Writing Effective Lesson Plans

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.

This book has everything you need to write your first lesson plan. The author puts everything he knows about lesson plans into simple, understandable language so that you can easily learn all there is to know about writing a great lesson plan. Inside this book, you will learn: - The Lesson Plan Basics: Easy guidelines on how to create your first lesson plan. - Goals and Objectives: Important keys to getting your lesson plan on the right course with your students. - Necessary Prerequisites and Materials: How to make sure your students don't miss anything. - Your Lesson Introduction: How to engage and empower your students to learn. - The Heart of the Matter: How to make sure your students have that "aha" moment by constructing a good main activity. - Driving it Home: Keys to constructing a great independent activity to really drive your lesson plan home. - Follow-up: Simple pointers to help you make sure your students retain what you've taught them. - Assessment and Evaluation: How to assess your lesson plan's effectiveness. - Adaptations: Learn how to modify your lesson plan to different situations and circumstances. - Most Common Lesson Plan Mistakes: How to avoid them so you don't make the same mistake like so many others. - Writing Activities: How to create writing activities that will help grow your students' abilities and comprehension. - Lesson Plan Format: How to come up with your own very powerful lesson plan. - Two Sample Lesson Plans: Will help you construct your very first highly effective lesson plan. If you've ever been interested in writing a lesson plan, but didn't know where to start, then I encourage you to learn from the author's experience and get started on the right footing. This book contains everything you need to know in order to help you create an amazing classroom experience!

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.

Lesson planning is the essential component of every teacher's practice and the development of a teacher's skill is built explicitly on a rigorous approach to planning. This goes beyond just written plans and includes a process of mental preparation, anticipation, rehearsal and performance - all essential elements of the craft of teaching. This book offers heaps of useful advice and key ideas related to planning an effective lesson. With clear links between the preparation of writing a lesson plan, and the delivery of that lesson plan through your teaching, this book explores: Common components of lesson planning including learning objectives, learning outcomes, starters, teaching activities and plenaries The lesson plan document: what it can and can’t do Teaching ‘style’ and your role in bringing lesson plans to life within your classroom Common pitfalls, including time management, over- and under-running, optimum learning time, and activity sequencing Broader strategies such as differentiation, personalisation and assessment Sample lesson planning documents from real teachers Whatever age of pupils you are teaching, or whatever subject you are teaching, this book helps you develop a clear and concise approach to lesson planning that is an essential and integral part of becoming an effective teacher. "This is essential reading for all teachers, teacher educators and policy makers. For new entrants to the profession, it offers the opportunity to think beyond the notion of folk pedagogies and to consider how a more powerful theoretical framework might underpin lesson planning. It presents essential analysis as to why common approaches to teaching and learning have emerged and become embedded – this provides a great opportunity for more experienced teachers to develop a deeper critical understanding of their practice. Punctuated with reflective questions, it enables the reader to reconceptualise planning and pedagogy and to engage in theorised reflection on practice." Kate Laurence, Institute of Education, University of London, UK "At last! A plain speaking book on effective lesson planning.Lesson Planning for Effective Learning by Martin Fautley and Jonathan Savage combines theoretical perspectives with really useful, instantly useable examples from everyday practice. Despite the scholarly approach, the 200 pages of this little book retain an essentially conversational quality ensuring that it is equally accessible to students, academics and learning enthusiasts alike." Andrew R. Mackereth, Headteacher, Heart of England School "Lesson planning is one of the most fundamental duties of teachers no matter what their subject, age phase or experience. In their latest book, Martin Fautley and Jonathan Savage start with practice and, in deconstructing what teachers do every day, apply their deep thinking and reasoned consideration. They are adept at weaving a wide range of thoughts, experiences and theory into the mix, making this readily accessible and ultimately a very helpful book.Martin and Jonathan make much of the novice-expert continuum. I'm not sure where I fit but I certainly experienced a number of ‘penny-dropping’ moments that immediately led me to reflect and sharpen up my own planning. I've been reminded of the huge complexities that there are in planning effective lessons, both the "private preparation and the public performance" elements. It is impossible to read very far into this book without realising that planning for effective learning has little to do with the administrative task of completing a planning pro forma, important and necessary though that is. This book makes it abundantly clear that pedagogy and pedagogical content knowledge underpin planning for effective learning. Although, as the authors point out, much lesson planning is invisible, what they do so well here, in the words of Russell and Loughran*, is to “make the tacit explicit”. Above all, this book articulates something of what it is to be professional for teachers of all types. I heartily recommend this book." Simon Spencer, Birmingham City University, UK * Russell, T. & Loughran, J. (2007) Enacting a Pedagogy of Teacher Education: Values, Relationships and Practices, London: Routledge "This book gives fantastic insight and practical strategies for teachers at all points within their career in order to encourage and embed reflective practice. For outstanding practitioners and senior leaders, it provides case studies and examples which will stimulate discussion and provide starting points from which to develop policy at whole school level, and influence and develop practice at an individual teacher level. A ‘must have’ resource for any school Teaching and Learning Group library." Hayley McDonagh, Senior Leader, Golden Hillock School, Birmingham. Former LA senior adviser working with Schools in Ofsted Category

The best way to help students succeed is through deliberate and careful lesson planning focused on the end result of increasing student achievement. Whether you are a new teacher or an experienced educator, this book will help you get started by providing a practical, step-by-step guide to designing lessons that will lead to student mastery of any objective.

This book is for any teacher who's interested in improving their lesson planning and practice. It outlines a set of mindsets and habits you can use to help you identify the most impactful parts of your teaching, and put them centre stage. It's about doing less to achieve more. But it's also about being happier and more confident in the classroom. Building stronger routines around the essentials will give you more time and space to appreciate and think creatively about your work. Lean Lesson Planning draws on the latest evidence from educational research and cognitive science, to present a concise and coherent framework to help you improve learning experiences and outcomes for your students. It's the evidence-based teacher's guide to planning for learning, and sits alongside books such as Teach Like a Champion, Embedded Formative Assessment, and Visible Learning for Teachers.

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.