Lesson Planning
Wonders is a scripted curriculum and provides lesson plans. Although the pre-made plans are thorough and cover all objectives, I understand that they need to be adapted to meet my classes diverse and unique needs. I use the provided plans as templates and modify the content to accommodate my students and my time.
When I begin lesson planning for the week, I review the overall weekly lesson plan provided by Wonders so I can see how the content is sequenced and how the concepts build on each other. After I review the overall weekly lesson plan, I begin to create daily lesson plans. Wonders provides five days of lesson plans. As a grade level, we decided to execute the first three days because the last two days of lessons review the material. By implementing only three days of lessons, we take into account time required for review and reteaching if necessary.
When planning a lesson, I specify the standards that are covered, skills they need to know before the lesson, how the lesson aligns with my students reading of 1.6 years of growth, and key points that I want students to remember. The lesson is then segmented based on the Wonders curriculum and begins with introducing/building the concept, listening comprehension where students practice reading comprehension skills, word work and high-frequency words. My understanding of my students' areas of strength and struggles, helps me incorporate instructional strategies that allow them to access the content. The majority of my students benefit from models so I typically implement the I Do, We Do, You Do strategy in every lesson.
At the end of every week, my co-teacher and I plan for the upcoming week. We discuss any adjustments we need to make to the weekly plans based on what happened during the week. We then block in time to re-teach if students did not master the concepts, readjust lesson length based on mastery, and form small groups or identify students for one-on-one support during RTI.
Reading - Wonders Lesson Plans
Pictured to the Left: Wonders weekly lesson plan overview.
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Pictured to the Left: The lesson plan provided is an example of what goes into my daily lesson planning. The detailed lesson plans help me plan for effective instruction because I'm aware of the goal of the lesson, the prerequisite skills my students' needs and the pacing of the lesson.
Lesson Planning - TFA Coaching Sessions
As a Teach for America corps member, I have the privilege of having access to a resource such as my Manager for Teacher Leadership and Development (MTLD). My MTLD is an incredible resource because she will observe lessons and provide insightful and constructive feedback on the effectiveness of my teachings.
Before the observation, I share my lesson plan, so she understands what my goals and objectives are. We also discuss what I would like her to view and the feedback I want to receive. For the lesson provided below, I wanted the focus of the observation to be on management strategies, concise delivery of content, engagement strategies/opportunities for students to talk with peers. I chose the skills mentioned above as my focus because those are areas that I believe I need to develop to become a more effective instructor and planner. As she observes my lesson, she keeps those focuses in mind and also provides perspective on the nature of the class at the time of the observation, strategies that were implemented and notes on the successes of the strategies.
After the observation is complete, we meet for a debrief. During the debrief, we engage in conversations that challenge me to reflect on the effectiveness of the lesson. We discuss the strengths and needs of the students shown in the lesson and how to plan for instruction that is responsive to the data collected. For example, in our debrief we discussed how the majority of the students for that lesson fell into the compliant and on-task category, while a few fell into the unruly and apathetic category. Through our discussion, I came to the understanding that many of the students were going through the motions because they may have been tired from the assessment we just took or bored of the lesson. Thus, during the planning of the lesson, I was not cognizant of my students' needs and how they would feel after an assessment. From this realization, my next steps as a teacher when I plan for instruction is to create and implement more developmentally appropriate activities that will build excitement and help them stay engaged.
TFA Coaching Session Deliverables
Pictured to the Left: Submitted lesson plan for observation.
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Pictured to the Left: Observation Notes
The screenshots to the left are examples of notes that are taken during the observation.
Pictured to the Left: Observation Notes Continued
For this observation, my MTLD specifically collected data on distractions and redirections as it was one of the focuses of the observation.
Pictured to the Left: Observation Notes Continued
For this observation, my MTLD specifically collected data on individual participation as it was one of the focuses of the observation.
Pictured to the Left: Debrief Notes from the Observation
The debrief questions prompt me to reflect on my lesson planning and the successes and areas of struggle. The questions push me to be more aware of opportunities I'm providing my students to engage with the material and apply what they learned. Additionally, my MTLD offers an outside perspective which is valuable because I can gain a better understanding of what the lesson sounds and feels like (e.g., pacing, differentiated material) to someone who does not have prior knowledge about the content. Her removed perspective is valuable because it is similar to the level of experience my students would bring to the lesson.