Intel® Teach Program

Essentials Course

Unit Plan Template

Click on any descriptive text, then type your own.

Unit Author
First and Last Name / Debra Threlkeld
School District / Buncombe County Schools
School Name / Williams Elementary
School City, State / Swannanoa, NC
Unit Overview
Unit Title
To Decide or Not to Decide!
Unit Summary
Students will study de Bono’s Six Thinking hats, and learn the six types of thinking represented by each hat. They will practice the hats separately, and then combine the hats to solve a series of problems. The students will then design their own lesson plan to teach the hats to their parents/family. They will brainstorm a problem in their own lives and solve it using de Bono’s Hats. As a final product the students will generate a list of local or community problems that need to be resolved. They will choose a problem, use de Bono’s six thinking hats to solve it, and then do a presentation on their decision-making process.
Subject Area
Social Studies, health, guidance, and information skills
Grade Level
Grades 4-5
Approximate Time Needed
8-10 one hour lessons (2-3 months)
Unit Foundation
Targeted Content Standards and Benchmarks
Guidance:
Goal 2
The learner will IDENTIFY and USE criteria for excellence to evaluate information and formats.
Goal 3
The learner will RELATE ideas and information to life experiences.
Goal 4
The learner will EXPLORE and USE research processes to meet information needs.
Goal 5
The learner will COMMUNICATE reading, listening, and viewing experiences.
Goal 7
Acquire the attitudes, knowledge and interpersonal skills to help understand and respect self and others.
Goal 8
Make decisions, set goals, and take appropriate action to achieve goals.
Social Studies:
Gr. 5
Goal 5
The learner will evaluate ways the United States and other countries of North America make decisions about the allocation and use of economic resources.
Goal 6
The learner will evaluate how North Carolinians apply basic economic principles within the community, state, and nation.
Gr. 4:
Goal 4
The learner will analyze social and political institutions in North Carolina such as government, education, religion, and family and how they structure society, influence behavior, and response to human needs.
Health:
Gr. 5
Goal 1
The learner will develop knowledge and skills to enhance mental and emotional well-being
Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes
21st Century Skills
Creativity and Innovation:
1.  Being open and responsive to new and diverse perspectives
2.  2. Acting on creative ideas to make a tangible and useful contribution to the do main in which the innovation occurs
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
1. Exercising sound reasoning
Curriculum-Framing Questions
Essential Question / What’s right?
Unit Questions / Is there a way to make good decision?
Do the steps to making a good decision change as circumstances change?
Content Questions / Do you know what kind of thinking is needed for De Bono’s six thinking hats?
Assessment Plan
Assessment Timeline
Before project work begins / Students work on projects and complete tasks / After project work is completed
·  KWL Chart
·  Ask students to create a timeline one needs to use to make decisions. What are the steps? Do they know? / ·  Use peer feedback to check for understanding of the six hats
·  Zoomerang survey / ·  Rubric for presentations to parents
·  Rubric for assessment that students will use with parent
·  Conferencing with student after parent presentation
·  Goal setting for real world problem solving involving home or community / ·  Rubric for final presentations
·  Use wiki space to share experiences of teaching parents De Bono / ·  Conferencing with students / ·  Peer feedback
·  Self evaluation of solution to chosen problem
Assessment Summary
The teacher will assess initial knowledge of student’s decision-making abilities by using a KWL chart, and by asking students to create a timeline for making decisions.
The teacher will use a survey to assess knowledge level of de Bono’s hats
The teacher will assess student’s presentation of de Bono to family by using rubrics and student conferencing after the presentation. The conference will involve having the student self assess the presentation.
The teacher will engage the class in the use of a wiki space so that students can give feedback and self evaluate throughout the process
The teacher will guide the students in goal setting for discovering a community or local problem for the students to solve.
The teacher will use a rubric for the final presentations of each community/local problem investigated, along with peer feedback, self evaluation, and conferencing.
Unit Details
Prerequisite Skills
Powerpoint presentations
Computer keyboarding
Use of wiki spaces
Safe internet practices
Instructional Procedures
Summary:
Teacher will:
(Preview: Review safe internet practices and share how to log on to a wiki space)
1. Use a KWL chart and have students create a timeline to assess prior knowledge of decision making
2. Make initial presentation of de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats using a powerpoint presentation. Each child will be given a brochure of the six thinking hats that
3.  Actually use six colored hats throughout unit for demonstration purposes
4.  Make “mini” colored hats on straws and place in cans at each table so that students can pull out a hat when they want to use that particular type of thinking
5.  Practice the hats individually
6.  Combine the hats to begin solving a series of “practice problems”
7.  Put the hats together to begin solving real problems students have encountered at school
8.  Assist students in preparing their own De Bono lesson to present to parents. Give students class time to either create their own props, skit, poems, powerpoint, poster, etc.
9.  Work with students to help them design their own assessment of parent’s learning of the hats
10. Allow student’s time to practice with a peer before presenting to parents. (Option: students may engage their own parents in working with them to solve an actual problem that the family faces.
11. Assign timeline for presentation (2 weeks)
12. Plan a class period for student’s to self assess and share their experiences of teaching their parents with the class
13. Create a KWL chart on possible local, community, or personal problems that need to be resolved
14. Assist students in narrowing the field and choosing a problem to solve
15. Assign a timeline and rubric to help students organize their thoughts and be sure that they have gone through De Bono’s hats in a logical way to come up with a solution for their chosen problem
16. Assign 2 class periods dedicated to allowing students to work on their class presentations of the problem that they have chosen to solve and the solution that they have come up with for that problem.
17. Allow a class period for student to present their problem and the solution that they have created. Build in time for peer evaluation of solutions and discussion time.
18. Build in time for students to respond to activities via the wikispace.
Breakdown by lessons:
Day 1:
1.  Ask students if they know the steps (or questions) to making a good decision. Use a KWL to record information.
2.  Ask students if there is a particular set of questions, or an order that needs to be followed to make a good decision. Ask them how they know if they have covered all the steps to making a good decision. How do they know if they have left something out?
3.  Share with them that you know a wonderful way to make a good decision. Share with students that the Pentagon, IBM, Federal Express, governments, whole schools, etc. use six colored hats to make decisions. Introduce de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats by either using a powerpoint (see internet resources) or actually wear 6 different sport visor hats. Go over the key word associated with each hat, and the key questions you ask with each hat.
4.  Practice asking questions with each hat. For example, generate some general topics like homework, chores, candy, etc. and go through the hats.
5.  Give out a handout or brochure that summarizes the 6 hats. Homework assignment: learn the hats, the main “name” of each hat, and the question(s) that each hat asks.
Day 2:
Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction
Special Needs Students / Students with ADD ad ADHA will be give a written checklist to help facilitate organization.
Graphic organizers may be used.
Supply extra time for research or project as needed.
Nonnative Speakers / Pair student with a bilingual peer.
Gifted/Talented Students / Multiple intelligences may be integrated into final product.
Materials and Resources Required For Unit

Technology – Hardware (Click boxes of all equipment needed)

© 2008 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Page 5 of 6

Intel® Teach Program

Essentials Course

Camera
X Computer(s)
Digital Camera
DVD Player
Internet Connection / Laser Disk
Printer
Projection System
Scanner
Television / VCR
Video Camera
Video Conferencing Equip.
Other
Technology – Software (Click boxes of all software needed.)
Database/Spreadsheet
Desktop Publishing
E-mail Software
Encyclopedia on CD-ROM / Image Processing
Internet Web Browser
Multimedia / Web Page Development
Word Processing
Other

© 2000-2007 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Page 6 of 6

Intel® Teach Program

Essentials Course

Printed Materials / De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats by Dr. de Bono
Supplies / Colored construction paper (to make hats)
Straws or pop sickle sticks
Computer/printer for powerpoint
Props for skits
Internet Resources / http://themes.pppst.com/6hats.html (powerpoint presentations)
home.um.edu.mt/create/research/sixhats.ppt -
www.geocities.com/streetwisemarketer/six-thinking-hats
schoolnet.gov.mt/tsmiddle/lesson_material.htm
http://debonoforschools.com
http://www.njouba.com/six-thinking-hats-ebook.html
http://www.debonoforschools.com/asp/fr_free_resources_intro.asp
Other Resources

Programs of the Intel® Education Initiative are funded by the Intel Foundation and Intel Corporation.

Copyright © 2007, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved. Intel, the Intel logo, Intel Education Initiative,and Intel Teach Program are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.*Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

© 2000-2007 Intel Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Page 6 of 6