Lesson Planning and Writing ObjectivesFacilitators: Aaron Cooper, Peace Corps Volunteer, Dept. of EducationSonja Follett, English Language Fellow, Khovd UniversitySecondary School Teacher Training: Workshop #1October 22, 2011

Case Scenarios

As teachers, how do we respond to the frequent challenges that take place in the classroom?

What are ways that we can create positive solutions to issues or prevent them from even occurring?

In groups: please read your case scenario and come up with one way to resolve the problem and one way to potentially prevent it.

Share with the group!

Planning for the Unexpected…

As teachers, we can’t anticipate EVERYTHING that will take place in the classroom

However…we do have control over the content, objectives and learning taking place

Being prepared is not only a goal for good teachers, it is a requirement

As a result…we must LESSON PLAN!

What is Lesson Planning?

In pairs, please brainstorm and discuss what it means to plan for a lesson. Consider the following questions.

How do you prepare for your classes?

What objectives do you have for each class?

How do you assess whether students understand new content?

Do you think about your student’s learning needs or interests when you plan?

Lesson Plans - Defined

A lesson plan is a teacher's detailed description of the course of instruction for one class.

A daily lesson plan is developed by a teacher to guide class instruction.

Details will vary depending on the preference of the teacher, subject being covered, and the need and/or curiosity of children.

There may be requirements mandated by the school system regarding the plan. Source: Wikipedia

Why Lesson Plan?

Answer the 4 questions. Discuss your answers with your peer. Report to the group Why is lesson planning important? How is lesson planning important for the

teacher? For the learners? What do you take into account when you

design a lesson plan? What constant components are there in

your lesson plan?

Why is lesson planning important?

Being clear on what you want to teach. Being ready to cope with whatever

happens. Give your teaching a framework, an overall

shape. A reminder for the teacher when they get

distracted. It suggests a level of professionalism and

real commitment .

How is lesson planning important for teachers and

learners? For the teacher They don’t have to think on their feet. They don’t lose face in front of their learners. They are clear on the procedure to follow. They build on previous teaching and prepare for

coming lessons For the learner They realize that the teacher cares for their

learning. They attend a structured lesson: easier to assimilate They appreciate their teacher’s work as a model of

well-organized work to imitate.

What Should Every Lesson Plan Include?

In groups, brainstorm a list of items you think should be included in a lesson plan

Try pretending that another teacher has to teach your lesson

Think about the information they would need to know to teach the class

What Should Every Lesson Plan Include?

Description or Profile of the Students (language level, native languages, reason for taking the class, etc.)

Topic or Theme

Objectives (Activity, Lesson or Unit)

Materials (what equipment/materials do you need)

Procedure (detailed explanation of the activities, directions and assessment)

Assessment

Lesson Plan Structure: PPP

Presentation (the teacher provides instruction and directions)

Practice (students see examples, practice using the new information)

Production (students produce the new content in a way that is measurable and can be assessed)

Lesson Plan Examples

Please spend 5 minutes reading through the lesson plan on Compare/Contrast

In groups, please discuss the lesson plan

Questions to consider…does this plan include the items we just mentioned?

If you were teaching the class, would you know what to do?

Is there anything you would include or remove?

Writing Objectives

What are instructional objectives?

Instructional objectives are specific, measurable, short-term, observable student behaviors.

An objective is a description of a performance you want learners to be able to exhibit before you consider them competent.

An objective describes an intended result of instruction, rather than the process of instruction itself.

Why are objectives important?

Good Objectives:

provide direction to instructionprovide guidelines for assessmentConvey instructional intent to others

Writing Objectives: A Three Step Process

1: Create a Stem

2: Add a verb (note: try Bloom’s Taxonomy)

3: Determine the actual product, process or outcome

1. Create a Stem

Stem Examples:

After completing the lesson, the student will be able to . . .

After this unit, the student will have . . .

By completing the activities, the student will . . .

At the conclusion of the course/unit/study the student will . . .

2. Add a Verb

analyze, recognize, compare, provide, list, etc.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is used for this particular step

(See handout provided)

3: Determine the product, process or

outcomeAfter completing this lesson, the student will

be able to identify 2 causes of global warming

At the end of the lesson, students should be able to summarize the two different viewpoints about global warming

Bloom’s Taxonomy

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom identified 3 types of learning.

Cognitive: mental skills (Knowledge)

Affective: growth in feelings or emotional areas (Attitude)

Psychomotor: manual or physical skills (Skills)

In language learning – we evaluate cognitive learning

Cognitive Categories

Knowledge

Comprehension

Application

Analysis

Synthesis

Evaluation

Is this a Good Objective?

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to…

1) Identify and define 10 words about the environment

2) Appreciate the beauty of nature

3) Analyze 2 effects of pollution on the environment

4) Be familiar with global warming

5) Summarize the connection between pollution and global warming

Group Practice!

Please refer to your Bloom’s Taxonomy Handout for the following activity

In groups:

Use the 3 step process and Bloom’s Taxonomy, to create 2 objectives for a lesson about clothing

Please use 2 different cognitive categories (such as comprehension and evaluation)

Evaluation of Objectives

Do your objectives meet the following criteria?

Specific

Measurable

Short-term

Observable

Student Outcome Based

Diamantes (Group Practice)

In groups, read through the lesson plan on diamantes

Next, create 4 objectives for this lesson using the criteria we have reviewed (3 Step + Bloom)

Share your criteria with the class!

Applying What We Know

In pairs – brainstorm about the topics you teach in your classrooms (greetings, clothing, telling time, etc.)

Then, choose one topic to create a lesson plan about

Using the template provided, create a brief lesson plan

Be sure to use the criteria we’ve discussed!

Discussion/Evaluation

Please share your lesson plan with everyone!

Please provide helpful feedback about each lesson plan!

Please share what is difficult about lesson planning!

Please share what is useful about lesson planning!