Science and Social Studies lessons can be so fun and engaging for students! By taking a little time to plan out your units, you can make sure that your students receive some great instruction in these two subjects! Read on to see how I unit plan for science and social studies in my self-contained classroom!
Creating a Plan for the Year
The first step in unit planning is to decide WHAT you are going to teach! If you are a self-contained teacher, you likely teach students for multiple years. This allows you to plan to focus on one grade level’s standards each school year. For example, I teach grades 3 – 5. So, I teach 3rd grade standards/units one year, 4th the next year, then 5th, and then go back to 3rd. This means that over the course of three years in my classroom, each student will receive all of the lessons for each grade level (even if they are not in the exact order).
Next, decide WHEN you will teach each unit. My school has three trimesters, and I alternate between science and one social studies unit during each, so I need to develop multiple units of each subject for the year. By using the school calendar and taking into account trips and other special activities, I am able to determine how much time I can allot for every unit. Usually, I plan for 10 – 15 school days for each topic.
Here is an example of my planning chart:
Unit Planning for Each Topic
After determining what units you will teach during different parts of the year, you can get into the specifics of how each unit will go!
Social Studies Unit Planning
For Social Studies, I start by consulting the general education curriculum for each unit, then adapt it as needed. For example, one of my school’s fourth grade units teaches all about the regions and land features of our state. I took the main idea of that unit and added activities that are more relevant to my class, such as identifying our town and other landmarks on a map.
Planning Science Units for Tested Grades
For science, I plan a little bit differently. In my state fifth graders must take a standardized assessment in science. Therefore, I use the DLM standards for Science each year. The DLM standards align with the grade-level standards. So, I can supplement our DLM-based science lessons with activities that are similar to what our gen-ed peers are doing in class.
Science and Social Studies Resources
After planning out what to teach, I build my units with materials and resources. Here are a few of my go-to places to find supplemental subject matter that is engaging for my students!
Simply Special Ed
Simply Special Ed has a ton of science and social studies resources, including leveled passages, adapted books, and file folder activities. I also like using some of the Simple Comprehension stories during my units! For example, I use the story “Let’s Be Healthy” from the October Simple Comprehension Bundle during my science unit on nutrition and exercise. The story “Community Helpers” from the November set fits in with my state-themed Social Studies lessons!
Epic.com
Epic is an online e-book library that is totally free for teachers! The website has over 40,000 books and videos on a ton of topics. When I am planning a unit, such as weather, I enter the topic into the search bar, adjust the reading level, and the site shows me a bunch of great resources to use. I love using these books to introduce and reinforce concepts.
Mystery Science
Mystery Science is a great resource for hands-on science lessons and videos! My school has a subscription to the site, but Mystery Science offers free trials so you can give the interactive lessons a try with your class.
By doing a little unit planning ahead of time, you can ensure that you will hit the science and social studies standards your students need AND have some fun, engaging lessons along the way. What are your favorite topics to teach in science and social studies? Share your favorite units in a comment!
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