Thematic Unit: Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Bees:thematic unit is a long-term investigation of a topic intended to capture and engage childrens interest and provide opportunities to develop skills and knowledge in multiple areas

Thematic Unit: Ladybugs, Butterflies, and Bees:thematic unit is a long-term investigation of a topic intended to capture and engage childrens interest and provide opportunities to develop skills and knowledge in multiple areas

As described above, a thematic unit is a long-term investigation of a topic intended to capture and engage childrens interest and provide opportunities to develop skills and knowledge in multiple areas. Typically, planning for a thematic unit represents a top-down approach, with the teacher making most or all of the decisions about how to proceed according to a general decision-making sequence that includes the following:

1. Identifying goals: learning standards and objectives to be addressed.
2. Identifying important considerations about childrens developmental and cultural characteristics, interests, and needs.
3. Selecting a topic or theme that provides opportunities to meet goals.
4. Brainstorming ideas for activities that support and connect different areas of the curriculum.
5. Creating and scheduling plans for lessons and activities.
6. Planning for a balance of individual, small-group, and large-group activities.
7. Planning for accommodations to address the needs of individual children.
8. Deciding on how to evaluate childrens learning to determine the extent to which the unit objectives and learning standards are met.
9. Preparing materials and resources.
10. Arranging the environment.
11. Making adaptations to the plan as the unit progresses based on observations about learning and interests.

Identifying goals: Learning standards and objectives to be addressed This unit was implemented by teachers of two groups of children between 3 (twelve children) and 4 years (fifteen children) of age at the time of the study. For this unit, one of the teachers (Phyllis) explained,

At this time of the year [late spring] I have been working on the early learning standards that support the childrens increasing interest in nonfiction books, beginning writing, and growing confidence as problem solvers. These kids are very good at patterns and we have been making graphs all year, so a couple of the math standards for 4s apply. Im building on their interest in friendships to create opportunities for them to work in groups. They also need practice with fine-motor skills to be ready for the increased emphasis on writing that they will be doing in their class next year.

Table 6.3 displays the state early learning standards that Phyllis has been working on.

Table 6.3 Early Learning Standards
Standard	Substandards
Approaches to Learning AL 2. Children show curiosity, eagerness, and satisfaction as learners. AL 3. Children demonstrate initiative, engagement, and persistence in learning. AL 5. Children extend their learning through the use of memory, reasoning, and problem-solving skills.	AL-3K-2.2 Demonstrate eagerness and interest as learners by responding to what they observe. AL-3K-3.3 Show ability to focus attention on favorite activities for brief periods of time (5 to 10 minutes). AL-3K-5.1 Talk about prior events and personal experiences. AL-3K-5.2 Use prior knowledge to understand new experiences.
Social and Emotional Development SE2. Children demonstrate self-control, respect, and responsibility.	SE-3K-2.2 Use classroom materials responsibly with modeling and guidance from adults.
Language and Literacy LL 1. Understanding and using literary texts LL2. Understanding and using informational texts LL3. Learning to read LL4. Developing written communication LL5. Producing written communication in a variety of forms LL6. Applying the skills of inquiry and oral communication	ELA-3K-1.1 Explore realistic books and materials in classroom centers. ELA-3K-2.1 Explore realistic books and materials in classroom centers. ELA-3K-3.1 Rehearse vocabulary by identifying familiar objects pictured in books. ELA-3K-3.19 Begin connecting text read aloud with personal experiences. ELA-3K-4.3 Tells a brief story (one or two ideas). ELA-3K-4.8 Participate in small-group reflections on recent event. ELA-3K-5-3 Identify and briefly describe important people, objects, and events in their world. ELA-3K-6.1. Ask “why” questions about things in their world. ELA-3K-6.3 Classify familiar objects by one or two observable attributes.
Mathematics M1. Mathematics processes M3. Algebra M4. Geometry M5. Measurement M6. Data analysis and probability	M-3K-1.2 Begin to make predictions based on appearance and experience. M-3K-1.5 Begin to see how similar items can be grouped together. M-3K-1.7 Show an awareness of numbers in a personally meaningful context. M-4K-3.2 Identify and copy a simple pattern. M-3K-3.4 Recognize similar objects in the environment by color, shape. or size. M-3K-4.1 Recognize simple shapes in the environment. M-3K-4.2 Match shapes in the environment. M-3K-4.3 Begin to show an understanding of the common positional words up, down, under, over, and in. M-3K-5.2 Compare the size of objects. M-3K-5.6 Begin to show awareness of time concepts. M-4K-6.1 Organize and represent data with real objects.
Physical Growth and Health PD 2. Fine motor control: Children use their fingers and hands in ways that develop hand-eye coordination, strength, control, and small-object manipulation.	PD-3K-2.2 Use hand-eye coordination to perform simple tasks.

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