Back to School!

Let's think about long range planning in a new way

For teachers, the end of August ushers in a ton of mixed emotions. There are equal parts dread and excitement - and these are quite conflicting emotions! The end of August also means planning and classroom set up. Recently, I got together with some teachers to begin to do some long range planning. 

If you have read any of my past newsletters, you know that I am trying to make a shift to more skill-based learning. This means that while my tasks are still important, I see them as part of a bigger picture - and I want my long range plans to reflect that. So, here is a chart that we used to start planning with skills in mind. You can see we added the tasks that we already had planned at the end, recognizing which skills they support.

Here is a blank template for you to use that looks like this:

The key to transforming your teaching is to look at your tasks and ask yourself, ‘Why am I teaching this?’ You should be able to find the answer within the curriculum. For example, a teacher I worked with recently asked me about an introductory activity she likes to do with her students. She explained that she likes to do a photo memoir where the students bring in a picture and then use sensory details to describe what is happening in the picture. 

If we don’t connect this task to a skill, why are the students doing this activity? To learn about sensory details? We want to ensure all of our tasks are meaningful by knowing what skill (not just content) the work is connected to. 

Together, and after looking at the Writing Strand, we decided that this task supports students generating ideas. We then needed to make sure we had success criteria for generating ideas; because the success criteria is how we transform student learning. 

Next (paid) newsletter, I am sending out a DETAILED lesson plan you can use with your students the first week of school. This lesson can be adapted for almost any grade. If you don’t want to upgrade to a paid subscription, just use the free 7-day trial so you can get the lesson and slideshow and just remember to cancel - hopefully you won’t want to!

Sending all positive vibes as we head back to school. A reminder of how important our job is. Our students need us to be our best even if we feel like we can’t do it. I know from my own children just how important a caring teacher is. We matter!

Bye for now!
Lori

Let’s chat in the comments…