Planning For Instruction
InTASC Standard 7: The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
Introduction
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Planning is the manifestation of action an educator produces, in logically sequenced order, to meet rigorous learning goals stemmed from state standards and curriculum. Instruction must meet every students' academic need. Quality instruction is based on formative and summative assessment data guiding instruction for student strengths and weaknesses to be addressed. In my experience, it is the single most thoughtful practice of an educator intended to close learning gaps and challenge above grade level students. If daily plans are differentiated well, all students benefit from individualized rigor and cross-content exposure.
A thorough educator plans for a variety of learning styles and cross-disciplinary opportunities in order to reach every student level and interest within their classroom. Planning for instruction must be dynamic and adaptable in the moment of implementation to accommodate for the ever changing landscape of learning. This practice must also be aligned to how students will be assessed long-term and be appropriate to the context of the community.
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Click icon or planning type below to visit each component of planning.
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Long Term Planning is the entire year mapped out as mandated through the scope and sequence of my district. It creates a chronological order of disseminating curriculum to students at a reasonable pace. This is determined by teacher feedback and created by experienced content specialists.
Unit planning breaks down reading into genres in Houston ISD. Our district wide scope and sequence lays out the order, while unit plans provide a narrow focus of the reading skills covered per genre developed from standards. I see unit plans as the metal grill guard of the train deflecting unnecessary roadblocks along our learning. The plans provide direction and vision.
Lesson plans are the day to day implementation of the standards through skill practice. What goes well in a daily plan should be recreated and practiced consistently. What is not working should be acknowledged and adjusted. Lesson plans must be flexible and reach kids where they are. Each day educators must build on the blocks of previous learning.
Small group planning, in my opinion, is the single greatest way to meet students at their current levels and grow them. In my practice, small group is skill based and focuses on areas of deficit. Whether a student is above grade-level or catching up, educators can make gains in learning here due to the flexibility in lesson content and delivery for individual needs. Small group allows students to achieve their goals in a deliberate and personalized setting.