As soon as you have selected a idea for a theme for your unit, brainstorm it with a Concept Map.  Remember the rules for brainstorming - all ideas are good, there are no bad ideas.  Do not limit yourself in any way.  Put everything on the map that occurs to you.  You never know how it may generate some other great idea as you move along with your brainstorming.  I brainstorm units in two ways.  First, I do a concept map, and I make this a rule.  Never plan a unit without creating a concept map to brainstorm it.  Second, I create a PowerPoint for the theme.  This is jus another way I can organize my thoughts about how this unit can be organized.  The PowerPoint is optional.  The Concept Mapping is not!

It is best to use a huge piece of paper for Concept Mapping.  I recommend a6-foot long piece of bulletin board paper.  Research has shown that when you are brainstorming this way, especially with a small group of colleagues, that the thinking process is different than if you just use a notepad in front of you on a table.  So take the time and make the effort to get the huge piece of paper.  You can either map it on the floor or tape it to the wall.  Either way, you'll get great results. 

When you're finished brainstorming your theme, you will probably discover that you are going in a different direction than you originally expected, and that's OK.  You will also discover that you have enough ideas to make this unit last a lifetime, and that's OK.  Then you pare it down.  But you really need this process to take place so you will get the best view of all the possibilities and connections.  Finally, you can take a look at your content standards.  You will discover that most of them are already there.  For the ones that are not there, take a look to see if they can be taught naturally within this theme.  If not, do not worry about it, teach them in another theme, or just teach them separately.  There is no way you can teach every standard within every unit!

Put your theme title in the center of the paper, then begin to web out everything you can think of that you can do related to this theme.  Think about all the disciplines.  Do NOT worry about your content standards at this time.  You can take care of them later.  But you can think about ideas for making connections in each of the disciplines.  Also generate ideas for the following:

• Disciplines - generate ideas for connections to each discipline
• Arts - don't forge the arts - what films, music, dance can you incorporate?
• Big Questions - what are some things the students may want to know about this theme?  These are the questions that will guide their research, and these are the questions that will cause the students to NEED the knowledge and skills from the disciplines.
• Technology and Multimedia - how can you utilize technology and multimedia in this theme?  List things the students can use as they learn and conduct research, and things the students can use to create multimedia products to demonstrate their learning. 
• Research  - I always have students conduct individual research projects for each unit - even first graders!  they can do it!  I offer them a list of possible research topics within the theme, but then let them suggest topics of interest to them.  For example, one time we did a unit on Japan, and I had two boys ask if they could research Baseball and Sumo Wrestling.  I said, of course.  Students are much more motivated this way.
• Activities - any activities you think of that would fit well into this theme
• Project Ideas - what are some major projects you could do that would be related to this theme?  What is a major culminating project that the students could work toward throughout the unit?  For example, a Student Film Festival where they present what they have learned at the end of the unit, or a Science Fiction Fair, or a Dinner Theatre?
• Expert Groups - be thinking about what the possibilities are for how you will divide the class into expert groups.  It is imperative that the students have expert groups and jigsaw;  this is the foundation of the organization of the unit.
• Resources  - list all you can think of:
  • Web sites
  • Software
  • Literature - novels, short stories, myths, legends, poetry, etc.
  • Research sources
  • Experts
  • Universities
  • Organizations and agencies
  • and everything else you think of

Links for brainstorming a unit:

Concept Mapping

Sample web for Hurricane Katrina unit

Sample PowerPoint for Hurricane Katrina unit

Sample PowerPoint for Candy unit.

Themes ideas and resources

Sample Units