Edutopia contributor Amir Taron Ayres has published an article titled ‘3 Steps to Writing Better Lesson Plans’.
He says, “Learning how to align assignments and assessments with goals and instruction took some time for me. I had yet to grasp the integral concept of backward design, otherwise known as starting at the end. On top of that, I needed a clear understanding of (1) the relationship between each of these components and (2) the benefits of congruent instruction. Well-aligned lesson objectives, instructional activity, and assessment yield a more concise, focused, and ultimately meaningful standards-based lesson. Simply put, congruent instruction proactively answers the question, “Why are we doing this?” If you are seeking to strengthen your planning process and looking to align your lesson design, here is a great way to get started.
3 STEPS TO BETTER-ALIGNED LESSON PLANS
1. Determine the end goal of the lesson. Drafting a well-aligned plan means resisting the urge to start the planning process by pinpointing a great lesson activity or teaching strategy. As a novice teacher, this was one of my biggest challenges.”