Structured+Lessons

=Structured Lesson =

Developing a well-structured lesson does not require a teacher to address all that is listed here; rather, each lesson we teach should have elements from each of the five categories. (more to come)

Preparing the Lesson
• Purposefully select a standard or learning outcome to teach • Develop a central question • Identify a literacy skill (reading, writing, or speaking) that you would like to explicitly teach as part of the lesson • Develop scaffolding strategies that support students’ linguistic, social, and emotional needs • Develop an authentic assessment that corresponds with the learning objective

Preparing the Students for the Lesson
• Set the context • Articulate the purpose of the lesson • State the objective, both verbally and in writing • Turn the topic of the lesson into a central question • Set expectations for each task • Establish procedures • Establish the appropriate tone for the lesson • Establish expectations for the physical and social environments • Articulate what you expect students to learn and know after completing the lesson • Notify the students that they will be help accountable for learning the material
 * 1) What are they going to do?
 * 2) What are your expectations for this assignment?
 * 3) Why is this work important?
 * 4) How is this learning going to benefit them?
 * 5) How is this work similar or different from what they have done previously?
 * 6) How is this work relevant to the class, their learning, or their lives?

Structuring the Lesson
• Provide linguistic support (vocabulary, syntactical structures, verbs, and other language based support) • Model what you want your students to do • Create opportunities for students to practice elements of the task and allow them to rehearse academic discourse (academic talk or written responses)

Facilitating and Measuring the Learning
• Monitor student work as they complete the task(s) • Measure comprehension and growth • Maintain the integrity of the learning environment • Remind students of the classroom norms • Assist individual or group needs • Identify volunteers who are willing to share with whole group • Listen to students as they discuss their learning • Read what students are writing • Acknowledge students and groups who are working well • Look for opportunities to model appropriate behavior and academic talk

Closing the Lesson
• Talk about or write about what has been learned • Ask students to demonstrate their learning/ reflect on results • Review learning objectives and address next steps