CADRE Lesson Planning Guide
Here are some things to consider as you design your lesson plan:
What is the main idea that you want to teach?
For example, do you want students to be able to describe the process of splinting a broken arm, create a sprite object in a graphic design program, or safely use a chef ’s knife? Try to keep the focus tight so that your lesson doesn’t instead become a unit.
How can you “hook” students at the start of your lesson, focusing their attention so that they are ready to learn? Start by thinking about your main idea. What aspect of it could be particularly interesting to the students in your class? Things that surprise, excite, intrigue, or raise questions are all good starting points.
What are the lesson’s specific learning objectives?
In other words, what should the students be able to do, demonstrate, or explain to indicate that they have grasped the main idea? A typical lesson has between two and four objectives. Too many more and you may want to split your lesson into several separate ones.
What activities will help your students achieve the learning objectives?
Lectures, demonstrations, lab work, group work and student projects are all examples of activities that you many want to consider.
How will you assess whether students have met the learning objectives?
A test or quiz at the end is only one way to assess learning. Portfolios, observations, and writing samples can all be used as additional forms of assessment.
Let’s get started!
Lesson Title Let’s Write: Postcards Then and Now______
Grade Level: 1st – 3rd______
Unit/Topic: ____Letter writing / Postcards______
Lesson Plan Overview / Details: This is the “main idea” that you want to teach for this lesson.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:
- Write 3 sentences relative to one topic using the space of a traditional postcard format.
- Address a standard US postcard with all required USPS information.______
- Discern which postcard is appropriate for a recipient i.e. grandparent, friend, self. ______
Activities in the Lesson
Plan out the different parts of your lesson using the text blocks below. Highlight and Bold the types of activities you are describing and create enough detail for another teacher to understand.
Activity #1
X Hook / Anticipatory Set
□Lecture
□Demonstration / Modeling
□Guided Practice
□Independent Practice
□Closure Activity
□Checking for Understanding
□Lab / Shop
□Group Work
□Projects
□Formal Assessment
□Other:
□Materials/Resources: Examples of postcards (available free on-line, at Chambers of Commerce, etc.) or from personal collections.
Activity #2
□Hook / Anticipatory Set
X Lecture
□Demonstration / Modeling
□Guided Practice
□Independent Practice
□Closure Activity
□Checking for Understanding
□Lab / Shop
□Group Work
□Projects
□Formal Assessment
□Materials/Resources needed: Projector / Internet access computer
Activity #3
□Hook / Anticipatory Set
□Lecture
X Demonstration / Modeling
□Guided Practice
□Independent Practice
□Closure Activity
□Checking for Understanding
□Lab / Shop
□Group Work
□Projects
□Formal Assessment
□Materials/Resources needed:
Activity #4
□Hook / Anticipatory Set
□Lecture
X Demonstration / Modeling
□Guided Practice
□Independent Practice
□Closure Activity
□Checking for Understanding
□Lab / Shop
□Group Work
□Projects
□Formal Assessment
Materials/Resources needed: “Greetings from the Smithsonian” a pictorial history of the Smithsonian through postcards.
□Projector / Internet access computer
Activity #5
□Hook / Anticipatory Set
□Lecture
X Demonstration / Modeling
□Guided Practice
□Independent Practice
□Closure Activity
□Checking for Understanding
□Lab / Shop
□Group Work
□Projects
□Formal Assessment
□Other:Materials/Resources needed:
Activity #6
□Hook / Anticipatory Set
□Lecture
□Demonstration / Modeling
X Guided Practice
□Independent Practice
□Closure Activity
□Checking for Understanding
□Lab / Shop
□Group Work
□Projects
□Formal Assessment
□Other: IF NECESSARY offer an outline of the approximate space on a postcard in the student journals.Materials/Resources needed: Paper/Journal
Activity #7
□Hook / Anticipatory Set
□Lecture
Demonstration / Modeling
□Guided Practice
X Independent Practice
□Closure Activity
□Checking for Understanding
□Lab / Shop
□Group Work
□Projects
□Formal Assessment
□Other:
□Materials/Resources needed: Postcards and postcard stamps
Note: Your lesson may have more or fewer activities than provided in this template (paste and copy more activities as needed)
Summary of Assessments
Don’t just wait to find out what students know at the end of the class period to find out what your students have learned--provide ways to gauge their understanding throughout the lesson by using rubrics, observations, and writing samples. Check off any assessment types used in your lesson and then briefly describe your assessments in the area below.
Assessment Types
X Demonstrating
□Interviews
□Journals
□Observations
□Portfolios
□Projects
X Rubrics
□Surveys
□Teacher-made Test
X Writing Samples
□Other: