Writing a Lesson Plan

Dr. HarlandC&I 306

Behavioral Objectives: ABCD method

Behavioral Objectives: 4 parts:

1) Audience? 2) Behavior (observable)

• What will student do?• What will be observed?

3) Condition• How?• What circumstances?

4) Degree• To what level?

Verbs: identify, solve, compare, contrast, recite: Chose from a verb list: use Bloom’s Taxonomy

Given a map, without notes, given a vocabulary list…

At least 85%, four out of five

(Heinich, et al., 1996)

Students

Link

Daily Lesson Plans: Rationale

• What was taught prior to lesson/unit• What is the class/grade level• Why is the unit important• What standards it fulfills• What will be after the lesson/unit• What is the main affective objective • How will this unit benefit the

student long-term

Parts of a Daily Lesson Plan• Date: When the lesson is being

taught• Housekeeping Stuff

– Attendance, announcements, long-term reminders, collecting or handing back homework (BOHA)

• Student/Classroom Description– Describe: Classroom & students

• # of students, # of boys, # of girls• Time of day, cultural composition• Known exceptionalities

Parts of a Daily Lesson Plan• Illinois State Standards

– Go to ISBE website, give key codes and copy & paste actual standards

– http://www.isbe.net/ils/

• Materials/Equipment– Handouts for students– Tools for you—overheads, computer/ppt

Daily LP: Intro: Set Induction• Start with a Set Induction (Anticipatory

Set)– The “Hook” to get students interested– To figure out what students already know– To create a framework on which to build the

lesson: – To highlight misconceptions– To create a personal connection to the

material: help students care about what they are going to learn

• Examples of set inductions:– A demonstration, movie clip, cartoon, audio

clip-followed by a question for students to discuss

Daily LP: Content: The “stuff”• Content

– The What? Topic to be covered– The How? (what method works for the

subject?)• Discussion• Lecture/presentation• Cooperative learning

• This is what you will probably have in front of you when you teach– Content details: Notes, overheads, ppt,

discussion questions, steps for cooperative learning

• Case Studies

• Guided practice

Daily LP: Closure• Def: Wrap up/review of lesson

– NOT “Do you understand?”– Student led… “Share one thing you learned

today.”– Reinforce why topic is important: relate to

student’s life – Gear students to the next logical topic

• Purpose: to let you know:– if additional practice is needed – whether you need to re-teach – whether you can move on to the next part of

the lesson – If objectives were met

Last Parts of a Daily Lesson Plan

• Literacy Techniques – List all used techniques (reading, writing,

listening, speaking) and what you are doing to improve student skills in these areas.

Tips for Writing Daily Lesson Plans

If possible vary the types of activities you do in one class session

•Ex. Start with discussion or journal writing, do some lecture, group work & end with an interactive way to review the content.

Teach to as many learning styles possible. Consider “lost” students as opportunities to expand your teaching “bag o’ tricks”

Makes the class time go quickly for you and for your students

Teach---ReTeach—Review--Reteach

Tips for LP writing (cont.)

Vary where you get “content material”

•Use more than just the textbook—Be creative

•Newspapers, cartoons, college texts, internetUse Journals from

your content area to get lesson plan ideas

ShareSteal—Beg &

Borrow to get

Lesson Ideas

It may be easier to re-design a lesson than to write one from scratchMake notes about what you want to change next time you teach a lesson/unit (You think you’ll remember…you won’t!)

Save computer files in more than one place so you have them for

years to come

Tips for LP writing (cont.)

Next year…

Planning at the

Beginning of the School Year

Tips for New Teachers

1st Quarter 2nd Quarter

3rd Quarter 4th Quarter

Planning the Year – Long Term

• Talk to others who have taught the course– Read course description– Ask for curriculum guide

• Divide Year into large chunks (quarters?)

• Decide what large topics will be taught when– Use logic when deciding

order: What topics build on others?

Post-it Notes:

Unit/Topic/Chapter

• Unit = Major Topic you want to cover– Units can be a single chapter or a group of

chapters– Units can be thematic

• Content based around a social or current event

• Topics; covered within a unit: Ex.– Short Stories: topics; parts of a short story,

story examples, characterization – Hurricane Katrina: topics; infectious

disease, immune system– Cancer: Cells, cell growth, – War: topics: how different countries prepared

and performed on the battle field over time

Planning the Year – Quarters

Don’t• start a new unit on

a Friday• Plan an exam the

night after a huge school activity

• Plan difficult/low motivational topics for the end of the year

Unit Planning TipsDo

• Stagger classes so that end/beginning of units don’t occur at the same time

• Determine approx. point values for various activities before unit begins

Good News

Lesson Planning gets easier with time!