Lesson Plan Guide Draft 7.23.

2013

1. Central Focus (Big Ideas) What is the central focus for the content in the learning segment? To what 

topic or unit does this lesson belong? How does this tie to specified 
standards? Be as succinct as possible (e.g., Civil War, Density, Short Stories,
The Post Office etc.) When identifying the central focus of the learning
segment, you should consider conceptual understandings as well as the
skills/facts/procedures that students will learn and apply. If you focus only
on teaching facts and/or skills, you will not provide evidence of effective
teaching.

2. Curriculum Standards What standard(s) are most relevant to the learning goals?  These are 

(Ohio/National/Ohio CCSS standards for students.
Standards)

3. Student Learning Goals What will students know, understand, or be able to do as a result of this 

and Objectives lesson?
(Skills/Procedures/Critical Skills/procedures:
Problem Solving) Concepts and reasoning/problem solving/thinking/strategies:
Levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy:

4. Formative Instructional Student “I can” statements are stated in simple student­friendly language.

Practices (FIP: “I Can” Use the verbs from their objectives for the “I can” statements.
Statements)

5. Essential Questions (One What broad open ended/over arching question(s) will drive this lesson?

or Two Only) Essential Questions have no direct, specific answers.  They generate 
questions and reflect the recurring, critical content and big ideas of a 
discipline

6. Academic Language Oral and written language used for academic purposes. Academic
(Oral & Written) (What is language is the means by which students develop and express content
the key language function? What understandings. Academic language represents the language of the
language demands discipline that students need to learn and use to participate and engage
[vocabulary/symbols, in meaningful ways in the content area. There are language demands
discourse, syntax] that students that teachers need to consider as they plan to support student learning
will practice? How will fluency be of content. These language demands include language functions,
assessed? What is the vocabulary, syntax, and discourse.
rational/theory behind this
planning?) Identify one language function essential for the central focus for your lesson.

Sample Language functions:
Analyze     Compare/Contrast    Construct     Describe     Evaluate
Examine     Justify                        Interpret       Identify      Locate

What content specific terms (vocabulary) do students need to support

learning of the learning objective for this lesson? Vocabulary includes
words and phrases that are used within disciplines, including: (1) words
and phrases with subject-specific meanings that differ from meanings

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 used in everyday life (e.g., table); (2) general academic vocabulary used
across disciplines (e.g., compare, analyze, evaluate); and (3) subject-
specific words defined for use in the discipline. 12

What specific way(s) (demand) will students need to use language

(reading, writing, listening and/or speaking) to participate in learning
tasks and demonstrate their learning for this lesson (discourse)?
Discourse includes the structures of written and oral language, as well
as how members of the discipline talk, write, and participate in
knowledge construction. Discipline specific discourse has distinctive
features or ways of structuring oral or written language (text structures)
that provide useful ways for the content to be communicated.9

What are your students’ abilities with regard to the oral and written
language associated with this lesson (syntax)? Syntax is the set of
conventions for organizing symbols, words, and phrases together into
structures (e.g., sentences, graphs

How will you support students so they can understand and use the
language associated with the language function and other demands in
meeting the learning objectives of the lesson?

What research/theory/theorist have you used/selected to determine the

learning task for this lesson and your students? Why?

7. Assessment & How will you evaluate each stated objective and “I can statement”?

Evaluation Is this a formative assessment (formal or informal)?
Formative (How will students Is this a summative assessment?
demonstrate understanding? What evidence of student learning (related to the learning objectives and 
How will you monitor and give central focus) does the assessment provide?  
feedback? How will How will the evaluation criteria be submitted rubric, check­list, criterion 
feedback promote student
understanding?) scale?
Summative (What evidence Describe the tools/procedures that will be used in this lesson to monitor 
will you collect? How will it students’ learning of the lesson objective(s).  
document student learning? How How did your feedback communicate what was correct and what need 
will your feedback promote correction?  How did you communicate why correction was important and 
understanding? How will you use how students would apply this knowledge, skills, or performance in 
the data to guide future
upcoming lessons?
instruction? )
How will you use this assessment data to inform future instruction? 
What research/theory/theorist have you used/selected to determine the 
learning task for this lesson and your students? Why?

Attach a copy of the assessment and the evaluation criteria/rubric in the 
resources section at the end of the lesson plan.

8. Instructional Process 8.A: Set/Motivation What prior knowledge about the students’ 

(What is the rationale/theory (How to link to past and personal, cultural, and community are 
behind this planning?) future lessons? How to necessary to support their learning?
What research, /theory, and/or  engage student interest
using students’ academic,

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theorist have you used/selected to  social, and/or cultural What skills and prior knowledge are 
determine the learning task for this  characteristics?) necessary for the students to have to be 
lesson and your students? Why? successful with this lesson?

What strategies will you use to find and 
obtain the above information (e.g., KWL, 
observation, surveys, pre­test, narratives, 
free writes…)?

How will you link the new content (skills 
and concepts) to students’ prior academic 
learning and their personal/cultural and 
community

How will you start the lesson to engage 
and motivate students in learning? 

What will you do to engage students in 
developing understanding of the lesson 
objective(s)?  assets? 

8.B: Instructional How will you start the lesson to engage 

Procedures/Learning and motivate students in learning? 
Tasks (How will you
organize content and What will you do to engage students in 
delivery based on students’ developing understanding of the lesson 
prior knowledge, strengths, objective(s)?  
and weaknesses?
assets? 

If something does not go as planned, how 
will you adjust?

What will you say and do?  What questions
will you ask? (transition type statements)

How will you engage students to help them
understand the concepts? (refer back to 
your objectives)

What will students do? (refer back to your 
objectives, essential questions and goals)

How will you determine if students are 
meeting the intended learning objectives?

How will you give students the opportunity

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 to practice so you can provide feedback? 

How will you give students the opportunity
to practice so you can provide feedback? 

How will students apply what they have 
learned?

How will you determine if students are 
meeting the intended learning objectives?

8.C: Closure (How will What will you say and do to end the 

students verbalize or lesson/reinforce learning and/or transition 
demonstrate learning one to the next instructional activity, closure, 
more time?)
and/or extension?  

What questions will you ask? (transition 
type statements)
How will you end the lesson? (Transition 
statement/activity)
9. Meeting Individual 9.A: Accommodations provide access to
Needs (What is the Accommodations/Mo course content but does not alter
rationale/theory behind this difications for IEP’s, the amount or complexity of the
planning for information taught to the child.
504 Plans,
individuals/groups?) These accommodations can be a
change in the testing environment,
instructional procedures, or
classroom presentation.

Modifications of the curriculum

result in the child being taught
something different or being taught
the same information but with the
complexity of the material
significantly altered from that being
taught to the child’s same age and
grade level peers. These
modifications can be made to
classroom materials and/or
performance expectations of the
student.

9.B: Differentiation to
Meet Needs of
Students including
English Language
Learners (Differentiation

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 of process/product based on
readiness, learning
styles/assignments of
choice)

10. How will you structure opportunities for students to work with partners or in 
Materials/Resources/Tech groups?  What criteria will you use when forming groups?
nology (Including: print, non­ What graphic organizers/work sheets, etc. will be used?
print, manipulatives and technology) What assessments will be used?
What materials does the teacher need for this lesson?
What materials do the students need for this lesson?

11. Management/Safety How do you establish and maintain: Positive Learning Communities)

Issues (Are there any  Mutual respect
management/safety issues to be  Rapport
considered?)  Routines/Procedures
 Rules/Consequences
 Fairness
 Safety
 Physical space
 Challenging learning expectations
 Communication (e.g., colleagues, community members, parents)

12. Research/ When justifying your instructional choices in your plans, reference the
Theory/Theorists (should theories and research you have learned in courses in your preparation
program. Draw upon educational philosophy and specific theories
be specifically addressed in
of development, learning, group work, and motivation, as well as
Academic Language, Assessment,
conceptions of the discipline you are teaching. You do not need to use formal
Instructional Process, and Meeting
citations, but you should explain the theoretical concepts merely name drop
Individual Needs)
(e.g., Vygotsky or Bloom, cite a textbook author, or describe a concept
without making explicit and well-developed connections to your own lesson
plans, learning tasks, and knowledge of YOUR students.
What research/theory/theorist have you used/selected to determine the 
earning task for this lesson and your students? Why?

13. Reflections/Future What worked?

Planning (To what extent did What didn’t?
the class learn what was For whom?
intended? What are your next What instructional changes do you need to make for tomorrow’s lesson?
instructional steps? What did you
Reviewing the student data gathered from this lesson, if you could teach this 
learn about your students? What
have you learned about yourself?) lesson again to the same group of students, what changes would you make 
for the whole class, for groups with similar needs, and individual studies 
including students with IEPs, 504 Plans, Gifted, ELL, and/or Dyslexia?
Why will these changes improve student learning? 
What research/ theory supports these changes?