Self Reflection of Teacher Leadership in Curriculum

This has been an intensive learning experience within the area of curriculum. I have been challenged to think deeply about my mission as a teacher and coach. I have learned to articulate my mission and defend my practices with learning theories, as well as create a unit plan that puts my mission into action. I have refined my professional voice. The process was often tedious however it helped me to recognize and name purpose in my instruction. The collaborative work done with my partner on this project has proven my theory that collaboration is the key to best instruction. The process of creating a unit plan according to Grant Wiggins Understanding by Design was both enlightening and challenging. I would like to further explore the use of it and see how it unfolds in my instruction.

In my opinion, the curriculum Mary and I wrote is internally coherent and representative of our individual missions.

We began with our goals by asking ourselves some questions. What is the purpose of this unit? What is the big picture? What do we want our students to understand, to know, to be able to do? After establishing our goals, we simultaneously formed the essential questions and understanding for the unit, being sure to link them back to the goals. We explored essential questions used by educators in the past and revised them to suit the needs of our students and our envisioned learning outcomes. Our list of understandings informed us as to what our students should know which in turn helped us develop our list of what our students should be able to do. Our work was cyclical. All parts connect both to what comes before it as well as what comes after it.

This idea of working cyclically ensured coherence throughout the entire unit plan. Our evidence – what would be acceptable work – was based on our goals, EQs, understanding, knowledge, and what we expected the students to be able to do. Assessment connects to the goals in the same way the goals connect to the assessment.

The lessons literally fell into place because our results and acceptable evidence of understanding were clearly defined. At the core of each lesson are the goals and essential questions. Once again, each stage aligns with the one before and the one after to create a unified learning plan.

To further illustrate the idea of internal coherence, let us use an example from our unit plan: Finding History in Historical Fiction. On Day 3, one of our goals was to build a knowledge base of a specific time in history to support and enhance the comprehension of historical fiction. This connects directly to our essential question: How do historical artifacts help us understand stories? In order to answer this EQ and achieve the goal, students must understand that objects enhance our ability to envision history. Knowledge of what artifacts are, and how they are used by historians, will aid in the aforementioned understanding which enables students to connect the artifact to the story and explain its relevance historically speaking.


My role as a library media specialist is to coordinate an integrated program of library and information skills instruction for my students. I strive to cultivate a love of literature as well as the information literacy skills needed to satisfy inquiry. I believe that this unit clearly aligns itself to my mission as a Library Media Specialist. This unit blends both literature and information literacy skills. The use of historical fiction fits in both aspects of my mission.