4 Factors to Consider When Planning a Lesson
Are you finding that some of your lessons are lacking something? Perhaps the lessons are not engaging the students as much as you would like or you’re just looking to take learning to the next level. Maybe it’s time to take another, deeper look at how you are planning a lesson. Don’t worry, I’ve got your back with some strategies and resources to get you going in the right direction!
One:
THE WHAT, WHY & HOW
It should go without saying, you need to know what you are teaching before you can teach it. You need to truly understand what your standards mean and determine the complexity and rigor each standard will require. Once you know what your students need to master then you can better communicate the content to your students.
With that, the next piece, communicating the content to your students, is truly the foundation of your lesson. Everything that is planned after this section relies so heavily on this step. Believe me friends, I have seen great things happen when students know what, why, and how they will learn their content! Why do you ask? This allows students to take OWNERSHIP of their learning and as a result you are actively engaging the students in the content!
To communicate the WHAT & WHY we are learning you will need:
The Learning Target: Think of this as the outcome of the learning that will take place in the form of an “I can” statement. It needs to be directly related to the standard but in student-friendly vocabulary. Check out my Learning Targets and Teaching Slides resource if you’re looking for a way to display your learning targets for students!
Purpose for Learning: Students need to think beyond, “I need to know it for the test.” Their purpose for learning needs to be rooted in real-world applications and connections to other content.
Success Criteria: This is essentially the assessment that is directly connected to the learning target. However, it is put it in words for students to understand HOW they will know that they have mastered the content and are successful. As a result, they will be able to self-assess their progress.
Two:
WHAT MY STUDENTS NEED
Now that you know the what, why, and how of your lesson, it’s time to reflect on where your students are at and what they might need in order to access the content.
Prior Knowledge: Think of what content have your students learned this year or in prior years to help them connect to new learning. Be sure to think cross curricular as well to widen their knowledge.
Making Connections: This links directly to prior knowledge. Don’t assume your students will make the connections on their own. Help them make these connections during your lesson. When they make them on their own it’s a magical moment!
Scaffolds: Just like the scaffolding used to support the workers to complete a build, students need scaffolding to meet their learning target. What supports and guidance will your students need to be successful? Think about some anticipated misconceptions, what questions are you going to ask, and where are you going to let them struggle a bit.
Differentiated Instruction: You know the different learners in your classroom. Think about your different learning styles (auditory, kinesthetic, etc.), various learning levels, etc. What are some engaging student activities or processes that you can utilize for the lesson you are planning?
Three:
ENGAGING MY STUDENTS
Now the fun part! How are you going to engage the students in their learning? This is like the secret sauce to any good BBQ that makes you want to go back for more. You need to sprinkle in different bits of engaging student activities and strategies that are appealing to students and as a result will deepen their learning.
Student Discourse: Children love to talk…even when they are supposed to be quietly working on their writing prompt. Right?! So why not give them actual dedicated time to discuss what they are learning? Research also shows how academic discourse in the classroom can improve problem solving skills and understanding of content. So be sure to include some form of student discourse into your lesson. Students will enjoy it as well!
Student Participation: Now you might be thinking, that’s classroom management. In part, it absolutely is. However, it is more than that. You can have a class that is well-behaved, not speaking out of turn, and so on, but does that mean they are actively participating? So, what are some strategies that you can you implement to ensure that even more students are actively engaged? Perhaps you have some protocols during classroom discussions, bells for when a student makes a connection…the possibilities are endless!
Metacognition: Here’s that learning target and success criteria again! Plan how will you have students utilize metacognition during the lesson. You can make it fun too! Remember, this will provide that ownership of their learning we had discussed earlier! Such good stuff!
Four:
THE FLOW
Finally, the actual flow of your lesson. It comes in three parts:
The Introduction: This is where it all begins, and you want to engage the students from the get-go! Think of some hooks, or anticipatory sets to get them interested in the content. Be sure to introduce your Learning Target, Purpose for Learning, and Success Criteria during this phase. Students need to know where they are headed.
The Bulk: This is the meat and potatoes of the lesson. What are the activities your class will do and what is the pacing? Consider your schedule and how much time this lesson may take.
Wrap it Up: Have you ever just finished the activity to a lesson and transitioned straight into the next lesson? Let’s be honest, we have all done it! But not anymore! Think about this for a moment, after you go to see a movie at the theater do you immediately just start thinking about what you are going to next? No, we process the movie for a few moments. We might know that we need to pick up groceries, but we usually talk about the movie on our way back to the car. Same thing goes for your students. You need to let them process what they learned before moving on. Be sure to review that learning target and success criteria again!
Now, let’s take a look at some tips to implement these components of a lesson to help you along the way!
How to Implement
We went over some strategic ways in planning a lesson that can be so helpful as we try to improve our daily lesson plans. But I know what you might be thinking, “Michelle, this is a lot to think about for every lesson!” I hear you! So, here are some suggestions to make improvements in your lesson plans while not overwhelming yourself!
Remember it’s okay to take things in bite-sized pieces! Regardless, you are making improvements in your practice which will only benefit your students!
Focus on one factor: If you find that you really struggle in one area of your lesson planning, then just focus on that area across multiple lessons and subjects. You will see improvements across the board!
Focus on one subject: This is a great option if you are mostly struggling with one subject area that you are not the strongest in. Work through all of the components for that subject area until you get a better handle on it.
Happy planning!
