What is the “big idea” or “essential question”?

Lesson Plan Submission
(use the following form for electronic submission of each lesson plan)

1. Grade Level
2. Subject/Content Area
3. Lesson Title
4. Learning Context (500 words)
    School and Community Context – Based on published data for the school in which you will deliver the lesson, extrapolate the demographic characteristics of the classroom in which you will teach (ethnic/racial; ELL; ELN; socioeconomic).
    Student/Classroom Context – Who are the students in your classroom? Based on published data for the school, extrapolate the number of students you will have in your classroom, as well as paraprofessionals/resource teachers available for instructional support. You must have ELLs in the classroom that you are describing.
    Based on published data for the school in which you will deliver the lesson, describe the availability of instructional technology and other relevant resources (classroom/building)
5. Connection to Prior Academic Learning (200 words)
   Where does your lesson fit within a unit or segment of instruction, and what prior learning does it build upon? How will you link the new content (skills and concepts) to students’ prior learning? What questions will you ask?
6. Central Focus
   What is the central focus of your lesson or learning segment?
   Example
   Central focus: summarizing narratives

Or:
What is the “big idea” or “essential question”?

Optional:
What are the essential literacy strategies and requisite skills?

Example
Essential literacy strategy: summarizing
Requisite skills: decoding, recalling, sequencing

7. NYS CCLS or Content Standard
   List the number and text of the standard (corestandards.org).
8. Learning Objectives
   Write your learning objective here.

• Language function – Bloom
• Support – what the teacher does (Special Education only)

Optional:
• Criteria – aligns with your assessment choices
• Content stem – NYSCCS, IEP

9. Instructional Supports (list resources and materials)
   List all materials necessary for this lesson or lesson segment. One piece of instructional technology is mandatory.
10. Academic Language
    What language function do you want students to develop? (Bloom’s verb)
    List the academic language/language demands for the lesson.
11. Teacher Actions
    What will you specifically be doing during your lesson?
    What will you specifically be teaching?
    Using bullets, list how you will teach to your objectives.
    The information you provide in this section should be detailed enough to allow a substitute teacher to take what you have written and teach your lesson.
12. Guided Practice
    What will you do to model what you plan to teach in the lesson described above, that students will do along with you?
13. Independent Practice
    What will the students do independently to practice what you have taught?
14. Type and Description of Student Assessment (300 words)
     Describe the assessment strategies you will use, within the lesson, to determine prior student learning as well as monitor learning of the objectives you are teaching. You will need to include one formative and one summative assessment. Provide information (either on the assessment or as a separate table) that shows how your assessment matches with your objectives.
     Download a copy of one formative or summative assessment you will use in the lesson (e.g. quiz, in-class questions, homework assignment, other).
15. Closure
    Describe the closure for the lesson and how this lesson will connect to the next lesson.
    Describe the activity students will complete as part of the lesson closure.
    How will a check for understanding be conducted?
    What will students do to rethink or revise their understandings/skills?
16. Instructional Strategies
    a. Based on the information you provided in Item 11 above, briefly describe the range of instructional strategies you will use in your lesson; at least one strategy must include the use of technology.
    b. Describe how your instructional strategies (individually or together) are designed to:

• motivate students toward active engagement in learning (group or self-motivation)
• engage students in development of critical thinking and problem solving

9. Differentiation of Instruction
   How will you adapt your instruction for the diverse needs of the students in your classroom? Include 2 differentiation bullets specifically for ELLs.
10. Theories and/or Research of Best Practices
    What theories and/or research of best practices support your instructional strategies, including the use of technology? Link at least 2 theorists to your lesson instruction.