image source: http://edtechreview.in/tags/108-lesson-planning
When writing a lesson plan unit my mind is swirling with ideas. Usually too many of them. I have a tendency to go a little overboard and try to do to much. I see something interesting and I think "Oh, let's see if I can fit that in somewhere!" I have to really focus and try to pick one thing and stick with that. For my fairy tale unit, I probably could have spent the whole unit just on comparing Cinderella stories. But I didn't. I included The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood. I included these stories because I think they make good fractured fairy tales and show how the point of view affects the story. It would be fun to act out one of them. I didn't include that so far because I don't think there is time. Maybe in a three week unit.
My least favorite part about writing lesson plans is writing out the objectives. I don't really like the format of : Given examples and non-examples of constructivist activities in a college classroom, the student will be able to accurately identify the constructivist examples and explain why each example is or isn't a constructivist activity in 20 words or less."
I would prefer to write "I can" statements.
image source: http://www.teachwise.com/second-grade-common-core-standards-posters-i-can-statements-ela
I also think differentiating the lessons can sometimes be challenging. I don't have a problem finding things for gifted students to do. It's helping students with learning problems that can be challenging. I don't want to pair them with a partner as an easy way out. I also don't want to trim the assignment down.
What part of lesson planning do you find easy? What part do you find challenging? Any tips for making lesson planning easier or faster?
image source: http://www.teachwise.com/second-grade-common-core-standards-posters-i-can-statements-ela
I also think differentiating the lessons can sometimes be challenging. I don't have a problem finding things for gifted students to do. It's helping students with learning problems that can be challenging. I don't want to pair them with a partner as an easy way out. I also don't want to trim the assignment down.
What part of lesson planning do you find easy? What part do you find challenging? Any tips for making lesson planning easier or faster?
I. LOVE. I CAN. Statements!! Yes! Student language is the best!~
ReplyDeleteSusan, I struggle with the differentiating part too!! I feel like it is very difficult to write a differentiated lesson plan for an imaginary student!! I feel like when we are in our own classrooms and know our individual students needs it will be much easier)
ReplyDeleteI love I can statements! I think these should replace objectives, it would be so much easier to put them in student language. I am with you and Parker on this one, I struggle with the differentiating section. Some of it is I haven't seen much of it in practice. I have substituted in the elementary and high school sped rooms but in the regular classroom I am really not sure what they do. Like Parker mentioned its hard to differentiate for remediation and enrichment for an imaginary student. I am a firm believe that learning should be fun, so I always try to have fun with my lessons.
ReplyDeleteI also have a tough time with objectives sometime. I can statements are great and I think they would be a good replacement for objectives. I also struggle in the area of differentiation. You're right, it is easier to find activities for enrichment than it is to find appropriate remediation for students. While you don't want to over use it (because students get tired of it) pairing to help struggling students can be really useful. Niki is right, some of us haven't really seen differentiation in the classroom so it is harder to understand. I feel the same way about closure, I feel like it is often skipped in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that differentiating can be a challenge. When creating segments for remediation, it helps when I see it as me filling in any gaps or areas of knowledge the students may have missed out on. It's absolutely necessary because otherwise the students will not learn anything except that they can be lost in school. Or it's like students who metaphorically take smaller steps because that's all they can do at the moment while everyone else lunges ahead. I don't like when kids fall through the cracks. Often, I set it up in my lesson plans where I sit with the group of students who are having difficulty understanding the lesson. I like to be able to observe what exactly they are struggling with. It may have been the vocabulary I used or how I phrased something that made it difficult to comprehend. Writing the objectives is not difficult for me; I think what's most difficult is the actual detail of it all and the input section (knowing all they are supposed to know beforehand).
ReplyDelete