Planning for Learning
Mark Jenkins
There are 3 Levels of Planning
in Schools

LONG TERM

MEDIUM TERM

SHORT TERM
LONG TERM PLAN
Covers a school year or a key stage
 Is based on the requirements of the National
Curriculum
 Is usually written for each subject area by the
subject leader in consultation with class teachers and
senior managers
 Shows WHAT will be covered in that subject by each
year group and WHEN this unit of work will be taught
 Often in terms of a simplistic overview
 Reviewed annually
Needs to address:

breadth

balance

continuity

progression
Medium Term Plans:



Cover learning for a period of weeks.
Organise coherent units of work around
clustered learning objectives and their
outcomes – topics / themes
Often highly detailed
Medium term overview grid –
Medium Term Planning
Overview Grid
Subject
English:
Speak/Listen
English: Literacy
Mathematics
Science
ICT
PE
Special Subject if
not included above
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Who writes the MT plan?



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Often written by subject leaders who
should have a comprehensive
understanding of their area of the
curriculum
Such information is often shared and
discussed at team meetings
Should be reviewed annually
Consider the medium term plans you have
been given
Effective Medium Term Planning.

Assessment? How and when does this occur? Build in opportunities for
peer, self and teacher assessment.

Evidence of progression? The sequence of lessons scaffolds learning.

Flexibility? Build in space for topical issues and events. Adaptability to
meet pupils' learning needs.

Resources and equipment included?

The outdoor classroom? Some tasks will be conducted here.

Time-scale the plan.

Include meaningful cross-curricular links – see handouts
Subject area/ Area of Learning:
SCIENCE
*Append a RISK ASSESSMENT
Topic Title
Year group:
Class name:
MEDIUM TERM PLANNER
Overall Aims
Science Knowledge and Understanding
Science Skills
Science Attitudes
Week
1
2
3
4
5
Learning objectives
NC
refs. /
PoS
refs./
QCA
Activities
Show progression - knowledge and skill
focus
Lear
ning
outco
mes
Assessment
Opportunities
Include skills
Resources
Curriculum
links
MEDIUM TERM PLANNER
Subject area/ Area of Learning:
Geography
Topic Title
Weather Around the World
Year group: 3
Class name: 3 N
Overall Aims
For children to develop an understanding of how and why weather condition vary around the world
For children to develop their understanding of how to use and interpret globes, atlases and maps
Week
Learning objectives
NC
refs. /
PoS
refs./
QCA
Activities
Learning
outcomes
Assessme
nt
opportuni
ties
Resource
s
Curriculu
m links
1
To investigate why
popular holiday
destinations may be
hotter than our own
country.
To use and interpret
atlases
QCA
unit 7
Intro: In groups children record on white boards
their favourite holiday destinations and describe
the weather conditions in them. Feedback.
Teacher intro to using atlas. (20 mins)
Main activity: In groups children are given one
destination to identify on atlas. What might they
know about it’s climate from it’s location?
Using resource packs they research and make
note on to A1 sheets about weather and its
effects in their given place. (30 mins)
Plenary: Comparison of findings from groups.
Introduce idea of climatic zones (10 mins)
Children are
able to identify
some holiday
destinations in
an atlas map
and give
reasons for its
climate type.
Can
children
correctly
predict
weather
conditions
from
geographi
cal
location?
Record
blue and
red groups
responses
during
main
activity.
Destinatio
n packs –
one per
group.
Atlases
pg.
A1 sheets
and
marker
pens
Whiteboar
ds
Science –
the earth
in space
lesson this
week will
explore
how
distance
from the
sun affects
temperatur
e on the
earth’s
surface
2
3
4
5
Why do teachers plan lessons?
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It enables you to think ahead about the
learning you want to take place in your
lesson
You can think about the structure,
timing and content of your lesson
It reduces the amount of thinking &
decision making you will need to do
during the lesson, enabling you to focus
on fine-tuning
Materials & resources are ready in
advance, suited to all needs.
Written plans support future planning
The Planning and Assessment Cycle
Planning
Learning
Objectives
Review and
target setting
Learning
Outcomes
Assessment of
pupil progress
Lesson
Delivery
Delivery of
teaching and
learning
objectives
Short-Term Plans
(lesson plans)



should evolve directly from mediumterm plans
describe the activities to be undertaken
in a particular lesson, taking account of
the needs of that particular class of
pupils
consider the lesson plans you have
been given
Planning for Learning

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What do I want the children to learn?
Do the children have sufficient prior
knowledge to succeed with the new
learning?
How will I formulate the learning
objective and make it clear to the children?
Which activities will deliver my objectives?
How will I know if the children are learning;
how will they know? What are my success
criteria?
NOTE: learning objectives = learning
intentions – you will see both terms used.
Sharing Your Learning Intentions




In order to be able to share your learning
intentions with the children, you need to
have thought very clearly about what they
are.
Take time to consider what it is you want
the children to learn from your lesson –
not just do!
Word them carefully in terms of learning
 To know….
 To understand …..
 To be able to ……
Sometimes acronym WALT is used:
We Are Learning To……
WALT – We Are Learning To…
Learning intention on teacher’s plan says:
“To investigate how settings and characters
are built up from small details and To
identify the main characteristics of key
characters, drawing on the text to justify
views”
When shared with the children it might read like
this:
“We are learning to find clues from the text
about the characters in The Lion, the Witch
and The Wardrobe.”
Success Criteria:


What are the success criteria? How will you
and they know how well learning is
progressing?
Ensure that there is a clear link between what
you want children to learn, what you ask
them to do, what you expect as an outcome
at the end of the lesson and the feedback
you give.
WILF –What I’m Looking For…



You will write some sentences which describe
your character or characters.
You sentences will contain adjectives that
show your understanding of personality traits.
I will know that you really understand when
you talk about where you found your
evidence in the text.
Lesson Planning A-Z
http://www.schoolsworld.tv/videos/theprimary-a-z-of-lesson-planning
Planning Examples
Look at the sheet you have been given, it
is designed for ICT use and is
expandable.
What do you think?
Planning a Lesson
Using the themes from National Curriculum History
With a partner


Take time to determine a lesson which could be undertaken in a
particular age group
Ensure you develop a lesson to meet your learning objective
and engage all of the children
Choose one of the following themes
Key Stage 1

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Changes in their own lives and
the way of life of their family
The way of life of people in the
more distant past – who lived
in the local area or elsewhere
Significant men and women
drawn from the history of
Britain or elsewhere
Past events which are
commemorated – such as the
gunpowder plot, Olympic
games etc.
Key Stage 2

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Local history study
Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings
Tudors
Victorian Britain
Britain since 1930
Ancient Greeks
A world history study
such as
Ancient Egypt
Aztecs
Sharing Time
Look at what other groups have been
able to produce
Bibliography

DfES (2003) Excellence and Enjoyment:
learning and teaching in the primary years.
London: DfES
English, E. and Newton, L. (2005)

David Fulton
Jacques, K. and Hyland, R. (2007)

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Professional Studies in the Primary School:
Thinking Beyond the Standards. London:
Professional Studies: Primary Phase.
Exeter: Learning Matters
Kyriacou, C. (1998) Essential Teaching
Skills (2nd edition). Cheltenham: Nelson
Thornes.