Planning and Preparation for Learning

Unit 2 ACtivity 2 - Writing a unit plan

This is a Unit Plan I created that aims to be objective-oriented, with summative and formative assessment provided by differentiated activities for all lessons within the Unit.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nfUlleCSJOdE_i7CPy4Op9ug3FxhVTW0/view?usp=sharing

Unit 4 ACtivity 1 - reviewing a lesson plan

It is imperative that teaching professionals provide feedback for one another for our mutual growth as teachers. Below is a Moreland candidate colleague's (Esther) lesson plan for Module 6, with my feedback below the Google document link.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QJVsvKMQ2BZ30-M9R8VXrzrCUQrDr5wzKRBAa-ZdTNQ/edit?usp=sharing

Feedback on Esther's Lesson Plan

The plan shows clearly what the overarching goals of the Unit are and how the objectives of the lesson connect to those goals. This is done clearly and organized in a recognizable and easy-to-follow fashion. Observers will have no problem navigating the document as the lesson is being observed on video.

Esther continues to create lesson objectives with activities and tasks that are suited to her students' level and age. Her planned use of technology will keep students engaged and, in terms of ELLs and advanced students, challenged throughout the lesson. Speaking specifically to assessment, I would suggest that more autonomous strategies were incorporated in the 'assessment' portion of the plan. For instance, instead of nominating students to check understanding of lab rules in plenary, a 'Be the Teacher' reflective activity can be run instead so that students have more opportunities to exhibit their knowledge. During this time, the teacher can monitor and give delayed feedback.

Differentiation is referred to consistently through the plan. I like the video solution to help students remember steps in the use of a microscope. This could also be used for students who do not do well in reading instructions, such as dysgraphic students or those who prefer to learn visually rather than via text. More differentiation could be provided in the plan by way of gamifying the lab safety and rules (e.g. card matching game) or perhaps even have learners quiz one another on lab safety rules. Assessment in this regard can be differentiated through the use of games in homogenous groupings.

I wonder to what extent the 'Review' portion of the plan could be differentiated. For instance, would some learners write while others tell partners if they have changed their minds? It seems to me this is sufficient the way it is written, though I do wonder to what extent the observer will want to know precisely how this will happen.

Finally, I see that there is some key vocabulary for this lesson, but after reading 'Teaching Strategies and Activities', I am not sure how the vocabulary plays into this lesson. It would seem to me that activities and assessment should be more detailed in this regard so that the observer can see precisely how learning and assessment are achieved, especially with regard to the 'language rich' portion of the lesson.

Overall, I think this is a solid plan that utilizes 21st Century Skills, and guides learners on working together to prepare for and execute lab experiments with sophisticated and delicate scientific instruments. This is done largely with the teacher acting as facilitator, and the students doing lots of self-guided and communicative work to be responsible and skillful in science lab class. With more detail on how vocabulary will be learned and assessed, this plan will be completely comprehensive.