How to create a unit

Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to create a unit:

Locate the "New Unit" option at the upper right-hand side of the screen to start building a unit.

1. Set the unit name on the unit planner page. 

2. Enter the unit description. Enter a clear and detailed description so the system can understand your instructional goals and generate an appropriate unit.

• You may include or suggest books directly within the description (optional).

3. Select Grade or Age Group - Use the drop-down menu to choose the intended grade level or age group.

4. Set the Unit Duration - Choose the number of weeks for the unit. The system supports multi-week planning and may automatically suggest extending the duration if it determines that the topic is complex and would benefit from additional instructional time.

5. Choose State Standards. Select the applicable state standards. The system supports multiple frameworks, including those outside of California.

6. Choose the standards or subjects. This allows to align and focus your unit on the specific standards and subjects.

8. Generate the Unit - Click “Generate.” 

• Review all unit details before proceeding.

• Make edits if needed, then click “Confirm & Generate.”

After Generation

• The system creates a unit foundation with the unit overview, unit trajectory, key concepts, and guiding questions.

• All generated content can be edited, updated, or fully regenerated.

Week-by-Week Review

• Review each week’s theme and overview, including objectives and content.

• You may edit content, regenerate specific weeks, or regenerate all themes.

• Click “Confirm and Next” to continue, or “Save” to return later.

Lesson Plan Ideas

• Review reading passage (if included as a lesson resource during unit creation). Review the recommended resources for Anchor & Supporting Text for each lesson. You can also generate with AI or upload your own, and set reading levels for class differentiation.

• Review suggested lessons/activties for the week. Edit lesson titles, activity types, standards, and descriptions as needed.

  • View "Anchor Text" or "Supporting Text" links - Access reading materials
  • Edit icon (✏️) - Modify the lesson content
  • Refresh icon (🔄) - Regenerate or update lesson content
  • "View Lesson" button - See the full lesson plan details

Detailed Lesson Plans

The system generates detailed lesson plans with:

• Lesson Objectives - This area outlines the specific learning goals and outcomes students will achieve by the end of the lesson. It clarifies what students should know, understand, and be able to do.

• Question of the Day - This section presents an engaging focus question that anchors the lesson and sparks student curiosity. It serves as the essential question that drives inquiry and learning throughout the lesson.
• Lesson Materials - A comprehensive list of all physical resources, supplies, and items needed to successfully implement the lesson, helping teachers prepare and gather necessary materials in advance.
• DLL Vocabulary and Phrases - This section provides key academic vocabulary and language support specifically designed for Dual Language Learners, with definitions to build language comprehension and content understanding.

• Step-by-step implementation guidance - 
  A detailed, sequenced guide of instructional activities and teaching actions. This step-by-step walkthrough helps teachers execute the lesson effectively, including timing, transitions, and pedagogical moves.

• Lesson Resources (if selected during unit creation) (Learn more)

• Portrait of a Graduate (if selected during unit creation) - This section connects lesson activities to broader competencies and skills students need for future success, such as critical thinking and effective communication, showing how the lesson develops these transferable capabilities.
  

   

All sections of the generated lesson plan can be modified or updated as needed.

Once the unit is 100% completed, it can be exported (as PDF, Word, or to Google Drive), go back and Edit, or you can preview the whole unit planner.

Completed Unit Planner

Once your unit is fully developed, the Completed Unit Planner provides a comprehensive, organized view of all components, helping you see the full scope of your curriculum at a glance.

The completed Unit Planner will contain:

Unit Overview
This section provides a comprehensive introduction to the entire unit, explaining the big picture of what students will learn and experience. It outlines the overarching goals, the main topics to be covered, and how students will engage with the content through hands-on activities and investigations.

Weekly Planning
This section breaks down the unit into week-by-week plans, showing the daily flow of instruction. Each week includes a theme, overview with objectives, daily questions, and specific activities (the generated lessons) aligned to standards. This helps teachers see the progression of learning and plan their daily instruction effectively.

Resources
This section houses all the supporting materials needed to implement the unit, including key vocabulary lists, additional formative assessments, and other instructional resources that teachers can reference throughout the unit.

Unit Trajectory
This section maps out the learning journey by answering critical planning questions: what concepts students will explore, what skills they'll develop, which teaching strategies will be used, how social-emotional development will be supported, and other important considerations for implementation.

Concepts
This section identifies the core ideas and big concepts that anchor the unit. These are the essential understandings students should grasp by the end of the unit, such as "Farm-to-Table Journey" or "Local Agriculture."

Guiding Questions
This section lists the essential questions that drive inquiry and exploration throughout the unit. These open-ended questions help students think critically and make connections between concepts.

Assessment Standards List
This section organizes and displays all the California K12 standards that are addressed in the unit and each week, making it easy to see alignment with English Language Arts and History & Social Sciences standards.

Portrait of a Graduate
This section connects the unit activities to broader competencies and attributes (like "Critical Thinker" and "Effective Communicator") that students should develop, showing how specific lessons build these important skills and dispositions.

With these tools and steps, you can confidently create engaging, standards-aligned units that are tailored to your classroom and ready to bring learning to life.