Wiki and PodcastingSharing Expertise of Designing
Standard-Based Thematic Units
Yan Wang
Dixie Elementary Magnet School, [email protected]
Topics vs. Themes
1. Food
2. How so I stay Healthy
3. School
4. Who are my friends at school
5. Transportation
6. My trip to China
Move from a topic to Theme
• A theme is a richer basis for a unit, one that has greater potential for meaning and purpose.
• While a topic usually involves just a loose collection of ideas, a theme suggests a “big idea” and a focused collection of ideas.
• It provides a goal or a destination for the learning, resulting in a planned culminating activity.
are designed using content as the organizing principle. Vocabulary, structures, and cultural information are included as they relate to the themes in each unit.
(Teaching Foreign Languages (TFL ) K-12 )
Thematic Units
Please talk with someone beside you :
What unit or lesson do you teach this week?
Is it a thematic unit ? Why it is or why it is not?
Planning a Thematic Unit
Content (Connections)
Language in use
(communications)Cultures
Thematic Center
Planning a Thematic Unit
Assessment(Communication, culture, comparison, connection,
Community
Content( Connections)
Language in use(Communication &
Comparison)
Cultures(Culture & Comparison)
Thematic Center(Essential
Questions )
Steps of planning a thematic unit
Identify sources
of outcomes
Choose a
thematic center/unit focus
Develop an enduring
understanding and an
essential/focus question
Brainstorm/develop a
web of potential
outcomes, content
and activities
Characteristics of thematic units
1. incorporate real life situations in instruction.
2. integrate all four language skills communicatively.
3. provide opportunities for students to use the target language in meaningful contexts and in new and complex ways
4. use corporative learning. 5. apply project-based learning.6. Easy to apply 5 C’s.
Wiki and Podcasting
Thematic Units employ authentic video, audio, and written texts related to a theme-level topic to place learners in an interactive virtual environment that not only teaches and evaluates but also reproduces situations and activities that will enhance their ability to utilize language skills related to relevant, contemporary issues.
Wiki is a place to gather all materials in a website as a storage.
Websites
http://wanglaoshi.wikispaces.com
http://staff.fcps.net/yxwang
http://ischool.fcps.net