Thematic Lesson Plan in English

There are several ways to organize units of study in classes–a timeline, or by text or skill, but my favorite is a thematic lesson plan in English–and not for the reasons you might think.

What is a thematic unit plan?

A thematic unit plan is a collection of lessons that are connected by a theme, such as a topic, idea, concept, or essential question. Since analyzing and generating themes are a significant part of the Common Core (and many) ELA curricula, this is a natural opportunity to teach students how to attend to theme.

This definition may seem fairly obvious, but it can still easily fall short. A good thematic unit

1. Can be problematized or complexified

If the answer is simple or obvious, it will not engage students intellectually. Curating texts and activities that promote diverse thought leaves the agency with the students. They will need to read, write, and discuss to understand and establish their own ideas–a core part of my literacy lesson plan for soaring growth.

2. Acknowledges students’ personal funds of knowledge and academizes them

By starting the unit with all that students already know, we prepare them to extend their learning. We validate their experiences as important sources of information and understanding. If we stop there, however, the student learns nothing new. All areas of academia are rooted in our daily lived experiences. Often times, students think that school has nothing to do with “reality.” Making these connections not only deepens students’ understandings, it shows them that their interests and lives are valuable to the intellectual community. This connection can be made through domain-related words.

Why You Need Domain-Related Words

Domain-related words are groups of terms that are used in a specific discipline. We know tons of these–we may know terms that mean something completely different in our favorite sport, terms for using technology, and slang within our contextual groups. These words become connected to each other in our minds through their meanings, and they allow us to unlock a whole knew set of background knowledge. When children are young, we teach them words that go with families, houses, vehicles, and so forth to build their schema. In adolescence, we still need to teach students the words for new areas to expand their background knowledge. By teaching them to read, write, speak, and think like historians, journalists, researchers, scientists, mathematicians, and so forth, we are improving their ability to comprehend anything they encounter in the world.

Sample Thematic Unit Lesson Plans

Here is a list of some of the different units I’ve done.

• Climate change. We explored the domain of climatology.
• Gangs. We explored the domain of sociology, which is the academic field that studies gang organization and activity.
• Race. This included a variety of terms from different disciplines. For ideas, check out me and white supremacy by Layla F. Saad.
• Immigration. We focused on some legal and historical terms associated with this domain.
• Democracy. We explored the domain of political ideologies since many students would not be familiar with terms surrounding conservative and liberal ideas.
• Intelligence. We drew on terms from cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

Coming Up With Thematic Unit Plan Ideas

This year, I want to build my class around uplifting topics. The first thematic unit is around inspiration. Here are the steps I take to plan this unit.

1. Brainstorm

I start with some generative brainstorming before narrowing down because I want to account for my own bias. By not focusing on just my first thoughts, I increase the likelihood that I will anticipate more students’ ideas about the theme. What are the personal experiences students might have with the theme? What academic fields study this theme?

2. Segment the Unit

Instead of one too-short unit or one meandering unit, I divide the unit into segments so that we solidify learning objectives along the way. The three segments are

• Establish common ground. This is because not all students will have the same (or much) experience with some themes. This segment helps all students find an entry point to the theme.
• Expand on personal experiences. In this segment, students deepen their personal understanding of the theme. This is to validate their experiences–they have something worth saying on any theme. Taking this time to help them find their viewpoint will enrich further discussions.
• Problematize or complexify the theme. In this segment, we explore a complex text with competing viewpoints that may or may not reinforce the “simpler” views presented earlier in the unit.

3. Develop the segments.

Each segment should have

• A final assessment with identified standards
• Invitational texts or activities
• Key vocabulary that supports the domain

4. Backwards-plan each segment.

I then map out each day using my literacy lesson plan for soaring growth. Sometimes I use the full template I just linked, but I also I like overview of each day on one page.

Use This Thematic Unit Plan Template Sample

I’m gifting you a copy of my thematic unit plan template, so give it a try, and let me know how it goes!