LESSON/UNIT PLANNING RESOURCES
STANDARD COURSE OF STUDY (from www.ncpublicschools.org/curriculum)
North Carolina's Standard Course of Study defines the appropriate content standards for each grade level and each high school course to provide a uniform set of learning standards for every public school in North Carolina.
Based on a philosophy of teaching and learning that is consistent with current research, exemplary practices, and national standards, the Standard Course of Study is designed to support North Carolina educators in providing the most challenging education possible for the state’s students. The goal of these standards is to prepare all students to become career and college ready.
With these standards in mind, local school leaders make decisions about the comprehensive curriculum that they choose to deliver to students so that they can reach the content standards for every grade and subject. In addition, local schools and districts may offer electives and coursework that is above and beyond the Standard Course of Study's content standards. Classroom instruction is a partnership between the state, which sets content standards in the Standard Course of Study, and local educators who determine which curriculum materials they will use to deliver instruction to reach the standards.
The Standard Course of Study was completely overhauled in the past few years, and the new standards were implemented for the first time in 2012-13. This initiative is part of a long-term trend to update and improve the standards as expectations change and as new research and information become available. Currently, North Carolina’s Standard Course of Study consists of the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics and the North Carolina Essential Standards in all other subjects, including social studies, the arts, healthful living, career and technical education, and world languages.
North Carolina's Standard Course of Study defines the appropriate content standards for each grade level and each high school course to provide a uniform set of learning standards for every public school in North Carolina.
Based on a philosophy of teaching and learning that is consistent with current research, exemplary practices, and national standards, the Standard Course of Study is designed to support North Carolina educators in providing the most challenging education possible for the state’s students. The goal of these standards is to prepare all students to become career and college ready.
With these standards in mind, local school leaders make decisions about the comprehensive curriculum that they choose to deliver to students so that they can reach the content standards for every grade and subject. In addition, local schools and districts may offer electives and coursework that is above and beyond the Standard Course of Study's content standards. Classroom instruction is a partnership between the state, which sets content standards in the Standard Course of Study, and local educators who determine which curriculum materials they will use to deliver instruction to reach the standards.
The Standard Course of Study was completely overhauled in the past few years, and the new standards were implemented for the first time in 2012-13. This initiative is part of a long-term trend to update and improve the standards as expectations change and as new research and information become available. Currently, North Carolina’s Standard Course of Study consists of the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics and the North Carolina Essential Standards in all other subjects, including social studies, the arts, healthful living, career and technical education, and world languages.
Lesson/Unit Designs
Lesson Planning/Unit Planning is a critical skill needed by professional educators. It is the core of the instructional process, the avenue or "road map" by which students succeed and learn within the classroom. Without appropriate lesson/unit planning skills, teachers and students have no idea of where they are headed in the learning process. Many of the school districts in which Campbell University students are placed in field experiences have adopted lesson/unit planning templates and processes. Students are asked to examine these and use them appropriately within their field experiences.
Other Helpful Resources on Lesson Planning
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Good lesson planning is essential to the process of teaching and learning. A teacher who is prepared is well on his/her way to a successful instructional experience. The development of interesting lessons takes a great deal of time and effort. As a new teacher you must be committed to spending the necessary time in this endeavor.
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Planning ahead to identify a course of action that can effectively help learners reach their goals and objectives is an important first step in effective instruction. Lesson planning communicates to learners what they will learn and how their goals will be assessed, and it helps instructors organize content, materials, time, instructional strategies, and assistance in the classroom.
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Effective lesson planning is at the core of effective teaching. This resource manual is intended to provide a concrete, systematic method for designing and evaluating Unit Plans and Lesson Plans. This manual contains a rubric to evaluate lesson plans, and a glossary which offers definitions for terms used in that rubric. Unit Plan and Lesson Plan templates are also included. These templates are available to staff members on the District web site. Additionally this resource manual includes sample lesson plans which are provided as exemplars.
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A great deal of your effectiveness as a teacher has to do with your ability to design and implement instruction that promotes learning. A lesson plan, which is a (more or less) detailed plan of the goals and activities for a particular class, is an important part of this process. Creating a lesson plan is when you consider how to organize and achieve some of the goals and objectives you outlined as you planned the course
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The Thinking Through a Lesson Protocol was developed through the collaborative efforts (lead by Margaret
Smith, Victoria Bill and Elizabeth Hughes) of the mathematics team at the Institute for Learning and faculty and
students in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Although this protocol was developed with mathematics in mind, it could be modified to align with any content area.
Smith, Victoria Bill and Elizabeth Hughes) of the mathematics team at the Institute for Learning and faculty and
students in the School of Education at the University of Pittsburgh. Although this protocol was developed with mathematics in mind, it could be modified to align with any content area.
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This article presents 10 research-based principles of instruction, along with suggestions for classroom practice. These prinicples come from three sources: (a) research in cognitive science, (b) research on master teachers, and (c) research on cognitive supports.
In an increasingly complex, demanding and competitive 21st century, students need to learn more than the 3R’s they are tested on in school. It’s time to help them go “above & beyond”, by embracing the 4Cs – communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.
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A well-written learning objective provides a clear picture of the performance you expect as a result of the lesson. Robert Mager argued that learning objectives should be specific, measurable objectives that both guide instructors and aid students in the learning process. Mager’s ABCD model for learning objectives includes four elements: audience, behavior, condition, and degree of mastery needed. Educational psychologist Robert Gagne wrote in his book, The Principles of Instructional Design, that we should ask ‘What will the learner be able to do after the instruction, that they couldn’t (didn’t) do before?’ or ‘How will the learner be different after the instruction?’ The answers to these questions will be the foundation of the learning objectives and identify the desired outcome.
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Bloom’s taxonomy is a classification system used to define and distinguish different levels of human cognition—i.e., thinking, learning, and understanding. Educators have typically used Bloom’s taxonomy to inform or guide the development of assessments(tests and other evaluations of student learning), curriculum (units, lessons, projects, and other learning activities), and instructional methods such as questioning strategies.
