The Composition of a Source Unit
The Composition of a Source Unit
The five parts
- A statement of the major objectives the unit aims to reach.
- A description of a variety of learning experiences to achieve them.
- Culminating experiences that help learners integrate and organize what they learned.
- A list of source materials and resources.
- The expected level of development of the major organizing elements.
A source unit is not a loose pile of materials. It has a definite composition, five parts that fit together so a teacher can use it well. Knowing the five parts is knowing how to build one.
| # | Part | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Major objectives | States what the unit aims to reach |
| 2 | Variety of experiences | Offers many ways to reach the objectives |
| 3 | Culminating experiences | Helps learners integrate what they learned |
| 4 | Source materials | Lists books, media, and other resources |
| 5 | Expected level of development | Sets how far each element should go |
The first three parts
Part 1 is a statement of major objectives expected to be obtained from the learning experiences outlined. These objectives and the experiences that reach them live in the same document on purpose, because the objectives are attained by going through the experiences proposed in the unit.
Part 2 is a description of a variety of learning experiences to achieve the given objectives. The key word is variety: the unit offers a wide collection of experiences, because one objective can be reached by many experiences and one experience can serve many objectives. The numbers of objectives and experiences can vary, but there must be a rich collection so teachers can pick what fits their group.
Part 3 is an outline, in detail, of culminating experiences that help learners, at the end, to integrate and organize what they have learned from the unit. After working through the experiences, learners need concluding activities that let them pull the pieces together, organize them, and describe what they learned. These culminating experiences are also where a teacher can see how far the objectives were actually reached.
They help learners integrate and organize what they learned at the end of the unit
After working through the experiences, learners need concluding activities to pull the pieces together and describe their learning. They also show the teacher how far the objectives were reached.
The last two parts
Part 4 is a list of source materials or resources helpful in developing the unit. This includes books and other reference materials, and media such as slides, videos, pictures, radio programs, and recordings. The list gives teachers the raw materials to build their lessons.
Part 5 is the expected level of development of the major elements that act as the organizing elements in the curriculum. For each concept, skill, or disposition, the unit states how far learners are expected to develop it. This is necessary for two reasons:
- To prevent useless duplication, so the same thing is not taught again at the same level elsewhere.
- To avoid undue omission or big gaps in learner development, so nothing important is skipped.
Setting the expected level of development saves time and keeps the curriculum organized, supporting good sequence, continuity, and integration, and making sure no gap is left in a learner’s growth of a concept, skill, or disposition.
A list of source materials, and the expected level of development of each element
Materials include books, slides, videos, and recordings. The expected level of development, for each concept or skill, prevents duplication and avoids gaps in learner growth.
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