A Model Unit for Grade 4: Voices and Visions of the North is one book in the series Tools for Instruction and Reading Assessment. The series consists of twenty-four companion documents to Teaching to Diversity: The Three Block Model of Universal Design for Learning by Jennifer Katz.
This model unit integrates major themes from Manitoba's curricula for the first term of the grade 4 school year. The topics are "Canada's North" from the social studies curriculum with "Light" and "Sound" from the science curriculum. These are brought into other disciplines: mathematics, physical education and health, language arts, and fine arts-particularly through the lens of the multiple intelligences (MI). Differentiated activities based on MI approaches inspire diverse students and accommodate their individual learning styles. MI activity cards are included, as well as planners that outline the essential understandings, essential questions, and final inquiry projects for the unit. Rubrics, based on Bloom's taxonomy, show a progression of conceptual thinking from rote, basic understanding to synthesized, higher-order analysis. Teachers can use this model unit as a template for planning subsequent thematic units for the rest of the school year.
