Top8ComponentsofaWell‐WrittenLessonPlan

1.Objectivesandgoals

Clearly,specificallydeterminewhatyouwantyourstudentstobeabletodoafterthelessoniscompleted.

Whatwillstudentsaccomplishduringthislesson?

Towhatspecificlevelwillthestudentsperformagiventaskinorderforthelessontobeconsideredsatisfactorilyaccomplished?

Exactlyhowwillthestudentsshowthattheyunderstoodandlearnedthegoalsofyourlesson?Willthisoccurthroughaworksheet,groupwork,presentation,illustration,etc?

Example:Afterreadingthebook"LifeintheRainforest,"sharingaclassdiscussion,anddrawingplantsandanimals,studentswillbeabletoplacesixspecificcharacteristicsintoaVenndiagramofthesimilaritiesanddifferencesofplantsandanimals,with100%accuracy.

2.Anticipatoryset

Beforeyoudigintothemeatofyourlesson'sinstruction,setthestageforyourstudentsbytappingintotheirpriorknowledgeandgivingtheobjectivesacontext.

ThepurposeoftheAnticipatorySetisto:

Providecontinuityfrompreviouslessons,ifapplicable

Alludetofamiliarconceptsandvocabularyasareminderandrefresher

Tellthestudentsbrieflywhatthelessonwillbeabout Gaugethestudents'levelofcollectivebackgroundknowledgeofthesubjecttohelpinformyourinstruction

Activatethestudents'existingknowledgebase Whettheclass'sappetiteforthesubjectathand

Brieflyexposethestudentstothelesson'sobjectivesandhowyouwillgetthemtotheendresult

TowriteyourAnticipatorySet,considerthefollowingquestions:

HowcanIinvolveasmanyasstudentsaspossible,piquingtheirinterestsforthesubjectmattertocome?

HowshouldIinformmystudentsofthelesson'scontextandobjective,inkid‐friendlylanguage?

Whatdothestudentsneedtoknowbeforetheycandelveintothelessonplanitselfanddirectinstruction?AnticipatorySetsaremorethanjustwordsanddiscussionwithyourstudents.Youcanalsoengageinabriefactivityorquestion‐and‐answersessiontostartthelessonplanoffinaparticipatoryandactivemanner.Examples: Remindthechildrenofanimalsandplantstheyhavestudiedearlierintheyear.

Asktheclasstoraisetheirhandstocontributetoadiscussionofwhattheyalreadyknowaboutplants.Writealistontheblackboardofthecharacteristicstheyname,whilepromptingthemandofferingideasandcommentsasneeded.Repeattheprocessforadiscussionofthepropertiesofanimals.Pointoutmajorsimilaritiesanddifferences.

Tellthechildrenthatitisimportanttolearnaboutplantsandanimalsbecausewesharetheearthwiththemanddependuponeachotherforsurvival.

3.DirectinstructionIfyour8‐steplessonplanwereahamburger,thenthedirectInstructionsectionwouldbetheall‐beefpatty.Afterwritingtheobjectiveandanticipatoryset,you'rereadytodelineateexactlyhowyouwillpresentthemostimportantlessoninformationtoyourstudents.YourmethodsofdirectInstructioncouldincludereadingabook,displayingdiagrams,showingreal‐lifeexamplesofthesubjectmatter,usingprops,discussingrelevantcharacteristics,watchingamovie,orotherhands‐onand/orpresentationalstepsdirectlyrelatedtoyourlessonplan'sstatedobjective.

Whendeterminingyourmethodsofdirectinstruction,considerthefollowingquestions:

HowcanIbesttapintothevariouslearningmodalities(audio,visual,tactile,kinesthetic,etc.)tomeetthelearningstylepreferencesofasmanystudentsaspossible?

Whatmaterials(books,videos,pneumonicdevices,visualaids,props,etc.)areavailabletomeforthislesson?

WhatrelevantvocabularydoIneedtopresenttomystudentsduringthelesson?

Whatwillmystudentsneedtolearninordertocompletethelessonplan'sobjectivesandindependentpracticeactivities?

HowcanIengagemystudentsinthelessonandencouragediscussionandparticipation?

Thinkoutsidetheboxandtrytodiscoverfresh,newwaystoengageyourstudents'collectiveattentiontothelessonconceptsathand.Avoidjuststandinginfrontofyourstudentsandtalkingatthem.Getcreative,hands‐on,andexcitedaboutyourlessonplan,andyourstudents'interestwillfollow.

Beforeyoumoveontotheguidedpracticesectionofthelesson,checkforunderstandingtoensurethatyourstudentsarereadytopracticetheskillsandconceptsyouhavepresentedtothem.

Examples:

Talkaboutcharacteristicsofplantsandanimalsmentionedinthebook.

Showtheclassareal,livingplantandwalkthemthroughthefunctionsofthedifferentpartsoftheplant.

Showtheclassareal,livinganimal(perhapsasmallpetbroughtinfromhomeoraclassroompetborrowedfromanotherteacher).Discussthepartsoftheanimal,howitgrows,whatiteats,andothercharacteristics.

4.GuidedpracticeOutlinehowyourstudentswilldemonstratethattheyhavegraspedtheskills,concepts,andmodelingthatyoupresentedtotheminthedirectInstructionportionofthelesson.Whileyoucirculatetheclassroomandprovidesomeassistanceonagivenactivity(worksheet,illustration,experiment,discussion,orotherassignment),thestudentsshouldbeabletoperformthetaskandbeheldaccountableforthelesson'sinformation.Theguidedpracticeactivitiescanbedefinedaseitherindividualorcooperativelearning.Asateacher,youshouldobservethestudents'levelofmasteryofthematerialinordertoinformyourfutureteaching.Additionally,providefocusedsupportforindividualsneedingextrahelptoreachthelearninggoals.Correctanymistakesthatyouobserve.Examples: Studentswillsplitintopairstoworktogetherondrawing. Onapieceofpaper,studentswilldrawapictureofplants,incorporatingcharacteristicstheylearnedaboutin

thislesson(listedonboard).

Ontheothersideofthepaper,studentswilldrawapictureofanimals,incorporatingcharacteristicstheylearnedaboutinthislesson(listedonboard).

5.ClosureClosureisthetimewhenyouwrapupalessonplanandhelpstudentsorganizetheinformationintoameaningfulcontextintheirminds.Abriefsummaryoroverviewisoftenappropriate.Anotherhelpfulactivityistoengagestudentsinaquickdiscussionaboutwhatexactlytheylearnedandwhatitmeanstothemnow.Lookforareasofconfusionthatyoucanquicklyclearup.Reinforcethemostimportantpointssothatthelearningissolidifiedforfuturelessons.Itisnotenoughtosimplysay,"Arethereanyquestions?"intheclosuresection.Lookforawaytoaddsomeinsightand/orcontexttothelesson.Examples: Discussnewthingsthatthestudentslearnedaboutplantsandanimals.

Summarizethecharacteristicsofplantsandanimalsandhowtheycompareandcontrast.6.IndependentpracticeThroughindependentpractice,studentshaveachancetoreinforceskillsandsynthesizetheirnewknowledgebycompletingataskontheirownandawayfromtheteacher'sguidance.Inwritingtheindependencepracticesectionofthelessonplan,considerthefollowingquestions: Basedonobservationsduringguidedpractice,whatactivitieswillmystudentsbeabletocompleteontheir

own?

HowcanIprovideanewanddifferentcontextinwhichthestudentscanpracticetheirnewskills? HowcanIofferindependentpracticeonarepeatingschedulesothatthelearningisnotforgotten? HowcanIintegratethelearningobjectivesfromthisparticularlessonintofutureprojects?Independentpracticecantaketheformofahomeworkassignmentorworksheet,butitisalsoimportanttothinkofotherwaysforstudentstoreinforceandpracticethegivenskills.Getcreative.Trytocapturethestudents’interestandcapitalizeonspecificenthusiasmsforthetopicathand.Onceyoureceivetheworkfromindependentpractice,youshouldassesstheresults,seewherelearningmayhavefailed,andusetheinformationyougathertoinformfutureteaching.Withoutthisstep,thewholelessonmaybefornaught.Examples:StudentswillcompletetheVennDiagramworksheet,categorizingthesixlistedcharacteristicsofplantsandanimals.7.RequiredmaterialsandequipmentConsider: Whatitemsandsupplieswillbeneededbyboththeinstructorandthestudentsinordertoaccomplishthe

statedlearningobjectives?

WhatequipmentwillIneedinordertoutilizeasmanylearningmodalitiesaspossible?(visual,audio,tactile,kinesthetic,etc.)

HowcanIusematerialscreatively?WhatcanIborrowfromotherteachers?Keepinmindthatmodelingandtheuseofhands‐onmaterialsareespeciallyeffectiveindemonstratingconceptsandskillstostudents.Lookforwaystomakethelearninggoalsconcrete,tangible,andrelevanttostudents.

8.Assessmentandfollow‐upThisiswhereyouassessthefinaloutcomeofthelessonandtowhatextentthelearningobjectiveswereachieved.Learninggoalscanbeassessedthroughquizzes,tests,independentlyperformedworksheets,cooperativelearningactivities,hands‐onexperiments,oraldiscussion,question‐and‐answersessions,orotherconcretemeans.Mostimportantly,ensurethattheassessmentactivityisdirectlyandexplicitlytiedtothestatedlearningobjectives.Oncethestudentshavecompletedthegivenassessmentactivity,youmusttakesometimetoreflectupontheresults.Ifthelearningobjectiveswerenotadequatelyachieved,youwillneedtorevisitthelessoninadifferentmanner.Studentperformanceinformsfuturelessonsandwhereyouwilltakeyourstudentsnext.Examples: Quiz Test Classdiscussion Hands‐onexperiment

Worksheet

Cooperativelearningactivities Illustrationsorgraphicorganizers

SixCommonMistakesinWritingLessonPlans

1.Theobjectiveofthelessondoesnotspecifywhatthestudentwillactuallydothatcanbeobserved.Remember,anobjectiveisadescriptionofwhatastudentdoesthatformsthebasisformakinganinferenceaboutlearning.Poorlywrittenobjectivesleadtofaultyinferences.2.Thelessonassessmentisdisconnectedfromthebehaviorindicatedintheobjective.Anassessmentinalessonplanissimplyadescriptionofhowtheteacherwilldeterminewhethertheobjectivehasbeenaccomplished.Itmustbebasedonthesamebehaviorthatisincorporatedintheobjective.Anythingelseisflawed.3.Theprerequisitesarenotspecifiedorareinconsistentwithwhatisactuallyrequiredtosucceedwiththelesson.Prerequisitesmeanjustthat‐‐astatementofwhatastudentneedstoknoworbeabletodotosucceedandaccomplishthelessonobjective.Itisnoteasytodeterminewhatisrequired,butitisnecessary.Someresearchindicatesthatasmuchas70%oflearningisdependentonstudentshavingtheappropriateprerequisites.4.Thematerialsspecifiedinthelessonareextraneoustotheactualdescribedlearningactivities.Thismeanskeepthelistofmaterialsinlinewithwhatyouactuallyplantodo.Overkillingwithmaterialsisnotavirtue!5.Theinstructioninwhichtheteacherwillengageisnotefficientforthelevelofintendedstudentlearning.Efficiencyisameasurethatmeansgettingmoredonewiththesameamountofeffort,orthesameamountwithlesseffort.Withsomuchtobelearned,itshouldbeobviousthatinstructionalefficiencyisparamount.6.Thestudentactivitiesdescribedinthelessonplandonotcontributeinadirectandeffectivewaytothelessonobjective.Don'thaveyourstudentsengagedinactivitiesjusttokeepthembusy.Whateveryouhaveyourstudentsdoshouldcontributeinadirectwaytotheiraccomplishingthelessonobjective.