Curriculum Design and The Unit Work List

Curriculum Design and the Unit Work List
Curriculum
Design and the
Unit Work List
Andrew Fons’ Teacher Leadership Project

New Designs Charter School
USC Fullerton Online Teacher Induction Program
Good afternoon, and welcome to our Friday professional development. Today, I will
be doing a presentation about Curriculum Design and the Unit Work List. This
presentation is a part of my Teacher Leadership Project for my induction program at
USC Fullerton.
Andrew Fons 1
Presentation Objectives
• The objective of this presentation is to communicate to teachers a process for

creating a multifunctional curriculum map that is also designed for students and
parents to track their academic progress.
• The goal is to have more teachers unified on a progress monitoring system, so
progress tracking is more accessible and simpler to analyze across different subjects.
• Through this presentation, I am working on the following skills:
• NBPTS Proposition 4: Teachers think systematically about their practices and
learn from experience.
• Teacher Leader Model Standards Domain 4: Facilitates Improvements in
Instruction and Student Learning
[read as is]
Andrew Fons 2
Educational • Do you have trouble with any of the • What if…

following?
Hook, Inquiry • Students refuse to write down
• What if we gave the students a
playlist of all their assignment?
Questions their assignments and tasks?
• Students not knowing what
• What if students tracked their
progress on that playlist?
assignment that they need to • What if we have students
do or makeup? record their current grade
• Students not holding every week, so they can see
themselves accountable for their grades changing?
their own academic success? • What if we have parents sign
• Students always asking, “What these grades every week?
is my grade?” • What if we could put all these
• Parents not knowing their ideas together?
student’s grades?
[read as is]
Andrew Fons 3
The Unit Work List
• What if we could put all these ideas

together?
• I would like to propose a different way
of organizing your curriculums with a
document I call the “Unit Work List”
What if we could put all these ideas together? What if we took all the different
systems that we have in place, and combine them onto a single document that is
student accessible ?
Andrew Fons 4
What is the Unit Work

List?
• In short, the unit work list is:

• A curriculum map
• A student planner for the
academic year
• A playlist of all your graded
assignments
• A way to track student progress
and student growth
• A way to communicate with
parents
The student work list functions as the combination of multiple ideas at the same
time. It is a simplified version of your curriculum map. In the hands of a student, it is
a planner for the academic year. It is also a listing, or a playlist, of the assignment that
you will give that will count for a grade in PowerSchool.
By consolidating these ideas onto a single document, the document then also
becomes a way for you and your students to track student progress and academic
growth. And as an extra bonus, this document is a method of communication with
parents.
Andrew Fons 5
Culminating Activity/Question #1
• At the end of this presentation, you will create a
Unit Work List for your own class.
• You can make a single page version for a single unit.
• Please complete this Google Form so I have
preliminary intel about what material your unit
work list will cover.
• https://forms.gle/HcvcUvxaepBYqpPp7
As part of my teacher leadership project, I need to collect evidence from my

audience. At the end of this presentation, you will create a Unit Work List for your
own class. The unit work list you create can be a single page version for a single unit.
Please complete this Google Form so I have preliminary intel about what material
your unit work list will cover. You do not have to commit to the unit you indicate on
this forum. The unit you create can be for a unit you will be teaching next, or it can be
from a unit in the past that you have already taught. This is only an exercise to
practice the creation process of a unit work list for your classroom.
Andrew Fons 6
The Evolution of the

Unit Work List
To provide you with some context as to how the unit work list came into existence, I
want to take you back in time and show you how my years of teaching has created
and evolved how I design and pace my curriculum.
Andrew Fons 7

Unit Work List
• The List of Topics, by week
In my first year of teaching, I only worked with a simple list f topics, and which weeks
I would be teaching these topics. It was a simple document that also included
important dates, such as holiday breaks and finals week. But as the first year
progressed, this document proved to be inadequate in planning for rigorous academic
content.
Andrew Fons 8

Unit Work List
• Every Day Planned
So, the next year, I created a simple grid so I could plan out each day. Everything was
done in pencil, and there were numerous changes throughout the year. I also had
blank copies created for the students. Each student got a blank copy of this grid to
write down their homework each day in an organized manner.
This was a highly successful process that I used for multiple years, but it did waste a
lot of time in class. It also did no incorporate the weekly grade checks. Which bring us
to…
Andrew Fons 9

Unit Work List
• The Unit Work List, the current version
my students are using
…the version my students are using this year. This year, in my fifth year of teaching, I
needed a more comprehensive document that would be useful for students earning
independently.
Edmentum was the primary source for my assignments, but I needed a way to
communicate to students the pace they should be completing these assignments,
especially if they were not attending my Zoom classes. The version you are looking at
now is the version my students are using this year.
In this version, students see all of their assignment they will be doing and when those
assignments are due. This version also incorporates a weekly grade check and a
weekly parent signature, so parents are routinely informed about their child’s
progress.
Andrew Fons 10

Unit Work List
• The Unit Work List, the current version
my students are using
• There is still room for improvement
• The Unit Work List, The Best Version
• The Unit Work List, Blank Copy
After using the unit work list for 7 months, some minor changes needed to be made
to make it even better. Here you see the Unit Work list in its best version. Some of the
minor changes include more specific instruction at the bottom, a row of week dates
on the top, and better descriptions in the title columns.
On this page are two links, the first is one filled in with the assignments for 8th grade
mathematics for the entire academic year. The second link is a blank copy that you
need to download so you can create your own unit work list. The dates for this blank
copy are still based on this academic year (2021-2022). This link is repeated again
later in the presentation, and I am inserting this file into the Zoom chat now.
Let’s take a moment to pause to address any question you might have at this time.
Andrew Fons 11
The Benefits of the Unit Work List:

In your classroom As an entire grade
Monitor student Identify students
who are struggling
completion of in a single subject
grades verses all subjects
Councilors can
Progress of grade Visual Aid for
Reaching out to assess student
changes from parent
parents conferences
progress and work
week to week habits
EL staff can
RSP staff can
Consolidating Emotional support specific
reference
documents Wellbeing topics
assignments and
current topics
Now this next part is going to sound more like a sales pitch.
There are many benefits of adapting the unit work list into your classroom. From what I have
witnessed in my classroom from using it this year, I was able to monitor student completion
of grades, and enable student to monitor their own grades. The students and I could witness
the progress of grade changes from week to week. We could see when students' grades were
increasing because they were completing work, and when they dropped because they were
falling behind. The process of giving students their grades every Friday also allowed me to
work one-on-one with every student to discuss their progress and emotional wellbeing. This
document also consolidated a lot of documents and procedures in my classroom, making it
easier for me to do my job as a teacher. And this document allowed me to reach out to
parents and keep them informed in a non-intrusive way.
But what if an entire grade level uses the unit work list in their classrooms? Hypothetically,
we would be bale to identify students who are struggling in a single subject verses all
subjects. The councilors can assess student progress and work habits beyond just looking at
their overall grade in PowerSchool. The EL staff can reference assignments and current
topics, and the RSP staff can support specific topics. But more importantly, the support staff
are able to see the assignments that will be covered in the future, and they can plan to
support teacher more effectively, rather than only reacting to topics after they have been
Andrew Fons 12
taught. And this can also serve as a visual aid for parent conferences by providing more
details to parents about a student’s work habits and academic progress.
These are just some of the benefits of this document and improving our levels of
communication to students and parents. Your results might vary in your own classroom and
for different subjects.
Andrew Fons 12
Flexibility
• Backwards Planning taken to the next level
• Delaying assignments is easy
• Sometimes the students complete the assignments early, that is rarely a bad thing
• Assigning work early
• The creation of the unit work list allows assignment to be completed early, and at the student
pace.
• Canceling or replacing assignments
• Student were easily able to scratch out and replace assignments as needed
• Supplemental assignment
• Adding additional assignments to support student learning is possible
• If it is not going to affect the students’ grades, they it probably doesn’t need to be on the Unit
Work List
• Creating the entire document verses one page at a time
• Creating the who thing, but only giving one page at a time to student allows you to keep the
distant future flexible for modifications
Now, many of you might be asking yourself, “Mr. Fons, why would I want to use this
and commit to such a rigid plan for my classroom?” Although the Unit work list does
solidify your plans for your subject, it is not an absolute document.
Students can easily follow your instructions in modifying the document. If you need
to delay or accelerate the due date of an assignment, you simply tell the students to
write down a new due date in the same box as that assignment. Canceling or
replacing an assignment is as easy as telling student to cross out the assignment and
writing in the new assignment under the old text. Adding supplementally
assignments to your lessons is still possible, and it is will count for a grade, then it can
be squeezed in at the bottom of the page, where there is usually lots of room.
Although if it is not going to affect the students’ grades, they it probably doesn’t need
to be on the unit work list.
The greatest form of flexibility is that you can create the document at your pace. For
my class, I created the entire academic year, but you don’t have to do that. You could
create it in pieces based on the 6-week grading periods or based on each individual
unit. That choice is yours. The success of the unit work list comes from giving the
students the document BEFORE you begin the unit, so the students are fully aware of
Andrew Fons 13
everything they need to complete.
Andrew Fons 13
Analyzing some sample

Unit Work Lists
There are both immediate benefits and long-term benefits from using the unit work
list. One of those long-term benefits is data analysis of the students’ academic
abilities. In this next section of my presentation, we will be doing some data analysis
of completed unit work lists.
Andrew Fons 14
Completed Unit Work Lists from 3 Students
Here we see the completed versions of unit work list by 3 students, with their names
redacted. It is worth noting at this time that students are allowed to redo work in my
class.
The first image is showing us a student who is completing their work, mastering
topics on usually their first attempt. However, we can see they did really poorly on
their posttest in week 6, causing their grade to drop.
The second image is showing us a student who is struggling to complete their work,
often taking multiple attempts to master each assignment. Through their hard work
and dedication, they are able to have a passing grade in my class as of week 6.
The third image is showing us a student who is completing their work, needing a few
retries on their assignments. Out of these three students, they did the best on the
posttest in week six and ended the first 6-week grading period with the highest
grade.
The unit work list, and the students writing down their scores each time they redo an
assignment and giving us insight about the level of dedication each student has, and
Andrew Fons 15
the amount of effort they are willing to put into my class. What other insights do you
notice when you look and compare these three students?
Andrew Fons 15
Progress • On the next slide are the pages of a Unit

Work List for a single student from the
Monitoring beginning of the year until about 3 weeks
ago.
Question #1 • What conclusions can we infer about this

student’s academic progress?
• Work Habits?
• Grade changes from week to week?
• Willingness to improve their grade?
• Changes from semester 1 to semester 2?
• Any other observations?
[read as is]
Andrew Fons 16
Progress
Monitoring
Question #1
• Here are the pages of a Unit Work List for

a single student.
• What conclusions can we infer about this
student’s academic progress?
• Work Habits?
• Grade changes from week to week?
• Willingness to improve their grade?
• Changes from semester 1 to semester 2?
• Any other observations?
Give yourself a few moments to look over this student’s unit work list. The top three
images are from the fall semester. The bottom two images are for this current spring
semester.
What are some insights you can see about this student and their academic work
ethic?
“The students did very well in the first semester but struggled with some of the post
tests. The second semester shows significant improvement. Even though they
finished the first semester with an A, they improved their work habits and are
performing higher in semester 2.”
Andrew Fons 17
How to create your own

Unit Work List

audience. We are approaching the end of this presentation, so you will soon create a
Unit Work List for your own class. Let’s discuss the process of creating a unit work list.
Andrew Fons 18
Create your own Unit Work List, Research

The Unit Work List, Blank Copy 2021-2022
• Start with the school calendar
• Add important, unchangeable dates, such as breaks, days off, state testing, and finals
• Each page represents a 6-week grading period, the same grading periods the school uses
• Go to your CCSS, and identify your core standards verses your supplementary
standards
• Go to your primary educational resources, such as Edmentum, SpringBoard, and
your textbooks.
• Cross-reference your stand standards to your primary educational resources
• Go to your secondary educational resources, such as BrainPOP, Flocabulary, and
Kahoot
• Think about how these tools will support your primary educational resources
The initial steps of creating an effective unit work list are the same steps for creating
a curriculum map. This mindset is also the same you use for backwards planning a
unit.
[read as is]
With all of these ideas fresh in your mind, you then list out the assignments you will
give the students.
Andrew Fons 19
Create your own Unit Work List, Completion

• Fill in your assignments into the Unit Work List
• Make sure the names of the assignments are the same as what the students
will see.
• [extra] Enter your assignments into PowerSchool, and make sure the names
of the assignments are the same.
This list of assignment will turn into your unit work list.
[read as is]
Andrew Fons 20
Create your own Unit Work List, Submission

• Please email your Unit Work List to
andrew.fons@newdeignscharter.net so I have tangible evidence
that you attended my presentation.
• I am not an administrator, so I will not be forwarding these to our
admin team.

audience. If you are not able to upload your unit work list to the Google Form on the
next slide, you can email it to me directly. This is only an exercise in creating a unit
work list, so it does not need to be perfect.
Andrew Fons 21
Culminating Activity/Question #2
• Please use this time to create a Unit Work List
• You can make and submit a single page
version for a single unit
• Please complete this feedback survey/quiz on
Google Forms once you are done creating your
Unit Work List
• https://forms.gle/FMsfw61CQcPQm1sdA
[read as is]
The Google Form can be attempted multiple times, and you can go back and edit
your answers if you get a question incorrect.
I know I am asking for a lost of data and information from you, so thank you again for
participating and engaging in my teacher leadership project.
Andrew Fons 22
Progress • How would you change or modify the

unit work list?
Monitoring • What do you like about it?
• What parts seem unnecessary?
Question #2 • What is missing?
Now that you have seen and created a Unit Work List, what are your opinions about
it?
Andrew Fons 23
Thank you for

your
participation
[read as is]
Andrew Fons 24

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Curriculum Design and the Unit Work List

Andrew Fons’ Teacher Leadership Project

• The objective of this presentation is to communicate to teachers a process for

Educational • Do you have trouble with any of the • What if…

The Unit Work List

• What if we could put all these ideas

What is the Unit Work

• In short, the unit work list is:

As part of my teacher leadership project, I need to collect evidence from my

The Evolution of the

The Evolution of the

The Evolution of the

The Evolution of the

The Evolution of the

• The Unit Work List, The Best Version

• The Unit Work List, Blank Copy

The Benefits of the Unit Work List:

everything they need to complete.

Analyzing some sample

Completed Unit Work Lists from 3 Students

Progress • On the next slide are the pages of a Unit

Question #1 • What conclusions can we infer about this

• Here are the pages of a Unit Work List for

How to create your own

As part of my teacher leadership project, I need to collect evidence from my

Create your own Unit Work List, Research

Create your own Unit Work List, Completion

Create your own Unit Work List, Submission

As part of my teacher leadership project, I need to collect evidence from my

Progress • How would you change or modify the

Question #2 • What is missing?

Thank you for

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