PLANNING YOUR STEPS

To become a competent and independent teacher, you must be able to realistically plan instruction and assessment. You must also be able to determine clear and appropriate goals for student learning, utilize developmentally appropriate teaching methods, collect solid background information pertaining to your students, plan instruction, and make adaptations to instruction and materials based on your students’ needs. This must be implemented in an effective manner to reach the designated learning goals and objectives.

If you need help with starting this task please use instructional video recording below with detailed explanation of the task requirements. The attached documents provide even more detailed and helpful examples.

State standards, learning goals, and lesson objectives are key components of the TWS and portfolio. Which standards will be part of your multi-week unit? Consider what learning goals and lesson objectives will guide your instruction.

You will continue to build your TWS by writing the learning goals and lesson objectives that are aligned to state and/or district standards. Remember to have at least three learning goals (and usually no more than five) for your 2-week unit of study.

Take a moment to review the information found at the website below in order to refresh your memory about some good practices regarding assessment.

• Setting Targets and Writing Objectives

After visiting the web link above, you should be able to begin writing your learning goals and lesson objectives for your TWS.

Follow the instructions and submit Task 2 in Taskstream.

Assessment Plan

Reflect back on what you have previously learned about assessment.

• What is an assessment plan?
• How does assessment evaluate learning? How does it inform your practice?
• What types of assessments (formative, summative) will be part of your plan?

A plan for assessment is an essential part of all lesson planning.

Take a moment to review the information found at the "Nine Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning" web link below in order to refresh your memory about some good practices regarding assessment.

• Nine Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning

After visiting the link, reflect on the nine principles covered in the article and consider how these may or may not influence the assessment development for your 2-week, standards-based unit.

Learning Goals and Lesson Objectives

Recall what you have already learned about curriculum development, alignment, and lesson planning. Why is it important to align curriculum with state standards and have clear goals and objectives for instruction?

Establishing clear learning goals that are aligned to state standards is fundamental to the assessment of whether or not learning has occurred. Lesson objectives are the specific and measurable requirements of exactly what is expected of students during the lesson. You should continue to refine your unit as you begin planning instruction in your classroom.

Once your unit is complete, you will need to teach it to your class. Be sure to reflect upon what is happening on a daily basis during your unit. It is a good idea to take daily notes so that you have a record of what worked and what did not. Then you will be able to recommend changes to the unit based on the data you collect.

Note: Any subsequent tasks after this point should be attempted only after you have delivered and passed your multi-week unit.