Weekly Messate- Top Ten Questions for Lesson Design

Top Ten Questions to ask as you design lessons.

As we design instruction, there are many considerations. The questions below act as a guide for processing the demands of lesson planning.

1. What should students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson? How are these objectives related to national, state, and /or district standards?
2. How will students demonstrate what they know and what they can do? What will be the assessment criteria and what form will it take?
3. How will I find out what students already know (pre-assessment), and how will I help them access what they know and have experienced both inside and outside the classroom? How will I help them build on prior experiences, deal with misconceptions, and re-frame their thinking when appropriate?
4. How will new knowledge, concepts, and skills be introduced? Given the diversity of my students and the task analysis, what are my best options for sources and presentation modes?
5. How will I facilitate student processing (meaning making) of new information or processes? What key questions, activities, and assignments (in class or homework) will promote understanding, retention, and transfer?
6. What shall I use as formative assessments or checks for understanding during the lesson? How can I use the data from those assessments to inform my teaching decisions?
7. What do I need to do to scaffold instruction so that the learning experiences are productive for all students? What are the multiple ways students can access information and then process and demonstrate their learning?
8. How will I Frame the Learning so that students know the objectives, the rationale for the objectives and activities, the directions and procedures, as well as the assessment criteria at the beginning of the learning process?
9. How will I build in opportunities for students to make real-world connection and to learn and use the rigorous and complex thinking skills they need to succeed in the classroom and the world beyond?
10. What adjustments need to be made in the learning environment so that we can work and learn efficiently during this study?

Rutherford, Paula (2008). Instruction for all students. Alexandria, Virginia: Just ASK Publications.