My biggest takeaway from building a unit is having a good balance of time dedicated to note-taking and activities. As teachers, we know our content. We can stand in front of the class and lecture the ins-and-outs of the topic. But we forget that we can be "boring" too, or that students don't want to hear someone talk for 55 minutes. So, what I had to keep in mind when building the unit was, what labs or activities can students do to get them to learn on their own? I love doing labs because students get to be hands-on and collaborate with their peers (and they aren't falling asleep to lectures). I had to plan for a decent amount of time for students to take notes, and the rest of time for students to engage in themselves.
Next time I build a unit, I want to try planning for a class that's not paced around a test. This unit, I planned with the AP environmental science test in mind. Because this class is preparing students to take a class they can get college credit on, the pacing and content is definitely standards based. Next time, I want to have the freedom to teach what students are interested in, or have more time to dive deeper into some topics.
For students who are reaching CAPSTONE next, look at projects and activities you can do for your unit! As a student teacher, you want to prove that you know your content - but students don't want another teacher to stand there and lecture the whole time. By giving them something they're able to create and have fun with, you'll be able to teach to a standard while having students engage with class.