These units were written during the Summer Curriculum Writing Institute* (SCWI) at Trinity University beginning in 2005 and are added to at the close of the Institute each year. They use the Understanding by Design framework developed by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe. Note that earlier units use the UbD original template, while many newer units utilize the 2.0 version. We hope units are useful to teachers developing curriculum globally. If you have any questions about this site, contact Dr. Laura Allen, SCWI Coordinator, at lallen@trinity.edu.

For more information, please see Connecting the Continuum: A University-based Induction Program to Improve Teacher Quality.

*SCWI is an induction support program that invites graduates of Trinity University’s MAT program back to campus for one week each summer to write curriculum for their own classrooms. Participants are paid a stipend for attending and travel and receive 30 CPE hours.

These works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Creative Commons License

To submit, please click here

Follow


Submissions from 2019

PDF

Understanding Poetry: 5th Grade Introduction to Writing Poetry, Samantha Bos and Jackie Jaramillo

PDF

5th Grade Adaptation, Michael Carroll

PDF

Innovative Empires, Marisa C. Cavin

File

High School Physics Electricity Unit, Beverly Chatfield

PDF

AP Studio Art - Beginning the Sustained Investigation, Hannah Cone

PDF

AP Physics: Modeling with Computer Simulations, Maxwell Vincent Fazio

PDF

Follow Me to Pre-K: Students Learning to Interact in Their New Environment, Emily Hall

PDF

La frontera y la comunicación: How Language Influences Our Identity, Josie Hammons and Claudia Fernanda Ramirez

PDF

Sharing Stories: An Introduction to Literary Writing and Analysis (9th grade), Talia Howard

PDF

Untold Stories of American History, Sarah Hudson and Zachary Wilson

PDF

Weaving the Threads of the Global Tapestry, Melendy Jacobie and Gretchen Wickes

PDF

Culture and Identity in Novels Centered Around Women of Color, Blake R. Keeling

PDF

Organ-izing the Human Body System [7th Grade], Aly Kirchhof

Link

What Causes Revolt? [7th grade Texas History], Grace Marengo Sanchez

PDF

Introduction to IB Language and Literature: Storytellers and the Single Story, Savannah McDonough and Megan Day

PDF

The Story of Periodicity: An Exploration of Sam Kean’s The Disappearing Spoon for Chemistry and English, Elizabeth Muire and Kay Newsome

PDF

Investigating Atoms and the Periodic Table, Yvette Muniz

PDF

Flour and Fractions (Making Fractions Fun in 4th Grade), Elle V. Norman

File

Greek Mythology: Understanding the Allusions, Heather M. Patillo

PDF

Creating Change: The Civil Rights Movement, Melissa Robertson

PDF

Thinking Geographically Mapping Portfolio, Dalynn Robinson and Blake R. Keeling

PDF

Survey Says: Graphing and Data Analysis (3rd grade), Shayna Rosenthal and Courtney Gold

PDF

Community Helpers (Pre-Kindergarten), Michele Saenz and Leslie Davenport

File

Highly...Logical: Remedial Pre-Algebra (Grade 9), Andrew Sanchez and Amy R. Thomson

File

U.S. History Westward Expansion - Gilded Age: Developments of Power, Anthony Sanchez

PDF

Fiction/ Nonfiction Writing, Grades 1-2, Lisa Schmidt and Samara Sance

PDF

Our Roots, Our Branches: Listening and Writing to Tell a School's Story, Michael Shay

PDF

First Week Intro: Growth and Vulnerability (10th grade AP World History and English II), Ileana Sherry

PDF

AP United States History: Period 4 (1800-1848), Kelsey Toms

PDF

Exploration and Colonization (and Organization!), Samantha Vogel and Monica N.C. Mendiola

PDF

Ancient Civilizations: Create Your Own, Waynne Warren

PDF

Early Civilizations: Create Your Own, Waynne Warren

PDF

Looking Up! What is our place in the universe? - An Astronomy UbD for 8th Grade, Miguel Angel Webber

PDF

Evaluating Functions and their Domain and Range - 8th/9th grade Algebra, Melanie R. Webb

PDF

The Untold Stories Project, Zachary Wilson and Sarah Hudson

Submissions from 2018

PDF

Addition and Subtraction Review with a Purpose, Samantha Bos and Jackie Jaramillo

PDF

Writing- Our First Grade Community, Jeanine Capitani and Harliv Kaur

PDF

Epic Natural and Anthropogenic Disasters (grade 9), Marisa C. Cavin

PDF

Poiesis: Bringing Our Stories Into Being Through Poetry, Emily B. Delgado and Regina M. Valdez

PDF

Tu día en la escuela (Your day at school), Merida Elizondo and Kara Hargrove

File

The Ethics and Rhetoric of the #MeToo Movement, Krissy Ford and Rachel Bellande

File

The March for Social Justice: Historical Demand for Progress Effected Through Powerful Rhetoric, Kate Foster and Catherine Polk

PDF

Sharing Stories: Writing a Personal Narrative, 1st grade, Emily Hall

PDF

Nuestro Pobre Planeta - 12th grade Spanish, Josie Hammons

PDF

La ropa y Los colores, Haley Hansen

Link

Exploring Identity and the Communities We Live In, Lauren Hickey-Garcia and Alyssa Cerroni

PDF

The "Middle" Ages [7th grade World History], KATELYN JENSEN

PDF

Life as a 3rd Grade Poet, Anastasia Lorestani Kiesling and Karen Lynn Sanchez

PDF

Truss Bridge Construction Project, High School Geometry, Dayton King

PDF

Migration, Communities, and Culture [3rd Grade], Megan King

PDF

Shapin' Up in 1st Grade [1st Grade Geometry - Shapes 2D & 3D Unit], Aly Kirchhof

PDF

Middle School Theatre Arts: Collaborative Play Production, Kasey Korth-Piles and Chandra Tarro

PDF

Hall of Fame Scientists: Exploring identity through the examples of famous scientists using biology and English, Si Ying Li and Ileana Sherry

PDF

Analyzing Financial Markets, Raphael Macapinlac

PDF

“A Pleasure to Burn”: Introduction to IB Language and Literature through Fahrenheit 451, Savannah McDonough

PDF

Market PBL: A Cross-Curricular Exploration of Technological Innovation in Pre-Modern Civilizations, Elizabeth Muire, M. Melendy Jacobie, Kay Newsome, Lisa Stuckey, and Blake Keeling

PDF

Tell Me Why: A Persuasive Writing Unit for 4th-6th grade, Elle V. Norman

PDF

Biographies: Telling Others' Stories, Shayna Rosenthal and Courtney Gold

File

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Amy R. Thomson and Heather M. Patillo

PDF

Constitution - Rights & Responsibilities, Samantha Vogel and Monica NC Mendiola

PDF

Transformations - 8th Grade Math, Melanie R. Webb

PDF

Who Is Texas? Exploring Dominant and Overlooked Stories about The Lone Star State, Zachary Wilson

Submissions from 2017

PDF

The Kite Runner (11th grade), Alice Bilbrey

PDF

The Chemistry of Making Soap: Chemical and Physical Changes in 6th Grade Science, Samantha Bos

PDF

Forces and Motion (Rube Goldberg PBL), Joy Lindig Brush

PDF

Becoming Critical Analyzers of Data, 6th Grade Math, Claudia Cardenas

PDF

World Religions, Marisa C. Cavin

File

Theories Of Politics and Democratic Underpinnings Of The American Constitution, Alex Decker

PDF

Una celebración con la familia (A family celebration) (7th-9th grade), Merida Elizondo and Kara Hargrove

PDF

Language and the Manipulation of Truth, Krissy Ford and Rachel Bellande

PDF

Freak the Mighty: A Quest Through Friendship, Renee E. Gerald

PDF

La tecnología ha evolucionado (12th grade), Josie Hammons

PDF

Confianza en mis habilidades (9th-11th grade), Haley Hansen

PDF

Are the Oceans in Trouble? (8th Grade), Elizabeth Hernandez

PDF

Intro to Geography Concepts and Skills, Angela Juarez

PDF

The English Civil War and the Glorious Revolution (10th-12th grade), Blake R. Keeling

PDF

Awe-Inspiring Advertisements: Becoming More Informed Consumers [3rd Grade], Megan King

PDF

Solving the Mystery of Matter: Physical Properties [5th Grade], Aly Kirchhof

PDF

Characteristics of the Universe (8th grade), Veronica Mansfield and Meggan Partain

PDF

IB Language and Literature Introduction: The Foundations of Western Culture (11th grade), Savannah McDonough

PDF

Energy Forms (5th grade), Javier Melendez

PDF

¿Cómo Eres y Qué Te Gusta Hacer? (Who are you and What do you like to do?) 1A-7th grade, Jaclyn K. Metcalf

PDF

Exploring Expository through Culture, Kathleen Fenske Montoya and Laurette Kirby

PDF

We'll Be There For You: A 3rd-5th Grade Unit on Understanding and Respecting Each Other, Elle V. Norman

PDF

Exploring Statistics Concepts with Student Driven Data and Polls, Matthew Patty

PDF

Communities Change: How Outside Factors Impact Communities [3rd Grade], Shayna Rosenthal

PDF

Poetry Unit (2-4th grade), Samara Sance and Lisa Schmidt

PDF

Macbeth by Shakespeare, Amy R. Thomson and Heather M. Patillo

PDF

A New America: The Gilded Age and Westward Expansion (11th grade), Kelsey Toms

PDF

Rules Rule! (1st grade), Lauren Turley

PDF

How Can I Be a Good Reader? Lessons in Understanding Books (1st-2nd grade), Tara Vaughan

PDF

Meaning behind the Structure: 4th Grade Nonfiction Text Structure and Summary Unit, Anne Waidelich

PDF

Shark Tank Economics, Waynne Warren

Submissions from 2016

PDF

Picking Apart Plot (6th grade), Amanda Aird

PDF

Problem Solvers, INC., Caroline Arroyo and Lianet H. Olvera

PDF

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells (6th grade), Samantha Bos

PDF

Dante's Inferno: Allegory, Hero's Journey, or Epic Poem? Yes! (12th grade), Sherry Brown

PDF

6th Grade Math: Toro Dream House, Claudia Cardenas

PDF

Why We Had To Leave; A Study of Human Rights & Refugees (9th-12th grade), Marisa C. Cavin

PDF

Maps and Distance in Geometry (9th-10th grade), Catherine A. Davison