EFFECTIVE LESSON PLANS Martha Dunn EDU650 Week 4 Dr. Wendy Ricci

PART 1: EFFECTIVE LESSON DESIGN AND BACKWARDS DESIGN What are the most important elements of effective lesson design? A good lesson plan is about research and clarity with good learning objectives. “Research is one of the most important components in effective teaching and learning” (Newman, 2013, chapter 9.1). Teachers should focus instruction on the mastery of learning. Clarity, completeness and specificity (Newman,2013) these are important as well.

Learning Objectives are Critical to Planning Effective Instruction The focus is to prepare students with knowledge so that they are able to apply these strategies and lessons styles outside of the classroom. Learning adjectives should have a clear picture of the concept being learned and have a complete and specific standard.

Example of Good Learning Objective Aligned with Common Core Standards. Why this is an Example of a “Good” Learning Objective: You need to add good learning objective aligned with the Common Core State Standards so the students, teachers and the parents know what to expect to understand the knowledge of each standard and understand the skills. This is important so the students learn through textbooks, technology, media and other types of materials. “Teachers’ engagement in professional community fosters the use of instructional practices that are associated to students achievement” (Popham, 2012, pg. 10).

Common Pitfalls in Planning Effective Lessons:. How to avoid those common pitfalls? Teachers who plan activities prior to determining learning outcomes. Plan learning outcomes instead of learning activities to avoid accidental learning. Focus on skills you want students to master instead of covering the breadth of material. Teachers who attempt to cover too much material with no regard to standards or with no purpose. While it is important to create meaningful and engaging learning activities, teachers need to encourage students to develop their 21 st century skills to become competitive in our global society.

What Does Backwards Design Mean? Identify desired results Determine acceptable evidence Plan learning experiences and instruction (Newman, 2013, chapter 9.1)

How the Common Core State Standards Play a Role in Designing Effective Instruction The Common Core Standards Initiative play a important role in effective instruction design. The teachers rely on these standards because they get a clear objective from the state so they can better plan learning objectives for individual lessons so they are in line with the state core standards.

PART 2: BACKWARDS DESIGN V. TRADITIONAL MODEL Focus on outputFocus on input Finding out what students want to learn about. The spotlight is on planning the learning activities. Creating a method to assess at the time the conclusion has been reached. Getting through the textbook is the focus. Stay on the same topic or pick something else. Students are assessed. Giving feed back.Choose a topic to go over Creating the learning activitiesIts on to something else.

PART 3: BACKWARDS DESIGN ACTIVITY Subject: Math Topic: Converting fractions to decimals (10ths & 100ths) Grade Level: 4 th grade

Stage One: Goals to be Established Students will be able to convert decimals to fractions The goal is to understand fractions and decimal notation for fraction and compare decimals to fractions. CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4NF.C6

Assessment stage: CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.C.6 CCSS.Math.Content.4.NF.C.6 Use decimal notation for fractions with denominators 10 or 100. For example, rewrite 0.62 as 62/100; describe a length as 0.62 meters; locate 0.62 on a number line diagram. (CCSS).

Stage Three: The Learning Activities Step 1 Converting fractions to decimals as long as you remember place value. Step 2 example: 4/10 how would we write that as a decimal? _____0_._4_________Answer 0.4____ t o t h e n e u n e n n s s t d h r s edrths

References Common Core State Standards InitiativeCommon Core State Standards Initiative ( Popham, W. J. (2010). Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.