KAITLIN BARNES
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.
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INTRODUCTION
In order to provide high-quality reading and social studies instruction to my students, I need to develop long-term, unit, and weekly plans. Having different levels of plans helps me select and create the learning experiences that are most relevant to my students and our curriculum goals. Long-term plans help me map out the order in which I will teach the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), my state's learning standards. These types of plans give me a birds-eye view of student learning and provide a pacing calendar that I can follow throughout the school year. In reading, unit plans help me focus on our class novels, which serve as the mentor texts for student learning. In social studies, unit plans help me map out the guiding questions and activities associated with major time periods throughout American History. Finally, weekly lesson plans allow me to be specific about how I will be delivering content through mini-lessons, how students will apply their knowledge, what vocabulary words will aid in student comprehension, and how I will assess my students both formatively and summatively.
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Click on the pictures below to learn more about what long-term, unit, and weekly planning looks like in my classroom.
CONCLUSION
Planning at multiple levels allows for me to be intentional when I am preparing for my students. By planning ahead, anchoring instruction around mentor texts and guiding questions, and leaving room for flexibility and student choice, I am providing my students with instruction that is both rigorous and responsive to their needs and interests. In addition, by starting with a long-term plan and adding unit plans and weekly plans throughout the school year, I am constantly evaluating my instruction and making changes to adjust to my students' needs. Having multiple levels of planning documents allows me to adapt my instruction to respond to assessment data and my students' interests and prior knowledge.