EXPLICIT DIRECT INSTRUCTION LESSON PLAN All students are taught grade-level work every day.
Course: Exploring Computer Science
Unit Calendar
12/11
12/18
12/12
Lesson: Welcome | PreAssessments |
Community Building
12/19
12/13
12/20
12/14
Lesson: Welcome | PreAssessments |
Community Building
12/21
12/15
12/22
Lesson: Unit 0 | 0.1 What
is Computer Science?
01/01/2024
01/02/2024
01/03/2024
01/04/2024
01/05/2024
Course: Exploring Computer Science
Lesson: Welcome | Pre-Assessments | Community Building
Date: 12/12/2023
Unpacking the Standard of this Lesson for Aggressive Monitoring
Look explicitly at each aspect and skill of the standard. Verb in the “DO” column and each descriptor in the “WHAT” column.
Lesson Standard(s):
LEAVE BLANK
DO
WHAT
Which bite-sized elements will you explicitly teach and aggressively monitor based on what students need relative to this standard?
●
LEAVE BLANK
Lesson’s Learning Objective
Defines what the student will be able to do after
instruction. When stating the learning objective,
teachers are making a commitment to teach it so the
students will learn to do it successfully
independently.
“Everybody Thinks”
How will you know all students have reached the
lessons’ learning objective?
LEAVE BLANK
Lesson’s Learning Objectives:
After this lesson, students will be able to:
● Comprehend course syllabus, class expectations, the concept of a community
and its importance.
●Describe and practice using the class tools and systems for this course.
●Reflect on their strengths, talents, learning style(s), academic expectations,
and study habit skills
●Understand course syllabus and class note taking strategy
●Discover and practice where to find class materials and receive teacher
feedback about academic competency
This should be an independent assignment where I can assess each student’s
knowledge.
Assessing whether all students have reached the learning objectives of this
lesson will be done through various methods of evaluation and observation.
Observation and Discussion: Engage with students during class activities and
discussions related to the learning objectives. Listen to their ideas, ask probing
questions, and provide feedback to gauge their understanding. Observe their
interactions during group work or presentations related to the objectives.
Peer Evaluation: Encourage peer evaluation where students assess each other's
work based on the established criteria for the objectives. This can provide
additional perspectives on whether the objectives have been met.
Rubrics and Progress Monitoring Form: With the developed rubrics and
progress monitoring form outlining specific criteria for each learning objective.
These tools will be used to evaluate student work systematically and consistently.
Portfolio Assessment: Students will compile a portfolio showcasing their work
related to the lesson objectives. Evaluate the portfolio to determine if it
demonstrates achievement of the specified objectives.
Reflection and Self-Assessment: Encourage students to reflect on their own
learning. Have them assess their understanding and skills related to the objectives
through self-assessment tools and reflective writing.
By employing a variety of assessment methods and tools aligned with the
specific objectives, I can gather comprehensive evidence of whether students
have successfully met the learning objectives of the lesson. Adjustments to
teaching strategies will be made based on the assessment results to address
any gaps in understanding among students.
Activator - Prime for the Lesson or Review
Concept/Skill from Prior Day (3-5 minutes)
Preview: Students’ prior knowledge activated. It was
universal and engaged most students in the class. It
was directly related to the new content.
Review: Directly pertinent sub-skill taught. Students
told connection of Preview/Review to new content
to be taught.
This can be a review of the last lesson. Students would work on the Activator
while I am doing attendance.
Ice Breaker#1: Ice Breaker Bingo
Students will play the ice breaker fast pick bingo game to get to know their
classmates better. The game will be timed. You don’t have time to waste!
Music will be played, and students will need to move around to find one
person at a time. If they’re able to find and write legibly 9 different classmates
before anyone else, they will win 2 free tickets and popcorn to the movies.
Ice Breaker#2: Ask students to write down the answer to this question: What
does your ideal classroom look like? Or What was your favorite class at this
school? Why? After 2 mins, have them discuss with the person next to them,
and then bring the question to the whole group.
Pacing
Teacher Notes
What will students be doing?
(Materials, Teacher Moves, etc.)
(Independent, Pairs, Groups,
etc.)
Lesson Elements
Task
Introduction to Lesson
Session
In today’s lesson,
students will
explore the course
syllabus, upcoming
lesson topics, class
expectations, the
concept of a
community and its
importance. Also,
to consider
computer science
as a college and
career choice, and
explore this
possible
future life.
5-7 min.
Have students read
and digest the
objectives.
Review vocabulary
for today’s lesson
2 min.
PowerPoint and on Whiteboard
1 min.
PowerPoint Slide #13
Lesson Objectives
Buzz Words (Key
Terms/Vocabulary)
Overview
PowerPoint and on Whiteboard
Syllabus and Lesson Topics:
Expectations and Building the
Genius in every student!
5 Key Takeaways:
1. All students will have a
voice in this class.
2. I am the point of contact to
support students navigate
through their academics.
3. Self-control and selfregulation will be key in
accomplishing your goals
and success.
4. Respect, maturity,
leadership, responsibility,
support, and fun
5. Take advantage of all tools
being used here at the
school.

Independent
Independently following along
with the PowerPoint and
creating student accounts with
ProjectSTEM and have Student
Activity Guides
Mini Lessons:
 Lesson 1: Welcome |
Setting Norms and
Expectations
 Lesson 2: Navigating
class tools and systems
o ehall Pass
o Blooket
o Raise.me
o PowerSchool
o Schoology
o ProjectSTEM
 Lesson 3: Community
Building
 Lesson 4: Learning
Styles, Academic Habits
& Goal Setting
Lesson 5: Best & Brightest: Why
This Matters? | Lesson Slides:
Link
Group
Call on 2 random students.
Independent/Group
Discussing the key vocabulary
words. Students will be
highlighting these key terms
and definitions in the appendix
of the Student Activity guide.
Lesson Session
Launch
TASK 1
GUIDED LESSON
TASK 2
Guided ACTIVITY
TASK 3
CLOSE-OUT
15 mins
I will cover PowerPoint Slides #3 to
#19
Small Group/Independent
Work
Activity
20 mins
Monitoring students independent
work movement and collecting
data.
Independent
Students should be taking notes
on the Student Activity guide.
To start, students will engage in
the lesson about classroom
norms, consider
computer science
as a college and
career choice, and
explore this possible
future life.
Independent
Students will complete the
following:
- Lead a brief discussion on the
concept of "genius." Ask students
what they think a genius is and
what qualities or abilities it might
involve.
- Write down a few of their
responses on the board.
- https://www.viacharacter.org/
Defining Genius (7 minutes)
students will complete
strengths explorer assessment.
http://www.educationplanner.
org/students/selfassessments/learning-stylesquiz.shtml
- Distribute the self-reflection
handout. Ask students to reflect on
their own strengths, talents, and
areas they consider themselves to
be knowledgeable in.
- Have them briefly share one
aspect of their self-reflection with a
partner.
Self-Reflection Activity (8
minutes)
Wrap-up and Homework
Lesson Wrap up
and Debrief
Lesson Reflection
Get students
thinking and
processing about
what they did in
class.
5 mins
Launching the Debrief and Lesson
Closure, allowing students to reflect
on today’s lesson.
Wrap-up and Homework
(5 minutes)
- Conclude the lesson by
summarizing the importance of
recognizing their strengths and
talents.
- Create their “my genius” identity
graphic as a collage via
presentation, free hand drawing or
digital media will be shared at the
end of the week
Independent
Exit Ticket
The lesson ends with a review
of new vocabulary and a
discussion.
Student’s will write 2-3
sentences as an exit ticket on the
following prompts:
● Q: What career did you
choose? What’s the real
world connection? How
does coding fit in to
your vision? ○ A: Response will
vary.
● Q: What do you think your
future self or the person you
wrote your letter to would say
in response to your goals
and reflections? ○ A: Response
will vary.
● Q: What skills do you need to
continue
developing to reach this career
goal? ○ A: Response will vary.
Aggressive Monitoring: Collecting real data to make well-informed decisions
Which task is aligned to the
modeled standard that
students will complete
independently?
●Discover and practice
where to find class materials
and receive teacher feedback
about academic competency
What will you
monitor during your
compliance lap?
What is the first skill/strategy the
teacher(s) will aggressively
monitor?
ECS.TECH.C3 Critical Thinking,
Problem-Solving, Decision Making
Use critical thinking skills to plan and
conduct research, manage projects,
solve problems, and make informed
decisions using appropriate digital
tools and resources to promote
diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Explicit Modeling: Based on Monitoring, what will you explicitly model for students of need? (5-10 minutes) (whole group, small group,
individual student)
Teacher’s first-person inner thoughts - Shows the strategic steps that an expert follows to solve a problem. “This is how I do it. . .”
- “What it is” (the big idea, new concept, or skill) clearly reinforced during modeling.
- “Why it is important” reinforced during modeling.
- “How it is done” reinforced during modeling.
- Teacher modeled using cognitive strategies to help remember.
Today I’m going to show you…
In today’s lesson, students will program some interactive elements into their
GOAT product screens.
I will monitor if
students are able to
locate the class
materials and
comprehend how to
receive teacher
feedback
ECS.TECH.C4 Technology Operations
and Concepts
Demonstrate sound understanding
of technology concepts, systems,
and operations.
Will there be additional
skills/competencies monitored? If so,
what are they?
Watch me while I…
In today’s activity we’ll transform our GOAT product screen from a static page
that just displays information, to an interactive
screen that responds to user actions like clicking buttons.
onEvent block to tell our app how
to respond to specific input. In your toolbox, the onEvent block
We’ll use a new block called an
As you continue to work independently remember
to…
What will you use to reassess students who needed
explicit modeling?
Whole Class Closure (3 -5 minutes)
How will you debrief/close today’s lesson…
will look like this:
REVIEW THE CHECKLIST
❏ I opened the starter code.
❏ I programmed an “Order Now” button that changes to a new screen when
clicked.
❏ I programmed the product pricing page to include interactive buttons.
If students need help while working on their activity, they can watch the video
walkthrough. Pause the video at any time and
return to their activity to try out each step for themselves.
What was the most challenging part of today’s class?
Get students thinking and processing about what they did in class.
Course: Exploring Computer Science
Lesson: Unit 0 | 0.1 What is Computer Science?
Date: 12/14/2023
Unpacking the Standard of this Lesson for Aggressive Monitoring
Look explicitly at each aspect and skill of the standard. Verb in the “DO” column and each descriptor in the “WHAT” column.
Lesson Standard(s):
LEAVE BLANK
DO
WHAT
Which bite-sized elements will you explicitly teach and aggressively monitor based on what students need relative to this standard?
●
LEAVE BLANK
Lesson’s Learning Objective
Defines what the student will be able to do after instruction.
When stating the learning objective, teachers are making a
commitment to teach it so the students will learn to do it
successfully independently.
“Everybody Thinks”
How will you know all students have reached the lessons’
learning objective?
LEAVE BLANK
Lesson’s Learning Objectives:
After this lesson, students will be able to:
● Explain what computer science is.
● Identify real-world applications of Computer Science.
● Compare assumptions about computer science to reality.
This should be an independent assignment where I can assess each
student’s knowledge.
Assessing whether all students have reached the learning
objectives of this lesson will be done through various methods of
evaluation and observation.
Observation and Discussion: Engage with students during class
activities and discussions related to the learning objectives. Listen to
their ideas, ask probing questions, and provide feedback to gauge
their understanding. Observe their interactions during group work or
presentations related to the objectives.
Peer Evaluation: Encourage peer evaluation where students assess
each other's work based on the established criteria for the objectives.
This can provide additional perspectives on whether the objectives
have been met.
Rubrics and Progress Monitoring Form: With the developed
rubrics and progress monitoring form outlining specific criteria for
each learning objective. These tools will be used to evaluate student
work systematically and consistently.
Portfolio Assessment: Students will compile a portfolio showcasing
their work related to the lesson objectives. Evaluate the portfolio to
determine if it demonstrates achievement of the specified objectives.
Reflection and Self-Assessment: Encourage students to reflect on
their own learning. Have them assess their understanding and skills
related to the objectives through self-assessment tools and reflective
writing.
By employing a variety of assessment methods and tools aligned
with the specific objectives, I can gather comprehensive evidence
of whether students have successfully met the learning objectives
of the lesson. Adjustments to teaching strategies will be made
based on the assessment results to address any gaps in
understanding among students.
Activator - Prime for the Lesson or Review Concept/Skill
from Prior Day (3-5 minutes)
Preview: Students’ prior knowledge activated. It was
universal and engaged most students in the class. It was
directly related to the new content.
Review: Directly pertinent sub-skill taught. Students told
connection of Preview/Review to new content to be taught.
This can be a review of the last lesson. Students would work on the
Activator while I am doing attendance.
Have students brainstorm and type their answers to one of the
discussion questions listed below on Schoology. Students will
work individually. Then, Think-Pair-Share. Have them share their
responses for further discussion. [5 mins]
Teacher will load this code.org video to use as part of the
discussion: https://youtu.be/QvyTEx1wyOY?feature=shared
Beginning of Lesson
 Let’s check out this video together, what industries are
present? How do they affect our lives? What would it be
like if there wasn’t computer science?
Answers will vary, but the goal is for students to notice all of the
different industries that use computer science.
Lesson Elements
Task
Pacing
Teacher Notes
(Materials, Teacher Moves, etc.)
What will students be
doing? (Independent,
Pairs, Groups, etc.)
Introduction to Lesson
Session
In today’s lesson,
we will explore
why Computer
Science is
important in
celebration of CS
Ed Week.
Have students read
and digest the
objectives.
Review vocabulary
for today’s lesson
1 min.
PowerPoint and on Whiteboard
2 min.
PowerPoint and on Whiteboard
1 min.
PowerPoint Slide #26 & #30
Launch
TASK 1
GUIDED LESSON
TASK 2
Guided ACTIVITY
TASK 3
CLOSE-OUT
Coding Activity
15 mins
I will cover PowerPoint Slides #11 to
#35
Independent
Independently signing
onto Schoology
unpacking the CS Ed
Week Choiceboard
finding one project
platform to explore.
Group
Call on 2 random
students.
Independent/Group
Discussing the key
vocabulary words.
Students will be
highlighting these key
terms and definitions in
the appendix of the
Student Activity guide.
Independent
In this lesson, students
will be exploring CS Ed
Week Choiceboard
projects.
20 mins
Monitoring students independent
work movement and collecting data
Lesson Objectives
Buzz Words (Key
Terms/Vocabulary)
Overview
Lesson Session
Small Group/Independent
Work
Independent
Students occupy the role
of app designers and
program their own GOAT
product screen.
Lesson Wrap up
Dice Debrief
Launching the Debrief and Lesson
Closure, allowing students to reflect
on today’s lesson.
They will answer the following
questions:
1. What was the most
challenging part of today’s
class?
2. What surprised you most?
Aggressive Monitoring: Collecting real data to make well-informed decisions
Which task is aligned to the
modeled standard that
students will complete
independently?
● 2-CS-02: Design projects
that combine hardware and
software components to
collect and exchange data.
Lesson Reflection
Get students
thinking and
processing about
what they did in
class.
5 mins
What will you monitor
during your compliance lap?
What is the first
skill/strategy the teacher(s)
will aggressively monitor?
Independent
Exit Ticket
Will there be additional
skills/competencies monitored? If
so, what are they?
ECS.TECH.C3 Critical Thinking,
Problem-Solving, Decision Making
Use critical thinking skills to plan
and conduct research, manage
projects, solve problems, and
make informed decisions using
appropriate digital tools and
resources to promote diversity,
equity, and inclusion.
Explicit Modeling: Based on Monitoring, What will you explicitly model for students of need? (5-10 minutes) (whole group, small
group, individual student)
Teacher’s first-person inner thoughts - Shows the strategic steps that an expert follows to solve a problem. “This is how I do it. . .”
- “What it is” (the big idea, new concept, or skill) clearly reinforced during modeling.
- “Why it is important” reinforced during modeling.
- “How it is done” reinforced during modeling.
- Teacher modeled using cognitive strategies to help remember.
Today I’m going to show you…
Check each of these steps:
❏ used the starter code to
create their product screen
❏ modified the elements in
the starter code to match the
example solution
❏ added buttons to match the
example solution.
ECS.TECH.C4 Technology
Operations and Concepts
Demonstrate sound
understanding of technology
concepts, systems, and
operations.
Watch me while I…
As you continue to work independently remember to…
What will you use to reassess students who needed explicit
modeling?
Whole Class Closure (3 -5 minutes)
How will you debrief/close today’s lesson…
If students need help while working on their activity, they can
watch the video walkthrough. Pause the video at any time and
return to their activity to try out each step for themselves.
What was the most challenging part of today’s class?
Get students thinking and processing about what they did in class.