ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information and examples for planning 25 thematic sensory unit plans based on national standards for each of the STEAM content areas: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. Readers will find nine steps for writing unit plans along with descriptions and explanations of their purpose with an emphasis on sensory materials-based learning. Readers may be surprised to learn that writing objectives is not the first step in writing a unit plan that leads to rigorous, rather than surface level learning. The first step is to gain a deep knowledge of the content they plan to teach by referring to the Online References at the end of Chapters 5–9. Each online reference is accompanied by a QR code for easier access. The authors based the thematic unit plans on five themes teachers commonly use in K–6 classrooms: Rabbits and Hares, Water Cycle, Health and Nutrition, Landforms, and Astronomy and Seasons. An historical overview of two hierarchies on the stages of learning, Bruner (1966) and Piaget (1971), focus on materials-based learning. A hierarchy from Holmes (2011), focuses on materials that can be used at any age and lists them in descending order from concrete to abstract.
