IMPACT LA Summer Workshop, July 2013 IMPACT LA Lesson Plan ABC Improving Minority Partnerships and Access through CISE-related Teaching An NSF Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) Program

What’s a lesson plan? A framework of how a topic is taught Can be an activity, an individual lesson, or series of lessons Guide classroom instruction

Overview Why do I need to write a lesson plan? Lesson plan development requirement Overall lesson plan structure The meat of the lesson plans Do’s and Don’ts

Why do I need to write lesson plan? To make a broader impact

Why do I need to write lesson plan? Professional / career development –Build up your publication records –Polish your writing skills

IMPACT LA Lesson Plan Development Requirement for fellows –Who? –Who? Co-developed by fellows and teachers (research mentors and PIs may provide inputs) –How Many? –How Many? 6 total: 4 short lesson plans + 2 long lesson plans –When? –When? After you conduct the lesson in class Your lesson plans will be reviewed by IMPACT LA PIs and the finalized version will be published on IMPACT LA website.

Short vs. Long Lesson Plans Common Requirements –New (not a complete replication of an existing lesson) –Tied to your research/professional areas shortlongYour Decision: short or long? InnovationInnovation Scope or Complexity Difficulty level Relationship to your research

Structure of Short Lesson Plan One-pageOne-page Science/engineering principles + what the students suppose to learn Steps to conduct the activity Template: du/resource.shtml?param= du/resource.shtml?param= du/resource.shtml?param= Template: du/resource.shtml?param= du/resource.shtml?param= du/resource.shtml?param=

Long Lesson Plan Structure Grade level Subject area Keywords Summary Engineering/Science connection Learning objectives Educational standards Time required Group size Expandable cost per group Material list Pre-requisite knowledge Activity background & concepts for teachers Introduction/Motivation Vocabulary Procedure Supplement materials Assessment Activity extension Activity scaling References Copyright

The Meat of the Lesson Plans Overview Summary Engineering/Science Connection The Triumvirate! –Objectives, Standards and Assessment Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers Introduction/Motivation Procedure (and Supplementary Materials)

The Meat of the Lesson Plans Overview SummarySummary Engineering/Science ConnectionEngineering/Science Connection The Triumvirate! –Objectives, Standards and Assessment Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers Introduction/Motivation Procedure (and Supplementary Materials)

Summary vs. Science/Engr Connection Summary One paragraph to summarize the activity/lesson Science/Engineering Connection One paragraph to describe how this activity/lesson is related to scientific research or real-world engineering applications What are the basic ideas/content in the activity/lesson? What can be achieved by doing this activity? Connection to particular areas in science / engineering Real-world examples relevant to youngsters

Engineering/Science Connection: An Example Example from TE Activity: Activity Name: One Path (students build and explore the characteristics of series circuits) ction/cub_/lessons/cub_electricity/cub_electricity_lesson05.xml Engineering/ Science field related to the activity Real world examples that kids can understand

Engineering/Science Connection – Do’s and Don’ts Don’t: Simply summarize the activity Don’t: Forget to make it relevant to kids Is this a good description for Engineering/Science connection? ection/cub_/activities/cub_human/cub_human_lesson06_activity1.xml In this activity, students explore the steps a calculator takes in order to perform certain calculations, such as finding the square root of a number. Students learn and explore the concept of an algorithm through flowcharts. Computer scientists design algorithms to solve specific problems in computation. This activity allows students to explore the concept of an algorithm, which is essentially a series of steps and instructions to perform a specific task. Computer scientists design and implement algorithms to solve problems in areas such as robotics, computer vision (e.g, optical character recognition systems found in envelop-free deposit ATMs), and networking. In this particular activity, students explore the algorithm that a calculator, which is a “mini-computer”, uses to calculate the square root of a number.

Hands-on Exercise! SummarySummary Red blood cells have surface markers on their membrane called antigens. Antigens are recognized by an antibody as a potential invader and in the case of a recognition, an immune response will be triggered. In order to prevent immune responses, blood transfusions of the same blood type must be given because if two different blood types are mixed, the antigens and antibodies will respond by causing a hemolytic reaction that can potentially kill a person. In this activity the students will identify the presence of antigens represented with Gummy Bears and Cheerios and understand which blood types can be mixed, as they will not react with each other (symbolized by a popping transfusion with Pop-Rocks). Science/engineering ConnectionScience/engineering Connection In medicine and in science, blood is used to find different conditions. Blood samples are taken at hospitals to test the levels of different components of the blood such as red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Doctors know that high levels of white blood cells, for example, indicate the body’s response to an infection and depending on the type of white blood that has elevated levels, they can treat patients with specific medications for the infection. Moreover, blood samples help in the discovery of diseases and conditions. The blood carries many different compounds that, for instance in the case of a heart attack, levels of compounds like nitric oxide will be elevated. Blood can even help to identify suspects in crime scenes. With blood samples, detectives can gather a DNA sample and use this as evidence for cases. Discuss the following write-up:

The Meat of the Lesson Plans Overview SummarySummary Engineering/Science ConnectionEngineering/Science Connection The Triumvirate!The Triumvirate! –Objectives, Standards and Assessment Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers Introduction/Motivation Procedure (and Supplementary Materials)

The Triumvirate! Effective Lesson Plans

Educational Standards Educational standards define the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students should possess at critical points in their educational career.

Learning Objectives What Are Learning Objectives? Purpose of Objectives Writing Learning Objectives Examples of Learning Objectives Learning Objectives and Measurable Outcomes

They aren’t simply a list of the topics to be covered. A learning objective should describe what students will know, be able to do, or how their way of thinking should be at the end of the learning experience. Knowledge – Skills – Attitudes Learning objectives = student performance. What Are Learning Objectives? Source: MIT Teaching and Learning Laboratory materials/learning-objectives/index-learning-objectives.html

Good Student Learning Objectives? Good learning objectives shouldn’t be too abstract (“the students will understand what good literature is”); too narrow (“the students will know what a ground is”); or be restricted to lower-level cognitive skills (“the students will be able to name the countries in Africa.”). Each individual learning objective should be measurable (for assessment) support the overarching goals of the course and the standards upon which the course is based. Source: MIT Teaching and Learning Laboratory materials/learning-objectives/index-learning-objectives.html

Purpose of Objectives  By knowing where you intend to go, you increase the chances of you and the learner ending up there.  Guides the teacher relative to the planning of instruction, delivery of instruction and evaluation of student achievement.  Guides the learner; helps him/her focus and set priorities  Allows for analysis in terms of the levels of teaching and learning

Learning Objective Components AudienceBasic characteristics BehaviorIn measurable terms, what they will demonstrate ConditionThe important condition under which the performance is to occur DegreeCriterion of acceptable performance Example Students will list three characteristics that make the family medicine physician distinctive from other specialists in the health care system.

Educational Assessment The process of documenting, usually in measurable terms, knowledge, skill, attitudes, and beliefs. Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning community (class, workshop, or other organized group of learners), the institution, or the educational system as a whole.

Learning Domains Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge) Psychomotor: manual or physical skills (Skills) Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude)

Categories in the Cognitive Domain Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

Assessment The process of gathering information (and documenting) usually in measurable terms, what a student knows, is able to do, or thinks (knowledge, skill, attitudes, beliefs). to determine the results of learning experiences... to improve subsequent learning.

Let’s apply what we have discussed... Select a math or science standard MATH: SCIENCE: Create student learning objectives A-B-C-D Include multiple domains Use appropriate key words (verbs) Identify appropriate assessment A-B-C-D Include multiple domains Use appropriate key words (verbs)

The Meat of the Lesson Plans Overview SummarySummary Engineering/Science ConnectionEngineering/Science Connection The Triumvirate!The Triumvirate! –Objectives, Standards and Assessment Lesson Background and Concepts for TeachersLesson Background and Concepts for Teachers Introduction/MotivationIntroduction/Motivation Procedure (and Supplementary Materials)Procedure (and Supplementary Materials)

Lesson Background & Concepts for Teachers Written for the teacher only Include a clear and complete explanation of the lesson subject covered In layperson’s terms Summarize pertinent background to make the teacher’s job easier Do not just copy information from other resources (can provide a few hot links/URLs to high-quality relevant information links) Information should provide teacher with a bit more information than needed to teach the lesson, so the s/he can answer student questions competently.

Lesson Background & Concepts for Teachers Do: Include a review of the math/science concepts Don’t: Use terminology/concepts that you don’t explain Do: Provide teachers with enough information to feel comfortable conducting the lesson and answering questions

Introduction/Motivation Write this section as if you were directly talking to the studentsWrite this section as if you were directly talking to the students

Introduction/Motivation Suggest how the teacher might prepare the students for the activity. –Provide an engineering/science context –How do you grab the students’ interest? This could be a demo, an example or real-world context – Ask questions of the students to engage them (Pre-assessment too!) –Create a storyline that flows with the objectives to make the activity more challenging and exciting –Suggested half-page minimum –Address the learning objectives identified earlier –Incorporate vocabulary –Include teacher instructions and answers in parentheses, such as: (write on the classroom board) or (Possible answers: xxx, yyy, zzz.).

Procedure step-by-stepClearly explain the step-by-step procedure to follow to conduct the hands-on activity. activity objectivesMake sure to include connections to science/engineering and address activity objectives. To clarify the activity set-up and procedure, place images, photographs and diagrams throughout this section and the activity write-up. Use figure numbers if the image is referenced in the text and has a caption. Remember to use metric units.

Procedure Do’s and Don’ts Do: Include pictures Don’t: Forget figure numbers, captions, ADA formatting, and copyright (discussed later)

Handouts and Other Supporting Material Do: Make them easy to understand/use –If using software (such as Google Earth) provide handout for kids to use at home or for teachers to use with kids that have computers in classroom –Can also provide links to online resources and/or youtube videos –Use the tips effective communication for your presentations – engaging, interactive, eye-catching

Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (and what to do about them) – Dr. Bob Kizlik

Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (and what to do about them) 1. The objective of the lesson does not specify what the student will actually do that can be observed. 2. The lesson assessment is disconnected from the behavior indicated in the objective. 3. The prerequisites are not specified or are inconsistent with what is actually required to succeed with the lesson. 4. The materials specified in the lesson are extraneous to the actual described learning activities and/or intended student learning. 5. The instruction in which the teacher will engage is not efficient for the level of intended student learning. 6. The student activities described in the lesson plan do not contribute in a direct and effective way to the lesson objective. A lesson plan that contains one or more of these mistakes needs rethinking and revision.

Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (and what to do about them) 1. The objective of the lesson does not specify what the student will actually do that can be observed. Remember, an objective is a description of what a student does that forms the basis for making an inference about learning. Poorly written objectives lead to faulty inferences.

Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (and what to do about them) 2. The lesson assessment is disconnected from the behavior indicated in the objective. An assessment in a lesson plan is simply a description of how the teacher will determine whether the objective has been accomplished. It must be based on the same behavior that is incorporated in the objective. Anything else is flawed.

Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (and what to do about them) 3. The prerequisites are not specified or are inconsistent with what is actually required to succeed with the lesson. Prerequisites mean just that -- a statement of what a student needs to know or be able to do to succeed and accomplish the lesson objective. It is not easy to determine what is required, but it is necessary. Some research indicates that as much as 70% of learning is dependent on students having the appropriate prerequisites.

Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (and what to do about them) 4. The materials specified in the lesson are extraneous to the actual described learning activities. This means keep the list of materials in line with what you actually plan to do. Overkilling with materials is not a virtue!

Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (and what to do about them) 5. The instruction in which the teacher will engage is not efficient for the level of intended student learning. Efficiency is a measure that means getting more done with the same amount of effort, or the same amount with less effort. With so much to be learned, it should be obvious that instructional efficiency is paramount.

Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (and what to do about them) 6. The student activities described in the lesson plan do not contribute in a direct and effective way to the lesson objective. Don't have your students engaged in activities just to keep them busy.. Whatever you have your students do should contribute in a direct way to their accomplishing the lesson objective.