Elementary Education

Glossary of Lesson Plan Terms

·  A learning goal that explicitly states what students will learn (and how students will demonstrate the learning). It is important that a learning goal is guided by State standards and the school curriculum. Learning goals differ from the task(s) and activities you will do in your lesson.

• A launch (opening) It is in this segment that you provide ALL students access to the activity in which they will be engaging during the “middle” segment of the lesson. You draw on prior knowledge and begin preparing students for what they will be learning throughout the lesson and, importantly, why this matters.

• A body (middle) In this portion or segment of the lesson, you engage students in lesson tasks or activities that provide support in achieving the learning goal(s). This portion of the lesson allows the teacher to monitor and shape the learning so all students have access to it and are making progress.

• An exit (closing) This portion or segment of the lesson offers an opportunity to examine how the various parts or segments of the lesson have grown understanding. Often included in the exit is some form of assessment (often informal) in which students demonstrate their learning and understanding. This information allows the teacher see if students have developed the necessary learning and provides guidance for future planning.

Glossary of terms for your Lesson Plan Sketch

Times – Estimated time for each task or activity within each part (segment) of the lesson. Timing cannot be determined exactly, but this will provide a basis for the pacing of the lesson that you can adjust as needed during the actual enactment.
Structure – When looking at each part or segment of the lesson, think about how will you group the students (whole group, small group, cooperative groups, pairs, individual work). What behavior expectations will you explicitly teach for each type of grouping so students will know how to get their turn to speak, what to do while a member of a small group, how will students know what to do as a member of a cooperative group, what will their responsibility be when they work as a member of a pair?
Detailed description – All lessons have common parts or segments that lead towards learning goal(s). In a detailed description, the teacher keeps the learning goal(s) foremost in his/her thoughts and designs each segment around them.
Lesson Segments
Launch (opening) – What kinds of questions might you ask to determine prior knowledge? How will you use the launch to prepare students for new learning? How
will you make the learning goal(s) clear to all students?
Body (middle) – How will you create a coherent set of tasks that will allow all students to build understanding? What kinds of examples will you
provide? How will you make certain that students have the necessary understandings to begin the learning task (i.e. asking children to develop a story about a
beach experience when they live in an urban setting and have never seen a beach does not offer access to all students ). What kinds of visual and tangible
materials will you provide to support learning (i.e are there graphic organizers that might be helpful, will manipulatives provide support, will internet resources
add to understanding)? Are there additional adaptations needed to promote active participation and learning for all students? What questions will you ask to
guide understanding?
Exit (closing) – How will you give students the opportunity to recap what they have learned? Will there be a wrap-up discussion, sharing of an in-class
assignment, an exit slip, or presentation of a group project? When planning the closing, think about what you need to know to help you with future planning.
Cautions & Notes
Use this space to write about “red flags” or things for which you want to be cautious (like management issues, definitions of terms you want to use in the lesson, reminders such as don’t spend too much time on this section). Think about what may actually occur while you are teaching and prepare for it. During each segment there may be different issues. It is important that you have tried each of the tasks you are asking students to do to make certain there aren’t any problems you can correct before the lesson. Think about your questions ahead of time so you can anticipate possible answers including misunderstandings and misconceptions. Decide what you will do when you hear an incorrect answer. Consider individual students who may struggle with the lesson content and/or activities. How does your planning ensure that these students will achieve your lesson goal? Write notes to yourself about things you know you want to watch for during the lesson (i.e. transitions, off-task behavior, struggling students) so you know everyone is making learning progress.

4/16/12