Suggested Steps for Planning Key Points
1) Planning the “What?”
o Key terms - Have you given the concept a name to ensure that everyone shares common
language? Have you defined the concept in teacher-friendly language? If needed, have you
elaborated upon and clarified the concept?
o Isolate the critical attributes – Have you analyzed an exemplar for any categories, types or
organizing principles? Have you analyzed the exemplar for criteria for success?
o Unambiguous examples – Do you have concrete examples that will clarify the concept?
o Anticipate misconceptions – Have you scripted out possible misconceptions, both
conceptual and procedural? Are there close confusers and other non-examples that may help
here?
2) Planning the “How?”
o ID the skill and desired output – Have you identified the skill you want to teach? Have you
selected a task or example that requires the successful application of the skill?
o Number the steps – Have you figured out the exact steps needed to complete the task which
you want teachers to later apply on their own?
o Plan think-aloud – If needed, have you planned a think-aloud script as if you are a
struggling teacher, making sure you anticipate pitfalls, traps, and difficulties and how to
overcome them?
3) Planning the “Why?”
o Determine relevance – Have you articulated what is relevant and meaningful about the
concept?
Effective Key Points (p. 1 of 2)
Like key points in a lesson plan, key points in a PD plan should provide an unambiguous picture of the following three things: what the
concept is (the noun in the objective), why it matters and how to apply the skill (the verb in objective) in practice.
Core element
Purpose / Description
What?  This is usually the noun in your objective.
Name and define
Give the concept or skill a name to
the concept
ensure that everyone shares
common language. Then, define the
concept in teacher-friendly
language so that everyone is on the
same page.
Describe the
Elaborate upon and clarify that
concept
initial definition, if needed. You
may need to present other
background knowledge or explain
unfamiliar concepts.
Break down the
Present a framework with 2-5
concept
categories for applying that concept
or skill.
Give unambiguous Your concrete examples will clarify
examples
the concept. This is arguably the
most important part of your key
points.
Identify criteria
for success (or
“____________”)
Anticipate
misunderstandings
Analyze and isolate the components
of ideal performance. This way,
teachers can then use that list of
attributes to determine whether their
work represents a full exemplar.
Anticipate two types of
misunderstandings: those about the
concept (conceptual) and those
about the skill (procedural).
Example – Planning for Right is Right
Right is Right means holding out for all-the-way right answers and setting a high standard for
correctness in our classrooms. We care about the difference between partially right and all-the-way
right, between pretty good and 100%.
Many teachers respond to almost-correct answers their students give in class - answers that are, say,
¾ correct - by “rounding up.” That is they’ll affirm the student’s answer and add some detail of their
own to make it fully correct even though the student didn’t provide and may not recognize the
differentiating factor as being significant. High expectations teachers round down. They play the role
of a skeptical jury and assume that students don’t understand the answer.
There are six common student responses to questions: 1) Opting out, 2) Inaudible response, 3)
Answering a different question, 4) Sub-optimal response, 5) Right but wrong format or language, 6)
Right response, right format
Example for “Sub-optimal response”:
T: “At the beginning of Romeo and Juliet, how do the Capulets and Montagues get along?”
S: “They don’t like each other.”
T: “You said the Capulets and the Montagues ‘didn’t get along.’ Does that really capture their
relationship?”
Right is right responses to students should meet the following criteria:
 Be positive and upbeat about what’s been accomplished,
 Be clear and honest about the fact that more work is needed,
 Efficiently results in a 100 percent accurate final response
Conceptual misunderstandings
 It is ok to “round up” by adding additional information and crediting additions to the student.
 It is not possible to insist on accuracy in a positive manner.
Procedural misunderstandings
 Teachers may allow students to ask off-topic questions (“Oh, I have a question”)
 Teachers may allow students to answer a different question than the one being asked.
Effective Key Points (p. 2 of 2)
Core element
Purpose / Description
How?  This is how to do the verb in your objective.
Number the steps
Break down a desired task into its
(or “_________”) most basic steps, so that you can
explain the process by which the
skill can be applied. E.g. The
writing process breaks up the act of
writing an essay into a series of
steps.
Core element
Purpose / Description
Why?
Determine
The “Why” section should explain
relevance
why the concept matters. There are
different sources of relevance: data,
academic research, anecdote, realworld connections, alignment to
TCP rubric, AF mission, etc.
Example – Planning for Right is Right
1) Identify three points in your lesson when students would be likely to give partially correct
answers or use less-than-technical language.
2) For each point, script out an “anticipated sub-100% answer.”
3) For each anticipated sub-100% answer, script out “your anticipated response.”
Example – Planning for Right is right


Holding out for 100% sets the expectation that your students are as capable as getting
answers right as students anywhere. Moreover, it sends a powerful message that accuracy
matters, a message that will stay with students long after they leave your classroom.
Right is right is aligned with TCP Sub-essential 3b (“Standards for Top-Quality Responses”)