“How do you make your creative thematic units? I want to create lessons connected to real-world phenomena, problems, and solutions, but listen, Claire, you need to know something…”
- “I’m not creative enough…”
- “I don’t have enough background knowledge to figure out connections between things…”
- “I don’t have a lot of time to lesson plan…”
- “I have to prepare my kids for district exams coming up…”
Ooooo, and what about this one? This one is a biggie (and one we often keep shamefully hidden away from other teachers)…
- “I don’t even understand or know how to wrap my mind around the NGSS standards…!”
Mhmmmm… am I reading anybody’s mind right now? Good.
Because EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. of those bullet points I just mentioned is so normal and so universally experienced by science teachers everywhere. Please know, you are absolutely not alone in all your “ifs,” “ands,” and “yeah buts” when it comes to incorporating more real-world phenomena, problems, and solutions in your science lessons…
In fact, many of those concerns you just expressed were once thoughts I had myself. And you see how incorrect an assumption all that turned out to be.
So listen, this blog post will be a bit shorter than usual because, as you know from this website, I am someone who is all about the showing and less about the telling.
In a moment, I’m going to give you access to some of my BEST and most INNOVATIVE curriculum design strategies to help you see that you are far MORE capable of designing and implementing your own exhilarating, supercharged phenomenon-based curriculum than you even know!
So, why am I so keen to spill all my secrets and best curriculum hacks with you??
Because, at the end of the day, I firmly believe that when teachers and students are both enthusiastic and bought into classroom lessons- that is what will keep teachers in the classroom more than anything else- more than decreasing class sizes, more than providing more supplies to the school, and even more than a salary increase (ehhh… okay, that one might be a stretch).
I say that because, while things like decreasing class sizes and purchasing supplies are all well and good, what I believe is really causing teachers to leave the profession today is that most of their time at school is spent trying to convince kids to care about their lessons.
Because if you have never taught a class before in your life, let me just tell you- that whole “getting students to care about your lesson” task is draining to a level that is not even describable.
Consider it another way… Imagine you are standing in front of a class full of students. And you are teaching a lesson on a subject you are incredibly passionate about. And that enthusiasm has just transferred to your students. And now your students are engaged and curious and want to learn more. They’re brimming with questions and bowling you over with all their “What if this…” and “What if that..” scenarios. You then have them work in teams to brainstorm through the issues and challenges you pose in your lesson. They have brilliant “aha” moments, and the classroom is abuzz with an atmosphere of accomplishment and pride.
If that was your classroom… would class size, lack of supplies, or even salary hold you back from staying in teaching? Probably not.
As teachers, we absolutely need to feel like our lessons matter. We need to feel like we’re moving hearts and changing minds. We need to feel like all the time, resources, and emotional investment we’ve poured into our students is worth it. And we need it as badly as districts need to hire a fleet of personnel strictly dedicated to unjamming copiers in the morning! (Shout out to all my 6:30 a.m. copier room teacher buddies out there!)
So, all that to say, that’s why it’s important to me to share as many tips and tricks and tools and hacks as I can with you about effective curriculum design so you too can dig into the riches of exhilarating lessons and bought-in students.
Not to mention, we ALL know that, at the end of the day, it’s the home-cooked lessons that are always the best 😉
So, if you’d like to download my FREE “How to Design Your Own Phenomenon-Based Curriculum” guidebook, just keep scrolling!
In this action-packed guidebook you’ll find my 5-step-thematic-unit-kickstarter framework that will help you apply some of my best and most innovative curriculum design strategies, so you too can experience the riches of exhilarating science lessons and bought-in students!
Check it out below!
