Thematic+Unit+Takeaways

The most important idea I took from Tchudi & Mithcell's chapter on Creating Instructional Units was that a good thematic unit offers a variety of activities (writing, speaking, research, reading) for students without limiting what kind of materials are used or methods of response. This really made me think about how I can vary the activities I use in my unit. For the chapter on theme, the authors' emphasis on good themes causing students to think in new ways and generate questions worthy of exploration was most valuable to me. I really want my students to approach the content in a new way even if they already know something about it.