1. Teaching Transition Skills: Integrated Thematic Units Pamela Luft Mary Bonello, Kelly Huff, Nichole Zirzow and other transition grant students Kent State University

2. OSERS-funded project Goals: –D/HH teachers and KSU grant students work collaboratively to improve transition outcomes. –Teachers and grant students develop integrated transition-based thematic teaching units. –Units use the 3-stages of Understanding By Design (Wiggins and McTighe, 1998). –At least one unit is developed and implemented each year by each teacher/grant student team.

3. Design Process: Preparation Identify a transition need area and related class content for a unit. –Use Transition Competency Battery results –Use observations of key student needs Identify curricular priorities Apply filters for selecting key understandings

4. Design Process: Stages Stage One: Identify overarching understandings and key curriculum standards. Stage Two: Identify ways for collecting evidence. –Use the six facets to ensure comprehensive teaching for understanding Stage Three: Identify lessons and activities— –that provide skills used to demonstrate evidence (Stage 2) –that overarching understandings are achieved (Stage 1).

5. Spring 2002 Units Communication Unit: MS students with multiple disabilities. Community Participation Unit: MS students. Authority and Responsibility Unit: MS students. Restaurant Unit: HS students. Budgeting Unit: HS students.

6. Fall 2002 Self-determination Unit: HS students with guest presentation and performance by CJ Jones. Career Choices: HS students. Budgeting for a New Car: HS students. Lifelong Literacy Unit: MS students. Food and Nutrition Unit: MS students. IEP Self-determination Unit: MS students. Career Exploration: MS students.