Breakthrough's lesson plan guides allows teaching fellows to understand each part of the lesson and how to adapt the lesson plan into the lesson itself.
Last summer was the first time that I ever wrote a lesson plan and implemented it. I remember it being the most daunting part of orientation and a particular point of stress. However, Breakthrough's lesson plan structure allows the teaching fellows to break down each step of the lesson plan and know how to teach it in class. Not every teaching fellow is an education major, so the highly structured lesson plan lends itself well to those who need the support it provides. But also, for teaching fellows with education experience, the lesson plan is adaptable to try new pedagogical techniques.
Parts of a lesson...
In this blog post, I will describe the different parts of a lesson plan. From its beginning with the purpose and objective, to building the skill with the say-see-do model, and then to the guided and structured practice. At the end of the this blog post, I have included a sample lesson plan that I used from this summer. At points, where it is referenced, I recommend viewing the lesson plan as a whole. I did not include every part of the lesson plan, but these are three of the most important parts.
Starting a Lesson: Purpose and Objective
Building a Skill: Say-See-Do
Practicing the Skill: Guided vs. Structured
Starting a Lesson: Purpose and Objective
In the beginning of every lesson, we are required to have a purpose and objective. It helps the students understand what they will learn that day and why they are learning that lesson. In most of my classes, I have never had a teacher give a purpose or objective. It might be written on a blackboard, but there is never any mention of it. At first, I thought it was ridiculous and wasted class time. But I came to understand that its importance can help shape the whole lesson.
A sample objective is "Today you will write recursive and explicit formulas for arithmetic sequences by finding their starting values and common difference." The first part of the objective shows the general idea of the lesson. In this case, writing formulas for arithmetic sequences. Then, the second part shows how the students will put this knowledge to use. For example, "finding their starting values and common difference."
A sample purpose is
"Linear sequences are present in many real-world scenarios. Here are a few:
The Thursday in June 20116 fall on the 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th of the month
You need to take medicine every six hours starting at 7a.m.
Concert tickets cost $17 each plus $3 booking fee
Writing formulas for these sequences will allow us to generalize a rule for all terms in a linear sequence."
The purpose, in my mind, is more important. In every math class, I've been asked (or asked myself) "when am I going to use this?" The purpose allows the students to see the application of mathematics outside of the classroom.
Building the Skill: Say-See-Do
In the objective stated above, students are expected to write formulas for arithmetic sequences. I am a fourth year mathematics major and can write them very quickly. But how can I break it down for someone who is seeing this lesson for the first time? That is where the say-see-do model comes into effect.
Much like it suggests, the say-see-do model goes through three stages. One where the teacher explains the concept, then where the students see the concept, and finally where they do it themselves. For math, this model is imperative and effective. Most teachers do it without considering each step. By breaking down a complex topic like arithmetic sequences into smaller steps, students will feel less overwhelmed and then can fully understand the topic.
An example of Say-See-Do is given in the lesson plan provided below.
Practicing the Skill: Structured vs. Guided
Once the students understand the skill, it is time to practice. But as a teacher, the goal is for students to try for themselves and work through any problems that arise. This is where structured and guided practice comes into effect.
Structured practice included both the teacher and the student. But the focus is placing more independence on the student and less need for the teacher. In my lessons, I liked to choose one or two problems from the worksheet or activity to help students. There were usually two reasons, one it allows them to understand my directions clearly and two they could use those as a model for the rest of the activity.
Guided practice is completely student-centered. They should only use the teacher for clarification, and not to do the practice with them. Sometimes my lessons would be great and the students could work on the activity by themselves. Other times, I would need to help the students. It helps me understand how my instruction of the lesson was understood by the students.
For the arithmetic sequence lesson, I had a scavenger hunt planned for my students. One paper would give an arithmetic sequence like 5, 10, 15, ... The students then had to find the formula for the sequence, which would lead them to the next station. Then, they would continue until they reached the beginning of the scavenger hunt.