm you with some technical background in case you have been timid to take the leap into unit studies.
Also, I have created an easy planning page for you when you need it.
Download here Unit Study Goals & Objectives.
Understanding that you can have both goals and objectives while you savor the engaging interactive part of unit studies helps the teacher mom in all of us.
Are you going to create objectives with your unit study? I think we are just about ready to start pulling resources together now.
Hugs and love ya,
10 Days of Creating A Unit Study Together
