INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING TEMPLATE

Overview and Context

Your name(s):
Grade level and school:
Title of lesson/activity:
Teaching date(s) and time(s):
Estimated time for
lesson/activity:
Overview of lesson:

Context of lesson:

Bethlyn Lucas
3rd Grade Burns Park
Writing to Inform: Overview
March 23rd 12:30
30 minutes
The students will listen as I read aloud several passages
from an informational text. We will stop between each
passage and discuss what we notice. The students and I
will work together to draw attention to key features in
informational text and how writers effectively provide
information for their readers. We will create a list of these
features on chart paper for students to reference. Included
in this discussion time should be some discussion about
making sure we put our research in our own words as well
as a focus on how we can begin a piece of informational
text.
Students will have already conducted research to answer a
list of questions and recorded the information they found.
They will have been studying magnets for a week and done
3 different lessons involving magnets. Students have done
a science research paper before on biomes, and are
familiar with the basic process of writing one. Some of this
lesson will be a review while some will go more in depth
from what they have done in the past.

Sources:
Learning Goals
Learning Goals
Students will be able to
identify key features of
informational text.
Students will be able to write
an opening to an
informational text on
magnets.

Connection to Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.A

Introduce a topic and group related information

together; include illustrations when useful to aiding
comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2.A

Introduce a topic and group related information

together; include illustrations when useful to aiding
comprehension.

Connection to Activities
Students will listen and
consider several passages of
an informational text.
Students will write their intro
paragraph to their magnets
research paper.

Attending to the Learners

Anticipating student ideas:

Because students have written informational pieces once

before I do not anticipate many large conceptual errors. I
believe students will have a lot of important features of
informational texts to note, especially when given an
example to consider. The students in the class seemed to

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Making the content accessible

to all students:

become very engaged in their previous work on biomes

and I anticipate the same reaction to this lesson.
There are some students who need a bit more help
becoming engaged in classroom discussions. I intend to aid
these students by cold calling them and asking them to
repeat their fellow students comments. I will do this with
several students, not only those who have trouble focusing,
but I will make sure to include those with focus issues in
the group of students I call on. I may also have one or two
of them be "class recorders" and make lists of what was
said during the discussion so that we can create a class list
later on.
Additionally, 3 students will receive tools that will help
them more successfully meet the goals of the writing
assignment.
Elizabeth- This student tends to have trouble working due
to anxiety. She becomes overwhelmed easily. She is
diagnosed with a sensory disorder and this plays a large
part in her becoming overwhelmed. She tends to shut down
and refuse to work if she feels that there is too much to be
done. To help her complete the writing task in a timely way,
she will have a day by day checklist. This will alert her to
what must be done immediately and what is to come in a
very structured, organized way. She can check things that
she has completed off so that she feels a sense of progress.
Maia and Max- Maia has ADHD and Max is on the spectrum
(high functioning). Maia exhibits her ADHD more through
inattention than hyperactivity, and has a lot of trouble
getting started on tasks. Max often doesn't know how to
begin his writing as well. Both students can benefit from
the use of an outline with sentence starters. This will give
Maia an item to focus on and Max a solid start to his
writing.

Assessments
Type of Assessment
Class List of Features
Intro Paragraph of
paper

Learning-Goals Connection
This list is a compilation of what the class focused on during our
discussion about what we should do/have in our papers.
Students will write their introductions and I will check on them to get
a feeling of where the class is/where individuals are in terms of
completion and well crafted writing.
Instructional Sequence

Materials
:

Informational Text, Chart Paper, Writing Paper

-ADDITIONAL AIDS FOR WRITING (GIVEN AS NEEDED)
+Sentence Starters
+Day by Day Checklist

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Time

Steps Describing What the Teacher and Students

Will Do

20
minut
es

Once students have sat down on carpet, begin...

"Last week we did a lot of research about magnets
to answer several questions we had and were
wondering about. Today we are going to start
writing a paper that answers all of those questions,
so that we can share our answers with readers who
are curious like we were. Here I have another
informational text... Can someone tell us what an
informational text is for? Yes, informational texts
tells us all about different topics! We are writing our
very own informational texts about magnets. When
we are done we will turn these papers into a book,
but for now we just need to create rough drafts.
Before we start, our class will make a list of the
important features our informational texts should
have. Let's start by thinking of the beginning. I am
going to read a bit from this book."

Notes and Reminders

(including management
considerations)
Write Literacy Schedule on
the Board with instruction to
have a seat on the carpet

"What did you notice about the way the author

chose to start the book? Are there other ways to
begin an informational text? What is it important
that the beginning does?"
"Now I'll read a bit from the middle..."
"What do we find in this part of the book? What
should an informational text do in the middle? What
is it important to remember when we write down
our facts? *Logical order, write in our own words*"
"How can we close an informational text? Let's see
what this author does..."
"What did you notice about this conclusion? Do we
have any more ideas about how to end our paper?"

10
minut
es

"Are there any other things we would like to add to

our list of important features?"
"We will now write a sample introduction together
using _________'s research notes. How could ________
begin?
Are there other ways to start? About how many
sentences should your introduction have? When I
call your table you may get writing paper from the
back table and begin. You should finish your
introduction before moving on to word study. When
you are done with it please bring it to the reading
table and show me."

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Reflection on Planning
Learning goal for self:

Preparing to teach this

lesson:

During this lesson I hope to keep all students engaged so that

they can have a good start to their paper. I would like students
to be able to be very proud of this writing project, and what to
get them ALL started on the right foot.
All writing aids need to be completed by this time. Additionally
I will need to review the questions I would like to ask.

The Tools:
Day by Day Checklist:

Today's Writing Tasks

Monday:
___ I have written my introduction paragraph.
___ I have turned in my paragraph to Ms. Lucas.

Tuesday:
___ I have answered the question "What is a magnet?"
___ I have answered the question "How does a magnet work?"

Wednesday:
___ I have written about what types of materials are attracted to magnets.
___ I have written about different types of magnets.
___ I have written about how people use magnets.

Thursday:
___ I have written a Fun Facts page.
___ I have written a conclusion.

Friday:
___ I have double checked my rough draft and have completed it.

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Sentence Starters/Outline:
My Paper Outline
Introduction:
-Did you know magnets _______? What about that _______? Magnet's are __________! In this book _________________.

What is a magnet? How does it work?

A magnet is a __________________________.
-Detail 1
-Detail 2
It works by __________________.
-Detail 1
_Detail 2

What types of materials are attracted to magnets?

Magnets attract to _____________. Some examples of this are _______, ________, and ___________. Magnets don't attract to
__________, ___________, or ___________.

Examples of Magnets
*Give at least 3 different types of magnets in complete sentences! Explain the differences.*

How do magnets help us?

*Explain what people use magnets for.*

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Create a Fun Facts Page Answering Other Questions From the Class List!

These tools are used as scaffolding pieces to allow students to do as much of the work
as possible on their own. I am able to give the students more independence with the
tools than I would without. The day by day checklist provides the necessary structure
one student (Elizabeth) needs to feel capable and in control of her learning. It breaks
down the large assignment into parts she feels are manageable.
The sentence starters are being used for two students with different needs. I
believe it works for both because it provides a tool both for focus, giving the student
(Maia) a point of reference even if she zones out during the directions or during her
writing. It also gives a place to start which will aid Max in beginning his paper and
following a logical structure.

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INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING TEMPLATE (Annotated)

Overview and Context
Section

Description

Your name(s):
Grade level
and school:
Title of
lesson/activit
y:
Teaching
date(s) and
time(s):
Estimated
time for
lesson/activit
y:
Overview

Indicate your name(s).

Indicate the grade level of the students and the school site for the lesson.

Context of
lesson

Describe the unit of study, including the lesson that comes before and
after your lesson, and explain how these lessons help develop a big idea
or disciplinary practice.

Sources

List the source(s) you used in the creation of your lesson plane.g.,
websites, curriculum materials, books. If you drew heavily on or adapted
an existing lesson plan, note that. Please turn in copies of the original
lesson plan from the teacher's guide (if relevant) with your assignment.

Main Connection to Instructional

Planning Considerations

Indicate the title of the lesson/activity.

Indicate the date and time you will teach the lesson/activity.
Provide an estimate of the time needed for the lesson/activity.

Provide a short description (2-3 sentences) of the lesson/activity.

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C1: Quality of the Learning Goals

C3: Quality of the Instruction

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Attending to the Learners

Section

Description

Anticipating
student ideas

Explain what you think will be students prior knowledge about the
content, including the alternative ideas or challenges you anticipate
students might face and how you plan to work with each of these
challenges during the lesson. Also explain your ideas about how students
are likely to respond to the tasks in the lesson and how you might use
these likely responses to focus students on the intended content.

Making the
content
accessible to
all students

Describe how you will help ALL students engage productively in the
lesson. This includes identifying assumptions made during the lesson
about students prior experiences, knowledge, and capabilities; making
the representations, explanations, and/or vocabulary accessible and
meaningful to all students; and making connections to students
personal, cultural, and social experiences during the lesson, if
appropriate.

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Main Connection to Instructional

Planning Considerations
C3: Quality of the Instruction
C4: Learners in My Classroom

C4: Learners in My Classroom

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Learning Goals
Section

Description

Learning
goals

List the learning goal(s) you have for your students. Use measurable
behaviors that can be linked to the assessments.

Connections
to standards

State the content expectations from the Michigan GLCE(s), Common Core
State Standards, other national standards, or the standard(s) from your
local curriculum that you address in your lesson.

Connection to
activities

Main Connection to Instructional

Planning Considerations

C1: Quality of the Learning Goals

C3: Quality of the Instruction

Briefly describe how the activities in the instructional sequence help

students make progress toward the stated learning goal(s).

Assessment
Section

Description

Type of
assessment

Name the type of assessment you will use to assess student learning
(e.g., worksheet, exit slip, teacher observation, whole class discussion).

Learninggoals
connection

State the learning goal(s) that the assessment targets.

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Main Connection to Instructional

Planning Considerations

C2: Quality of the Assessments

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Instructional Sequence
Section

Description

Time

Structure your lesson/activity into chunks or segments in order to break it

down into its component parts, and then list the time it will take to
complete each part. You may even want to add an additional column to
indicate larger chunks of instruction.

Steps
describing
what the
teacher and
students will
do

Describe the activities that you will do with your students. Communicate
HOW, not just WHAT, you plan on teaching, and provide enough
specificity that someone else could teach from your plan. This includes
scripting the key questions you plan to ask.

Notes and
reminders,
including
management
consideration
s
Materials

Remember to include an introduction and closing to your lesson. The first

step of your instructional sequence should detail how you will launch the
lesson, including what you will do to help students see the importance of
the lesson and how this lesson links to what has come before and what
will follow it (if applicable). The last step should detail how you will
conclude the lesson, including helping students see the lessons take
away or main objective and connecting todays lesson to tomorrows
and thereafter (if applicable).
Include additional things that you want to remember to do during
instruction. This includes management considerations (e.g., how you will
manage the distribution and clean up of materials, transitions between
segments of instruction, group work (if relevant), and students who finish
early from a task.)

Main Connection to
Instructional Planning
Considerations

C3: Quality of the Instruction

C4: Learners in My Classroom

C5: Classroom Management and

Norms

List the materials you will need and the materials the students will need.
Include quantities and indicate which are attached.
Attach all documents that you plan to use in your lesson, including
overheads, assessments, rubrics/answer keys, worksheets, and handouts.
(In creating your handouts, be sure you think carefully about the specific
questions you're giving students as well as the format for them to write
any responses. For example, is there enough room for children's large
writing? Are the page breaks in the right spots? Are the instructions clear

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Section

Description

Main Connection to
Instructional Planning
Considerations

and kid-friendly? Is everything spelled correctly and grammatically

correct? Do the artifacts look professional?)
Reflection on Planning
Section
Learning goal for self

Description
State at least one learning goal that you have for yourself, with regard to your teaching. In other
words, what are you working on to improve your teaching practice? If someone will be observing
your lesson, also think about what aspect of your teaching you would like the observer to focus
on. This may or may not be the same thing as the learning goals you have for yourself.

Preparing to teach this

lesson

Describe the things you did in preparation to teach this lesson. For example: practiced the
activity with the actual materials, answered the worksheet questions myself, thought through
timing, researched materials, etc.

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Instructional Planning Considerations

Consideration 1. Quality of Learning Goals
a. Are the learning goals well-specified? (Do they specify what students should know,
understand, and/or be able to do as a result of engaging in the lesson1?)
b. Do the learning goals focus on worthwhile content2? (Are the learning goals
important to learning the discipline; aligned with standards; useful in school, in life,
and/or on the test?)
c. Does the lesson connect in a sensible sequence to other lessons within the unit, to
develop a coherent storyline?
Consideration 2. Quality of Assessments
a. Are the assessments aligned with the main learning goals (including concepts,
practices, and skills)?
b. Do the formative assessments enable the students and the teacher to monitor
progress toward the learning goals?
c. Do the assessments provide all students the opportunity to show what they know,
understand, and/or are able to do as a result of engaging in the instruction?
Consideration 3. Quality of the Instruction
a. Does the lesson provide high-quality opportunities for students to participate with,
reason about, and make sense of the content?
b. Do the representations of content (i.e., explanations, illustrations, and analogies)
support students understandings of the concepts, practices and skills?
c. Are there opportunities for students to share their ideas throughout the lesson?
d. Are there opportunities for students to make connections among learning goals,
activities, tasks, and ideas, within and across lessons?
Consideration 4. Learners in My Classroom
a. Does the lesson provide opportunities to differentiate instruction to ensure
equitable access to learning for all of my students?
b. Does the lesson demonstrate an awareness of and appreciation for cultural
differences and social diversity, draw on diversity as a resource in instruction, and
help my students make meaningful connections between the content and their own
lives?
c. Does the lesson make appropriate assumptions about prerequisite knowledge and
skills, including knowledge of the concepts and vocabulary? Does the lesson
communicate these assumptions and help me prepare my students so that they have
equitable access to the learning opportunities?
Consideration 5. Classroom Management and Norms
a. Is the timing and pacing appropriate?
b. Is the distribution, use and collection of materials well-managed?
c. Are participation structures for students (e.g., whole group, small group, partner,
individual) appropriate to the learning goals?

Although the word lesson is used throughout the document, these considerations can also be
applied to smaller tasks, larger units as well as other types of resources.
Content throughout the document refers to concepts, procedures, ideas, and facts, as well as
disciplinary practices (such as making predictions in science or constructing mathematical
arguments in mathematics).

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