Based on my readings for this week, I think that stage 1 of my unit plan needs to include more questions and activities to guide the students towards a better understanding of the lesson. For example, some essential questions in my unit could include “How do good readers approach a poem that they do not understand?” or “How do the poetical devices used in these poems effectively convey meaning to the reader?”.
As for activities, the Understanding by Design article mentioned a method for teaching vocabulary that involved all three elements of AMT learning. Give students a list of vocabulary terms as “Acquisition,” then try to obtain better “Meaning” by making word maps or pointing out correct/incorrect uses of the words in example papers or sentences, and then have the students “Transfer” their new knowledge by practicing using the words in examples.
Monica G 