Planning Effective Lessons Makaiya Hart Ashford University September 22, 2014

Effective Lesson Plan Essentials One of the first important elements of and effective lesson design is having good learning objectives. Another is making sure to cover important topics. Finally, try to find activities that are hands on.

What are good learning objectives Good learning objectives, “Challenge your students with higher-level learning objectives, questions, and assessments, as well as prepare them for the growing amount of higher-level questions and problems provided in testing situations.” (Newman, 2013) This makes them critical to effective planning.

Example Students will understand the properties of rotations, reflections, and translations. Students will use geometric figures to verify experimentally the properties of rotations, reflections, and translations. This is a good learning objective because it describes what the students are doing.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid We as teachers focus on being, “hands on instead of minds on”. (Newman, 2013) We also focus on the coverage of material. We should work backwards and decide what we want the students to learn and then plan the lessons according to that. “The first step in designing a rich learning experience for students is to begin with understanding where they need to go and what they need to learn, and then to work backward in planning applicable activities.” (Newman, 2013)

Backward Design Backward design basically means you plan your lesson with the end in mind. You first figure out what you want your students to learn. Then, you develop a plan to asses when the outcome had been met. Lastly, you plan the activities that the students will engage in.

Common Core Standards Roles Common core maintains a standard of what students are expected to know and have learned based on grade level ! Common core maintains a untied face across the board for education.

Traditional vs. Backwards Teachers identify standards Decide content to be taught Plan learning activities. Inputs (activities and textbooks to be used in class) Think about what to teach Backwards Identify a standard or outcome to cover Develope the assessment that will be used to determine student mastery of the outcome Outputs (desired learning and goals that students are to achieve) Both Plan Lessons Teach Give Assesments Give Feedback Choose next topic to teach

Objective Students will understand the rpperties of rotations, reflections, and translations. Students will use geometric figures to verify experimentally the properties of rotations, reflections, and translations.

Assessment Teacher will be facilitating students while working in groups to make sure that each student is on task and is correctly performing each transformation. Teacher will also grade each students Closing activity and place students in ability groups for the next day of class.

Assessment Part 2 Students will be asked to describe the steps they would take to perform each of the following transformations on a simple figure on a coordinate plane. Translation two units to the left.(subtract two from the x- coordinate, plot points and connect them) Reflection across the y-axis Change each x-coordinate to its opposite, plot points and connect them) Rotation of 180 degrees about the origin. (Change both coordinates to their opposites, plot points and connect them)

Activities To begin this lesson, students will cut out different geometric figures given by the teacher. They will have a trapezoid, two triangles, and a parallelogram. And the teacher will ask them to color each figure. (These figures will be used throughout the lesson to perform each transformation). While the students are coloring, the teacher will ask each of them to write down properties of the figures and what they know about each geometric shape. The teacher will discuss with students some real-world examples of transformations. For example, a pinwheel may be mentioned that illustrates the concept of a rotation. The image of a tree on a lake may be mentioned to represent a reflection. The teacher may also say that translations an often be found in tile or clothing patters. Then students will be asked if they can translate (yes), rotate (yes) or reflect (no) themselves.

References Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century Connecting the Dots. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education. Sanders, E (1999). Urban School Leadership: Issues and Strategies. Larchmont: Eye on Education