Teacher Induction Module: Introduction
The New Teacher Center’s FAS (Formative Assessment System) Tools include Planning Lesson’s tools and its clear process with which mentors lead beginning teachers through the process of planning lessons that address both content standards and students’ varied learning needs. This complex task is at the heart of good instruction and is essential for student learning and the goal of closing the multiple achievement gaps present in today’s schools.
Beginning teachers, who are often overwhelmed by procedural, logistical and behavioral considerations of an effective classroom, often move curriculum and lesson design to the back burner. But having conversations with beginning teachers about lesson design and instruction can be one of the most critical aspects of improving student learning. Meeting to convey the crucial thought processes that go with accomplished teaching, moving with a strategically sequenced planning process, helps beginning teachers gradually learn to incorporate content standards in differentiated lessons that can address the learning needs of all students.
The long range goal is to develop the skills needed to create a differentiated lesson plan, addressing a broad range of student learning needs, taking into account your beginning teachers’ specific developmental levels.
How Does One Plan Lessons?
With your guidance, beginning teachers will use information gleaned from conversations, classroom observations, student work analyses, and state content standards to plan a differentiated lesson or series of lessons. You begin by identifying the desired learning outcomes based on content standard(s) and student learning needs. Next, you and your beginning teachers determine how to assess whether their students achieve these learning outcomes.
Outcomes for this Module
Through Planning Lessons, beginning teachers design standards-based lessons that are:
- Outcome driven;
- Differentiated to reflect the variety of students' learning needs;
- Aligned to the beginning teacher's developmental level.
Materials Needed
Please note that for the purposes of this module overview, abridged samples of some the resources used are provided for context, and all resources are not shown here. If you wish to order complete versions, please go to Order/Learn More.
Lesson Plan A Example (Download a pdf)
Steps in the Process
- Identify Desired Learning Outcomes
- Determine Evidence of Learning
- Plan the Lesson
- Bring Closure
Introduction
A video introduction to the Planning Lessons process.
