Effective Planning: Step 2

There is an abundance of activities that could accompany my lesson plans, but how do I choose the right ones?

The diagram below depicts the flow and the core guiding questions effective teachers utilize when planning for instructional and learning success.

 

Each of these core guiding questions is answered by instructional decision making based on the needs of individual students, their data, desired outcomes, standards, and available tools and resources.

Last week we discussed Step 1 of Effective Planning. Let’s delve into step two:

What learning activities will I use?

Now that you have your learning objectives in order, design specific activities you will use to get students to understand and apply what they have learned. Because our classrooms have a diverse body of learners with different academic and personal experiences, they will have varied levels of familiarity with the topic. Checking for prior knowledge based on available student data or a simple planned activity is important. This additional information can help shape your introduction, learning activities, etc.  When you have an idea of the students’ familiarity with the topic, you will also have a sense of what to focus on.

Engagement is the name of the game. Plan for how you will develop a creative introduction, anticipatory set or “hook”. How will you make the lesson relevant for your learners? Develop a creative introduction to the topic to stimulate interest and encourage thinking. You can use a variety of approaches to engage students (e.g., personal anecdote, historical event, thought-provoking dilemma, real-world example, short video clip, practical application, probing question, etc.).

Consider the following questions when planning your introduction:

1. What does the student data and prior achievement tell me about the content to be presented?
2. How will I check for prior knowledge?
3. What ideas and beliefs about the topic are widely held by the students? Are these beliefs valid?
4. What will I do to introduce the topic?

Now for the learning activities themselves. Prepare several different ways of explaining the material (real-life examples, analogies, visuals, etc.) to catch the attention of more students and appeal to different learning styles. Specifically plan for the tried and true I Do, We Do,You Do method of instruction. What will I do to present and model the skill, knowledge and desired learning outcome? Which activities can you and the class practice and gain mastery on together? Which activities would be appropriate for the learners to complete to practice their new skills, be it individually or in a small group?

The following questions will help you design the learning activities you will use:

1. How will I explain and engage the learners during the instructional I Do piece?
2. How will I differentiate the instructional message?
3. What are some relevant real-life examples / activities that will bring the material to life for the learners?
4. What will students need to do to reach the desired objectives? Repetitions? Time?

Incorporate great aligned student activities while streamlining your planning process by utilizing Planbook Plus.  Planbook Plus supports you with tools to hone your dynamic lesson creation while on your path to becoming a Master Planner.