Writing Effective Lesson Plans


Book Description

Developed by two educators with experience in both elementary and secondary classrooms, Writing Effective Lesson Plans details a unique a step-by-step procedure designed to streamline the process of lesson planning and make teaching smoother and more efficient. Coined the "Five-Star Lesson Plan" by the authors, this model consists of five classic components: lesson description, goals and objectives, materials and tools, procedures, and reflective assessment and evaluation. This workbook guides beginning and experienced teachers through each step to create lesson plans that best meet the needs of every student. It also explores the inherent challenges to effective lesson planning, such as time efficiency, knowledge construction, skill development, involving the students' families, and implementing your plan. With its mix of concise theory and hands-on activities, this book is a one-stop resource encouraging a deep and thoughtful approach to a skill that is often not sufficiently developed in teacher preparation programs.




Teach Smarter


Book Description

Discover new, practical methods for teaching literacy skills in your early childhood classroom. Has teaching early literacy skills become a stumbling block to getting your preschool students kindergarten ready? Break out of the tired “letter of the week” routine and learn how to transform your lessons with fun and effective techniques. Teach Smarter: Literacy Strategies for Early Childhood Teachers will equip teachers to infuse every aspect of their teaching with exciting hands-on literacy teaching methods that engage students and help them build authentic connections with books, so that 100% of their students will have a strong literacy foundation and will be fully prepared for success in kindergarten and beyond. Respected author Vanessa Levin, veteran early childhood educator and author of the “Pre-K Pages” blog, breaks down the research and translates it into realistic, actionable steps you can take to improve your teaching. Features specific examples of teaching techniques and activities that engage students in hands-on, experiential learning during circle time, centers, and small groups. Offers a simple, four-step system for teaching literacy skills, based on the foundational principles of early literacy teaching Demonstrates how to build your confidence in your ability to get 100% of your students ready for kindergarten, long before the end of the school year Understand the problems with traditional literacy teaching and identify gaps in your current teaching practice with this valuable resource.




The Lesson Planning Handbook


Book Description

Details the steps, strategies, and structures for creating successful lessons for independent, small- group, and whole-group instruction.




The Complete Guide to Lesson Planning and Preparation


Book Description

This book covers everything needed to plan and prepare for lessons effectively, and encourages teachers to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, priorities and needs.




The Ultimate Guide to Lesson Planning


Book Description

This practical guide will help you to plan evidence-informed, innovative lessons that can be adapted to meet your individual student’s needs. Modelled on a typical lesson plan, the book covers all aspects of planning such as learning aims, starting a lesson, resources and activities, embedding skills, and assessment. Each chapter features a wide range of activities and strategies that can be used every day and easily adapted for different learners. The chapters also explore what to do when lessons don’t go to plan and how to use technology effectively to support learning. Throughout there are nuggets of useful theory to help you reflect not only on what works in the classroom but why. Written by an expert author team and linked to the early career framework, this is essential reading for all trainee and early career teachers across a wide range of educational settings.




Preparing Effective Lessons


Book Description

Forget waiting for the district, state, or national test to find out how your instruction impacts student outcomes. If you are ready to — rethink how you plan lessons and measure student learning outcomes this planning guide is for you. Did you ever wonder why the process of linking your lesson plans to student outcomes remains shrouded in mystery? This eye-opening planning guide rips off that shroud and exposes the links for all to see. There is a way for you to link instruction to student outcomes and this planning guide provides access to that process. The easy-to-follow guide leads you through the steps for developing lesson plans that link instruction with student learning. This step-by-step guide exposes seven diverse types of links from pre-planning through summative assessment. They are: Reflections on how-to develop, change, or improve your practice Pre-planning links that connect prior student achievement, standards, and objectives Lesson plan links that connect three types of assessments and learning activities Grade book links that connect assessment and activities to objectives and standards Professional learning extensions that expand your professional knowledge An On-Going support plan that provides a “Plan B” option A self-assessment that links instruction with student outcomes




The Essential Guide to Lesson Planning


Book Description

The Essential Guide to Lesson Planning is intended to help trainee and newly qualified teachers come to grips with the daily lesson planning required from them. This book shows how the time spent planning good lessons can help to ensure that time in the classroom is effective, productive and enjoyable. A key goal of this book is to show that planning lessons and behaviour management are not two separate entities - any good lesson plan will have built-in behaviour management strategies. If students are catered for, are allowed to achieve and have their good work reinforced, then even the most challenging of students can be fun to teach.




Lesson Planning


Book Description

Are you looking to construct a lesson plan that will help K-12 students master new content, concepts, and skills? Lesson Planning: A Research-based Model for K-12 Classrooms can help by guiding you in the selection of research-based instructional strategies and types of materials designed to consider all learners' needs. Part I establishes the theoretical foundations of the ideas used in the lesson planning process. Part II is a step-by-step guide to developing direct and inquiry-based lesson plans. Meeting the Needs of all learners -- woven throughout each chapter, the authors address the diverse needs of students. INTASC Standards Correlation Guide appears on the inside front cover to help readers quickly identify the lessons that meet each standard. Connections to the INTASC Standards are woven throughout each chapter's content and activities. Unit Connections explain how the chapter's content is used in the development of a unit Technology in Education (TiE) -- a feature throughout the book provide practical help in the lesson planning process including rubric generating sites, lesson plan templates, ideas for lesson activities, and links to useful classroom materials. Reality Check, a feature in each chapter, provides advice from practicing classroom teachers who represent a range of subjects and grade levels. Your Turn feature at the end of each chapter helps you create your own standards-based lesson plan in both direct and indirect instruction formats.




Understanding by Design


Book Description

What is understanding and how does it differ from knowledge? How can we determine the big ideas worth understanding? Why is understanding an important teaching goal, and how do we know when students have attained it? How can we create a rigorous and engaging curriculum that focuses on understanding and leads to improved student performance in today's high-stakes, standards-based environment? Authors Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe answer these and many other questions in this second edition of Understanding by Design. Drawing on feedback from thousands of educators around the world who have used the UbD framework since its introduction in 1998, the authors have greatly revised and expanded their original work to guide educators across the K-16 spectrum in the design of curriculum, assessment, and instruction. With an improved UbD Template at its core, the book explains the rationale of backward design and explores in greater depth the meaning of such key ideas as essential questions and transfer tasks. Readers will learn why the familiar coverage- and activity-based approaches to curriculum design fall short, and how a focus on the six facets of understanding can enrich student learning. With an expanded array of practical strategies, tools, and examples from all subject areas, the book demonstrates how the research-based principles of Understanding by Design apply to district frameworks as well as to individual units of curriculum. Combining provocative ideas, thoughtful analysis, and tested approaches, this new edition of Understanding by Design offers teacher-designers a clear path to the creation of curriculum that ensures better learning and a more stimulating experience for students and teachers alike.




Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans


Book Description

Schools nationwide are transitioning to the Common Core--our advice to you: Don't go it alone! Our new book, Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, K-5, shows you that teaching the Common Core State Standards in the elementary grades doesn't have to be intimidating! This easy-to-use guide provides model lesson plans for teaching the standards in reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language. Get engaging lesson plans that are grade-appropriate, easy to implement and include ready-to-use reproducible handouts, assessments, resources, and ideas to help you modify the lesson for both struggling and advanced learners. Our Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans are designed to fit seamlessly into your K-5 curriculum. You get practical tips for revamping your existing lessons to meet the standards. Students learn how to read informational texts, write opinion-based essays, and improve their speaking and listening skills. Grammar mini-lessons and foundational skills mini-lessons will help you teach language conventions, phonics, fluency, and more! We take the guesswork out of Common Core lesson plans with this practical, easy-to-use guide. All lesson plans are grade-appropriate, and every lesson plan includes... Common Core State Standards covered in the lesson Overview of objectives and focus of the lesson Background knowledge required and time required A detailed, step-by-step agenda for the lesson, plus a materials list Differentiation ideas to adapt the lesson for different kinds of learners Assessment ideas, including rubrics and scoring guides A place for your notes: what worked; what can improve Bonus! We show you how to extend the lessons into longer units to suit your particular grade's curriculum, and even help you create more of your own lessons!