Before beginning the Learning Module, please complete the Pre-Course Survey. 

Learning Targets:

• I will become familiar with the organization of the state standards.
• I will be able to choose appropriate standards for the grade level I am teaching.

Teachers have a set of standards, created by the state in which they teach, that guide what their students need to know and be able to do by the end of the year. In this lesson, you will examine the IL State Learning Standards and Common Core Standards, and you will be able to choose an appropriate standards for the grade level you are teaching.

Illinois State Learning Standards

Together, we will explore the Illinois State Learning Standards website. Follow these steps for a guided tour of the Second Grade Social Science Standards.

1. Go to the Illinois State Standards website.
2. Click on Social Science Learning. 
   
3. Click on Grade 2. 
   

4. Notice the five main groups of standards: Inquiry Skills, Civics Standards, Geography Standards, Economics and Financial Literacy Standards, and History Standards. 

   

5. Under each section, the specific standards are listed.

6. Notice that they each have a name that includes a letter/number combination. When you write standards into your lesson plans, you will need to include the letter/number combination in addition to the sentence wording of the standard.

For example, for the first standard in the image above, the lesson plan would read: 

SS.CV.1.2: Explain what governments are and some of their functions (e.g. making and enforcing laws, protecting citizens, and collecting taxes).

Visit the Illinois State Standards website on your own to familiarize yourself with the standards at your grade level. Take some time to explore other subjects and grade levels as well.

Common Core Standards

Now that you are familiar with how the IL State Learning Standards are set up, you will explore the Common Core Standards. These standards were created by representatives from 48 states to make sure students in different states would receive the same educational standards. They are divided into two areas: College and Career Readiness Standards, which is broken into K-12 Standards. Many states use both Common Core Standards and their own state standards, because Common Core Standards only include Literacy and Mathematics Standards.

Visit the Common Core Standards website to explore all of the Common Core Standards. Choose reading and math and look at your grade level’s standards for each. Look at other grade level standards as well.

Using Standards in Your Lessons

When you are lesson planning, you need to choose at least one standard to guide your instruction. Because these standards are goals for the end of the school year, your lesson may not cover an entire standard. You may need to create several lessons throughout the year focusing on one standard (or parts of that standard) for your students to achieve proficiency.

You may choose a content area standard and a common core literacy or math standard to integrate multiple subjects into your lesson.

https://www.teachertrap.com/2015/04/lesson-planning.html/

The following videos show how the standards are used to guide instruction in elementary classrooms.

This video demonstrates the use of literacy standards in an elementary classroom.

Ed Leaders Network. (2015, July 29). Reading and understanding informal text--Kelly Wright, Roosevelt Elementary School. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX_qdpfbcMo&list=PLJo32aBjODOGWqkAxTDr3N4vfi6LVdUIQ&index=3&t=0s

This video demonstrates the use of math standards in an elementary classroom.

Ed Leaders Network. (2015, July 29). Adding with manipulatives, number line, and equation--Lora Blackwell, Marie Schaefer Elem School. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuyOvj6W8Y0&list=PLJo32aBjODOGWqkAxTDr3N4vfi6LVdUIQ&index=6&t=0s

Comment: Make a comment below this lesson telling your classmates something you have learned or noticed about the organization of the Illinois State Standards. Choose an IL State Standard that will be the focus of your final lesson plan. Respond to at least 2 others’ comments with @Name.

Learning Targets:

• I will be able to write clear and measurable objectives that measure the skill in the standard.

Now that you have become familiar with the Illinois State Learning Standards and the Common Core Standards, you will use those standards to write objectives. Objectives are measurable statements about what the students will know and be able to do by the end of the lesson. Each objective is only for one specific lesson, but it is always based on a broader standard.

STOP and THINK: Why do you think it is important to write objectives for your lesson?

According to Price & Nelson (2014), "Objectives describe where we want students to go and how we'll know if they got there" (p. 14). Because a standard is a goal for the end of the year, objectives help teachers break the standards into managable chunks. For a single standard, a teacher might have 20 or more lessons with slightly different objectives to achielve the goal in the standard. For example, when you begin teaching about a topic, your objectives will be simpler and more introductory. However, after a great deal of learning has taken place, objectives will expect deeper understanding from students.

Backward design is a term used for the process that teachers use to make sure students have the skills needed to achieve a standard. For example, the teacher begins with the standard and breaks it down into small chunks of what students need to know and be able to do to learn the standard. The following video gives an example of why backwards design is important.

Kershaw, Kristine. (2013, Aug 25). What is backward design? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=150&v=3Xzi2cm9WTg&feature=emb_logo

Writing Objectives

Objectives usually begin by stating: “Students will be able to…”

There are 4 components that will help to ensure your objectives represent a clear, specific learning outcome and how that learning will be measured. In this lesson, you will learn about each component separately, and you will look at examples and non-examples of each component. The Example Objective below will be referred to throughout this lesson.

Example Objective

Students will write answers to 20 subtraction problems (two-digit numbers from three-digit numbers with regrouping) with no errors, on a worksheet.

Component 1: Content

Price, Kay M. & Nelson, Karna L. (2014). Planning effective instruction: Diversity responsive methods and management. Wadsworth: Belmont, CA.

In the Example Objective, the content is "subtraction problems, two-digit numbers from three-digit numbers with regrouping."

More Examples of Content (content is italicized):

• Add unlike fractions with common factors between denominators.
• Write two-syllable spelling words with -ing endings (e.g., hoping, hopping).
• Compare and contrast fables and fairytales.

Non-Examples of Content:

• Add fractions (not specific); answer fraction problems 1-7 on p. 42 (not materials-free).
• Write spelling words (not specific); complete Unit 4 in spelling book (not materials-free).
• Compare and contrast "The Lazy Princess" and "Lost in the Woods" (not generic or materials-free).

Component 2: Behavior

Price, Kay M. & Nelson, Karna L. (2014). Planning effective instruction: Diversity responsive methods and management. Wadsworth: Belmont, CA.

In the Example Objective above, the behavior is "write." The student will demonstrate knowledge of subtraction by writing the answers to 20 problems.

Behavior is written as a verb. Bloom’s Taxonomy can be used to find acceptable verbs to use in your objectives.

https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

More Examples of Behavior (behavior is italicized):

• Label the states on a map.
• Define empathy.
• Compare numbers

Non-Examples of Behavior:

Component 3: Conditions

Price, Kay M. & Nelson, Karna L. (2014). Planning effective instruction: Diversity responsive methods and management. Wadsworth: Belmont, CA.

In the Example Objective above, the students must write answers to 20 subtraction problems, with the condition "on a worksheet," not in a real-world context such as "in a check register."

More Examples of Conditions (conditions are italicized):

• Correct punctuation errors while proofreading an essay.
• With a ruler, measure the length of your desk.

Non-Examples of Conditions:

Describing the learning condition rather than the evaluation condition

Avoid using conditions such as:

• As a result of my instruction ...
• Given a lesson on ...
• After completing the weather unit ...
• After studying ...

Adding unimportant information

Avoid using conditions such as:

• When asked by the teacher ...
• Given a blank piece of paper ...

Component 4: Criterion (not always present in all objectives)

Price, Kay M. & Nelson, Karna L. (2014). Planning effective instruction: Diversity responsive methods and management. Wadsworth: Belmont, CA.

In the Example Objective above, students will write answers to 20 subtraction problems (two-digit numbers from three-digit numbers with regrouping) on a worksheet; the criterion is "with no errors."

Not all objectives have to have criterion.

More Examples of Criterion (criterion is italicized):

• Comparing or contrasting four key issues
• For five consecutive days…
• …To the closest hundredth
• Paragraphs include topic sentences and at least three supporting details

Non-Examples of Criterion: (Does not pass the “stranger test”)

• As judged by the teacher
• To the teacher's satisfaction

This template will be helpful when writing your own objectives:

The students will DO/SAY SOMETHING this WELL in this SITUATION.

Take this quiz to test your knowledge of the four components of objectives! Refer back to this page as needed.

More tips for writing objectives:

• Use the standards! All objectives need to be based on a standard. You do not, however, need to cover the entire standard in one lesson (one objective). Each standard is a goal for the end of the year, so it will probably not be mastered in one lesson.
• Use the template when writing your objectives.
• Remember, not all objectives NEED to include criterion.

Comment: Write one or two objectives to go with the standard(s) you chose to teach. Give feedback to at least 2 others’ objectives with @Name. Are all 4 components present? Is each component correct? Does the objective need editing? Is it wordy/awkward? Does it pass the stranger test? 

Preservice Teacher Update 1: Write an Update listing at least 4 Illinois State Standards and one objective to go with each standard. Be sure to use CBCC! Remember, an objective doesn’t cover the whole standard. It may only cover one small part of the standard. Comment on at least 3 peer updates. Use the rubric to give feedback on what they did well and what they could improve.

Rubric Used for Evaluation of Objectives

Learning Targets:

• I will be able to choose an appropriate assessment for my lesson.
• I will be able to create a rubric that measures the skills in their objectives.
• I will be able to differentiate between formative and summative assessments.

Now that you know how to find standards and align objectives to the standards, you need to learn about assessment.

STOP and THINK: Why do we assess students?

We assess students..

• To understand student progress in content standards
• To understand student readiness for grade advancement, college, careers, etc.
• To guide instruction
• To determine need for intervention, remediation, or acceleration
• To identify teacher growth/school report cards
• To compare student subgroups—low/high performing schools
• For funding

The ultimate goal of assessment is to make judgements about student progress. Do your students know what they are expected to know? Can your students do what they are expected to be able to do?

There are two main types of assessment: Formative and Summative

Formative assessment is when the teacher assesses and plans instruction to help the student improve. Summative assessment is when the teacher gives an assessment to measure content/process knowledge and moves on without trying to help the student make improvements.

The picture below gives an example of formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment is when the chef at a restaurant tastes the soup to see if it needs more spices, etc. He makes changes to make the soup better if he needs to. Summative assessment is when the guests taste the soup. The chef can no longer make changes to the soup once the guests have tasted it.

http://www.steve-wheeler.co.uk/2014/10/the-afl-truth-about-assessment.html

https://www.bookwidgets.com/blog/2017/04/the-differences-between-formative-and-summative-assessment-infographic

STOP and THINK: Which type of assessment would be most useful for you as a teacher? Which would be most useful for students?

You will be using mostly formative assessments in your class. They can be formal, such as quizzes, papers, and presentations, or they can be informal, such as questioning, observations, discussion, and quick checks for understanding (i.e. hold up cards or thumbs up/down). This video gives more information about formative assessments.

Wisconsin DPI – Resources for the Field. (2016, March 23). Formative assessment (Strategic assessment system, part 1). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8O0hQ32IIQ

Developing Assessments

Each time you give a formative assessment in your class, you will be answering four essential questions.

1. What do you want students to know/be able to do? (purpose/goal of learning should be the purpose/goal of the assessment)
2. What is the best assessment to use given your instructional goals? (assessment should be authentic if possible)
3. How are you going to evaluate the students’ responses? (analysis of results)
4. What are you going to do with the information? (guide future instruction?)

Making Rubrics

When you create an assessment, you need to have some way to evaluate it. A rubric is a great way to organize your grading criteria and assessment strategy.

https://www.educatorstechnology.com/2018/01/5-of-best-rubric-making-tools-for.html

For more information about Authentic Assessment and Rubrics, explore this website by Dr. Jon Mueller.

STOP and THINK: How does assessment guide instruction?

https://nacada.ksu.edu/Events/Assessment-Institute/The-Assessment-Cycle.aspx

The above graphic shows how assessment should be used to guide instruction. When an assessment is created, the teacher needs to Identify Desired Outcomes (objectives). The students are then given the assessment to Assess Outcomes. After the assessment, the teacher Interprets Evidence to determine if the students learned what they were meant to learn (refer back to objectives). The teacher then uses the evidence to Plan [future lessons] Based on Evidence and the future lessons—either remediation or acceleration—are Implemented.

Comment: Comment below describing how you plan to use assessment in your lesson plan to make sure all students have met your objectives. Create a rubric, if applicable. Comment on 2 other students’ comments with @Name.

Learning Targets:

I will be able to create an engaging introduction that will activate prior knowledge and raise student interest.

At the beginning of any lesson, your main goal should be two-fold: raise student interest and activate prior knowledge about the content. There are many ways to get students excited about your lesson.

Browse the following websites to see examples of ways to engage students in your introduction:

Introduction & Presentation

Five Ways to Start Your Lessons

35 Ways to Introduce Your Lesson Topic

Once students are engaged, you need to activate their prior knowledge. This gets them thinking about what they already know about the topic.

Ways to activate student prior knowledge:

• Asking questions
• Graphic Organizers, such as KWL (Know-Want to Know-Learned)
• Drawing pictures of what they know
• Talking to their classmates about what they know

Another part of the Introduction is connecting the lesson to previous lessons. A teacher or her students might describe what was learned yesterday to lead into how that is related to today’s lesson.

http://healthassessmentcourse.weebly.com/module-4---writing-learning-targets.html

The final part of the Introduction is the statement of the Learning Targets. Learning Targets are student-friendly statements about what the students will know or be able to do by the end of the lesson. These should be created from the objectives and use language that is easy for students to understand. Learning Targets should be posted somewhere in the classroom and read aloud during the introduction—either by the students or the teacher.

STOP and THINK: Why is it important to give students learning targets?

Examples of Learning Targets Based on Objectives:

Objective: Given 20 one-digit addition problems, students will be able to add them correctly with 100% accuracy.

Learning Target: I can correctly add one-digit numbers.

Objective: Students will be able to compare and contrast two historical figures by filling out a Venn diagram.

Learning Target: I can tell how Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks are alike and different.

Objective: Students will be able to identify and graph the weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy) using a bar graph for two weeks.

Learning Target: I can tell what the weather is like. I can make a bar graph about weather.

A Learning Target can also be an image for younger grades:

Objective: Students will be able to sort images of needs and wants into two groups.

Learning Target: I can tell the difference between things I want and things I need.

https://www.davitasource.com/blog/finding-your-first-nephrology-position/needs-vs-wants-checklist/

To go more in depth with Learning Targets, watch this video:

Harmon, Heath M. (2017, August 12). Learning targets: The nine action points. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIVl6Hhv-D0&t=134s

Comment: Create an engaging introduction for your lesson plan. Make sure it includes Learning Targets, activation of prior knowledge, and a way to draw learners' interest in the lesson. Comment on at least 2 others’ posts with @Name.

BONUS: If you have extra time this week, try making some of your objectives from Lesson 1 into Learning Targets.

Learning Targets:

I will be able to use scaffolding and strategies for student engagement in their lesson plans.

Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding

The Zone of Proximal Development (or ZPD) was created by Lev Vygotsky (Info about LV) in the late 1920’s. His research discovered that humans learn best by cooperating with others who are at a higher level. The main goal of education is to keep students learning in the ZPD as often as possible. This keeps them always growing and learning new content and skills—when a difficult skill is scaffolded and practiced, the student is then ready to learn a more difficult skill (Shabani, Khatib & Ebadi, 2010).

https://mathathome.org/puzzles-and-the-zone-of-proximal-development/

This video will give you a better understanding of the Zone of Proximal Development:

Dickson, Mark. (2017, August 1). Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development – Planning for progress, Connectivision. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTIUAZbKidw

When using direct teaching methods, teachers need to use Scaffolding to guide learning in the ZPD. Scaffolding follows a Gradual Release of Responsibility model.

1. Teacher models by completing work while thinking aloud to describe thought process (I DO)
2. Teacher models by completing work with student input—Sometimes called Guided Practice (I DO, YOU HELP)
3. Students complete work with teacher help/guidance or complete work with a peer—Sometimes called Guided Practice (YOU DO, I HELP)
4. Students complete work independently—Sometimes called Independent Practice (YOU DO)

http://tbsstaffdevelopment.blogspot.com/2016/07/

American Graduate DC. (2012, April 30). I do, we do, you do: Scaffolding reading comprehension in social studies. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gleNo8dqHb8

STOP and THINK: How are scaffolding and Zone of Proximal Development related?

This format helps guide students to gradually learn a skill or process. They are slowly given control of their own learning, while remaining in the ZPD.

Student Engagement

When students are actively engaged in a lesson, they are learning more. The teacher should not always be the one talking. Here are some ideas for ways to get students talking:

• This website has engagement strategies for every part of your lesson (introduction, guided practice, independent practice, closure).
• Ten Top-Notch Strategies in 12 Minutes: Student Participation
• Active Participation Strategies

When trying to engage students, remember that when they are talking and “doing,” they are learning. When you are talking and “doing,” they are passively watching or completely disengaged.

Comment: In your lesson plan, how will you guide students using scaffolding? Comment on 2 others’ comments with @Name.

Learning Target:

I can write questions at a variety of levels. 

I can use questions before, during, and after my lesson.

Questioning Strategies

When closing a lesson (and throughout your lesson), use questions to:

Evaluate knowledge on a topic
Diagnose strengths and weaknesses
Review content
Encourage students to think more deeply
Encourage discussions
Encourage students to connect to content

https://www.smekenseducation.com/Think-Beyond-the-Text-with-Fat-Questions.html

There are two types of questions:

Lower-order thinking questions (aka Skinny Questions)

• Have simple answers
• Usually come from the first three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Students don’t have to think about them as much
• Evaluate student preparation/comprehension
• Review and summarize content

Higher-order thinking questions (aka Fat Questions)

• Require longer answers
• Usually come from the last three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy
• Students have to make connections and understand the content well in order to answer
• Encourage students to think more deeply and critically

The following website has more information about planning and asking questions during a lesson:

Questioning Strategies

Using Bloom's Taxonomy to Ask a Variety of Questions:

We used Bloom's Taxonomy in an earlier lesson to write verbs for our objectives. Today we will be writing questions at each level of Bloom's Taxonomy. When you write questions for your lesson, you want to make sure they are at a variety of levels. The following chart can be helpful for this.

http://www.nsead.org/downloads/Effective_Questioning&Talk.pdf

Open-ended questions can give you much more information about what your students know. Closed-ended questions only have students answering with one word, so you cannot understand how the student is thinking. This video shows the use of open-ended questions to guide instruction.

Open Ended Questions in Teaching

Comment: Write questions for your lesson plan. These will be included in your plan in bold print. You need to have at least one question at each level of Bloom's Taxonomy. Give feedback to at least 2 others’ comments with @Name.

Learning Targets:

I can create a meaningful closure activity for my lesson.

At the end of a lesson, it is important to have a closure activity to review what was learning and connect learning to the real-world.

STOP and THINK: Why is a closure important for the end of your lesson?

Closure...

• Wraps up the lesson
• Brings information from the lesson into students’ lives
• Organizes information/Time to review key points
• Gives a time for a quick assessment to check for understanding
• Previews what will be learned next
• Gives a time to correct any misconceptions
• Makes time for sharing student learning
• Relates lesson back to Learning Targets

Review these websites for meaningful closure ideas:

• 22 Powerful Closure Activities
• Beyond the Exit Slip: Closure Activities for Classroom Instruction
• Lesson Closure Activities

Watch this short video about Closure:

Caldwell, Theresa. (2019, January 5). Teaching tip Tuesday: Closing a lesson. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTQyhGC8g-A

Comment: Add a meaningful closure to your lesson plan. Your closure should have questions to review, possibly include a short closure activity or mini assessment, and mention the lesson that will follow and how it is related to the current lesson. Respond to at least 2 others’ comments with @Name.