Lesson Planning 101
What you need to know about
planning for students to learn
Center for Teacher Certification at
ACC
Learning Spiral
shows that
students keep
connecting to
material learned
to build on
cognitive
learning
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ACC
Lesson Plans
• Once completed in detail, teacher learns
the components and, with experience, can
write down agenda and steps and follow.
• Preparation made ahead of time and kept
electronically – with a hard copy in your
file – allows you to plan ahead and have
working documents ready.
• Following the IPGs or district matrix is
critical – don’t re-invent the wheel!
Center for Teacher Certification at
ACC
TEKS
• Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
cover the goals and objectives for student
mastery at each grade level.
• TEKS can be clumped together, such as
reading skills and writing skills that
connect with the reading selection.
• Mastery indicates that a student can
complete the skill independently.
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ACC
TAKS
• Texas Assessment of Knowledge and
Skills provides opportunities for students
to show mastery of the TEKS.
• Exams are usually in February and April,
and students must pass specific exams to
pass on to the next grade or to graduate.
• The Texas Education Agency rates school
districts and campuses based on TAKS
scores.
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ACC
Instructional Planning Guides
• IPGs are available through most districts,
although another name or format may be
used.
• This “skeleton” provides the information
needed for TEKS and TAKS and includes
other initiatives such as Principles of
Learning (POL), behavior management,
assessments, student products, and
notes.
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ACC
Goals
• The goal for the lesson states the outcome
that students should be able to
demonstrate upon completion of the
lesson or unit.
A typical goal is: to recognize the parts of a
sentence.
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Objectives
• Objectives are outcomes that students
should be able to demonstrate upon
completion of the lesson or unit.
• Eg: students will write a complete
sentence with 5 different parts of speech
in the correct order.
Center for Teacher Certification at
ACC
Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Active verbs usually begin an
objective such as, list, label,
draw, recite, tell, recall,
define….explain, compare,
defend, predict, put in order,
summarize…
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html
Center for Teacher Certification at
ACC
Bloom’s Taxonomy
• change, solve, modify, construct,
demonstrate…analyze, classify, research,
compare and contrast, construct, evaluate
the relevancy of…role-play, invent, write or
rewrite, create, organize, construct,
rearrange, compose, predict…compare,
recommend, solve, summarize, judge,
justify, measure, and score.
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Rationale
• Why should students learn this material,
skill, or topic?
• When students ask, “Why do I need to
know this?,” can you defend the skill and
connect it to real life?
• Why is this important?
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Lesson Content
• What are the skills to be taught?
• How can I present this information in a
learner-centered way?
• How do my students learn best?
• Am I addressing learning styles in an ageappropriate way?
• Can I provide ways to learn for all types of
visual, kinesthetic, and verbal learners?
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Learning Environment
• When students enter the room, how can I
provide a classroom environment that
encourages students to learn?
• How can students feel safe and loved?
• Are students comfortable?
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Maslow
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs must be met for
learning to occur.
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Warm-ups
• When students enter the classroom, how
can we focus their attention on the task at
hand?
• Having a focus allows students to begin
thinking about learning and the specific
topic.
Eg: What do you know about insects?
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Activities
• Few students learn well simply by hearing
a lecture.
• Mini-lessons of about 10 minutes, with
graphic organizers or other visuals, are
great ways to get across information that
can then be handled by individual
students, pairs, or groups.
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Pairing
• Have students check each other’s work,
brainstorm together, solve problems,
experiment with manipulatives…
• Students love working together…
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Cooperative Learning
• Students learn from each other and will
learn more from participation in a small
group.
• Roles, time limits, accountability are all
factors that must be planned ahead and
taught.
Center for Teacher Certification at
ACC
Higher Critical Thinking
• Bloom’s Taxonomy provides ways to
challenge students to think beyond the fact
and understanding facts.
• Hands-on activities are easier for students
to experiment and learn by doing.
• Have questions on a poster that can be
asked during any class period.
• Let students know that they are thinking!
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ACC
Differentiation
Does every student learn at the same time?
Provide different ways for students to learn the skills.
• Students with more ability need to be
challenged.
• Students need practice in order to master skills.
• Students need to have a way to learn material
that is missing from their foundation of learning.
• Students with special needs will have an IEP
that must be followed.
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For students who are absent…
• Students who are absent need to catch up in
order to progress.
• Have instructions for activities varied for
independent and group work.
• Provide makeup work for students and parents.
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Checking for Learning
Are all students able to demonstrate that
they have mastered the objectives?
Formative checks: group presentations,
students practicing math problems,
students following lab procedures,
students putting together components of
the whole…during the class period.
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ACC
Summative Checks
• By the end of the period or time allowed,
have students learned the objectives?
• How do you know?
• Provide a rubric so students know the
expectations.
• Modify assessments to meet student
needs.
• Evaluations can be holistic or specific.
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ACC
Extensions
• For students to extend the skills and
knowledge learned to other areas and
real-world experiences.
• Websites can be provided for additional
ways to share knowledge and earn extra
points.
• Checking books from the school library or
teacher library encourages reading at
home.
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ACC
Materials Needed
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•
•
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As you plan, what materials will you need?
Can the school provide the materials?
Can you provide the materials?
Can students provide materials?
Have materials available that everyone
needs: pencils sharpened, paper, colored
paper, scissors, glue, markers, sticky
notes, etc.
Center for Teacher Certification at
ACC
Lesson Planning
• Careful preparation leads to student and
teacher success.
• Every minute of the school day is vital for
students to progress and grow!
Center for Teacher Certification at
ACC