Beyond Lesson Planning:
Designing Lessons that Make a
Difference
Lisa Duval, independent consultant
Phyllis Kirkpatrick and Vanessa Westbrook
Senior science program coordinators
CAST
November 2007
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Ground rules
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Those who work, learn
Everyone has expertise
Share talk time
Look for solutions, not blame
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You need to know…
 You will be working in mixed-grade-level groups
most of the time.
 This is a time to learn from your colleagues at
other schools and in other grades.
 We will not take formal breaks, so please take
care your needs.
 Be considerate of others; please turn off cell
phones
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About the Dana Center
 Established during the early 1990s in the College of
Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at
Austin to support equity in mathematics and science
education.
 Coordinated the development of the mathematics
and science Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills.
 Worked long-term with over 200 school districts to
support systemic change.
 Became a Texas STEM Center in 2006.
 Provides ongoing research as well as support
materials and professional development for teachers
and leaders.
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Insights from the Dana Center’s
Partnership for High Achievement
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Implements district-based multiyear systemic reform
Uses protocols based on effective schools research
Affects leaders, teachers, and students
Focuses on establishing a Guaranteed and Viable
Curriculum for all students
We are with you when the TAKS scores arrive!
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Learning objectives
Participants will
 Understand the importance of using the
TEKS to drive instructional design.
 Participate in activities that show how
vertical articulation of content across
grade levels leads to greater student
understanding.
 Discuss the Professional Teaching Model
as a tool that can be used to align
student activities with the TEKS.
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 Using the science TEKS posters,
determine in which grade level
chemistry concepts are first introduced.
 Record this information (the TEKS
number and a summary) on a sticky
note or index card.
 Return to your group and come to
consensus on your response.
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Success is a K–12 effort
When a student is not successful on the exitlevel science TAKS or end-of course exam, it is
not the “fault” of one teacher — it is the fault of
the K–12 system.
The system did not work to support the learner.
Learners need to be exposed to ideas many
times in many different contexts before they are
able to apply the information to novel situations.
A simple checkmark against a TEKS rubric will
not produce the results we are looking for.
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Grade 1:
The Temperature is Rising
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Gather three cups: A, B, and C
Determine a way to order the cups, using the
“How Hot” ordering mat and without touching
the water.
Pour 1/2 of cup B into cup C. Can you tell if
there is a change?
Pour the rest of cup B into cup A.
Use two unmarked thermometers to determine
the order of the cups.
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Translating the TEKS
 What do they mean?
 How do I teach them?
 How do I know when I am finished?
 Why should I care?
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What happens if I don’t teach
the TEKS?
 Fractured curriculum
 Grade and/or curriculum slippage
 Not enough time to cover content well
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What happens if I do teach the
TEKS?
 Common vision
 Time to focus on the real content and
my grade level
 Tested TEKS are covered many times
before the test
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The Professional Teaching Model
The PTM Process Guide is a tool that
you can use to record the results of a
guided discussion around the TEKS.
This tool helps ensure that implemented
lessons result in the intended learning
outcomes.
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Review the PTM Process Guide
 By yourself, review the PTM Process
Guide for grade 1.
 Focus on the alignment between the guide
and the activity. Use sticky notes to jot down
important findings.
 With your group, discuss these ideas and
be prepared to discuss 1 or 2 important
findings.
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Grade 4:
As a Matter of Fact
This is a teacher-directed, studentcentered, kinesthetic demonstration.
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Review the PTM Process Guide
Focus
 Why is it important that we look at
more than our grade level?
 Why are the changes between grade
levels important to discuss and
document?
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Grade 7:
Element Sort
 Read the selection from Bill Bryson’s A Short
History of Nearly Everything.
 Group the element cards and then organize them
into a table.
 Use the periodic table to identify patterns of
physical properties for the elements.
 Use colored pencils to color the patterns of
elements on your periodic table.
 Complete the information on the blank element
card for the element you are missing.
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Review the PTM Process Guide
Focus
How does collaboratively
discussing changes and
important findings help my
teaching be more targeted?
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Integrated Physics and Chemistry:
Atomic Multitudes
Physicist Richard Feynman once said that if he had
to condense all of science into one sentence it would
be:
…It is the atomic hypothesis that all things are made
of atoms—little particles that move around in
perpetual motion, attracting each other when they
are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being
squeezed into one another.
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Teacher-directed,
Student-centered demonstrations
Focus
How did all the previous activities build to
this level of knowledge?
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Review the PTM Process Guide
Focus
 How do collaborative discussions at all grade
levels in a K–12 system help us to build
knowledge so that students are not just
“memorizing stuff”?
 How does this collaboration help our students to
succeed on more than just the TAKS?
 How does the use of criteria ensure that
implemented lessons result in the intended
learning outcomes?
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Criteria should…
 Reflect the expectations in the TEKS. That is,
criteria should reflect the content and processes
called for in all four parts of the TEKS.
 Be influenced by prior and future expectations in
the TEKS.
 Align to selected portions of the TEKS to reflect
“manageable” learning goals.
 Start with the TEKS and be shaped or
contextualized for the lesson.
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It takes more then once…
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Action steps
One definition of insanity is doing the same thing
over and over again but expecting different
results. What can you do at your district or
campus to stop the insanity?
With your table group, discuss 1 or 2 things that
you can do once you go back to your district or
campus to influence your present lesson-design
techniques.
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Reflection
On an index card, write
3 things you learned today
2 things you will go back and implement at your
campus or district
1 question you still need answered
Please turn in the reflection and pick up your 10%off coupon for any Dana Center science
professional development session in December
2007 or February 2008.
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Resources
 Center for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Education. (1996).
National Science Education Standards. Washington, DC: National
Academy Press. Available at www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses.
 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Science TEKS available via the
Dana Center’s Science TEKS Toolkit, at www.sciencetekstoolkit.org.
 Phillip C. Schlechty. (2002). Working on the Work, An Action Plan for
Teachers, Principals, and Superintendents. San Francisco, CA:
Jossey-Bass.
 Robert J. Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, & Jane E. Pollock. (2001).
Classroom Instruction that Works: Research-Based Strategies for
Increasing Student Achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development.
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Contact information
•Phyllis Kirkpatrick
pkirkpat@mail.utexas.edu
•Vanessa Westbrook
vwestbrook@mail.utexas.edu
www.utdanacenter.org
www.sciencetekstoolkit.org
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