​1B: DESIGNING COHERENT INSTRUCTION

The teacher plans learning activities that align with instructional goals and support student learning. Instructional planning must show a structure. Selection of materials and activities must support student learning relative to the district’s curricula.

ELEMENTS AND INDICATORS OF PERFORMANCE

Learning Activities
  • Learning activities designed and/or selected are suitable for diverse learners and support the instructional goals.
  • Activities reflect a common target for students to master but are adapted to meet the needs of the individual students.
  • Activities and tasks are designed to engage all students in cognitive activity.
  • Activities require students to think and problem solve, provide choice and initiative in how the student might demonstrate knowledge, and provide for depth rather than breadth.
Instructional Materials and Resources
  • All materials and resources are suitable for the students and support the stated instructional goals of the lesson.
  • Materials and resources support cognitive engagement.
  • The teacher ensures that activities and tasks support meaningful learning.
  • When appropriate and possible, the teacher uses technology to enhance the learning experience.
  • When students are working independently or in groups, students may select and/or adapt materials to be used during learning.
Instructional Grouping
  • The teacher creates instructional groups that are varied, appropriate to student learning, and meet instructional goals.
  • When appropriate, students are encouraged to have input into constructing the groups.
Lesson and Unit Sequence
  • The lesson structure is coherent, meaning that it moves from easy to hard and/or simple to complex over the course of the learning sequence.
  • The teacher plans time allocations that are reasonable, including planning to accommodate the diverse student needs in the class.
  • The lesson has a beginning, middle, and end.
  • Time and opportunities for closure and reflection are included.


INFORMATION
ARTIFACTS
  • Unit Organizers (that exhibit...1. Coherence (methods, materials, assessments all work together); 2. Variety of instructional activities and methods; 3. Problem-based learning; 4. Student choice; 5. Higher order thinking activities
  • Curriculum Maps
  • Alignment Guides
  • Implementation Guides
  • Lesson Plans
  • Chart of Demonstrated Skills
  • Curriculum Committee Notes
  • Misconceptions Noted and Addressed
  • Spreadsheets of Testing Data
  • Learning activities sequenced and connected within the lesson or unit plan
  • Plan that includes variety of instructional groupings and instructional materials
  • Use of resources related to standards
  • Instructional plan that is tied to learning standards
  • Plan that includes tech resources
  • Plan that includes guiding/essential questions
  • Materials or lesson plans that show planning for differentiation
  • Print-out of a complete Curriculum Companion module/lesson plan




OBSERVABLE EVIDENCE
  • Maximum use of Instructional Time (Bell-to-Bell)
  • Multi-Modal Instruction
  • Use of Technology
  • Connection of Previous Lesson to Today’s Lesson
  • Tiered Interventions


EXAMPLE GOALS (S.M.A.R.T.)

  • By the end of the 1st quarter, 100% of my learning activities in a unit plan will be suitable to students or to the instructional outcomes as demonstrated by formative and summative assessments.
  • By the end of the year, I will move my students by at least one DOK Level to ensure that my students are being engaged in meaningful learning. I will monitor that movement by documenting teacher-created activities.
  • Before each unit, I will use student data to design and chunk lessons that include formative assessments to check student understanding.
  • I will utilize instructional materials and resources to enhance instruction ___ times per quarter/semester. I will document this use in my lesson plans.
  • I will utilize instructional grouping _____ times per quarter/semester. I will document grouping in my lesson plans.
  • By quarter ____ I will develop ___unit organizer(s) to guide classroom instruction. Unit organizers will be included in my lesson plans.


GUIDING QUESTIONS

  • When developing your long-range plan for the unit of study, did you make sure that instruction is coherent by planning purposeful activities, selecting appropriate materials and student groups?
  • Does your unit plan have a well-defined structure consisting of individual activities that support the whole, reasonable time allocation for activities, and opportunities for students to engage in reflection and closure?
  • Do the topics of the unit plan connect with each other and allow students to explore the subject from many different angles to understand the relationship of the parts to the whole?
  • Do the individual lessons within the unit of study have a coherent structure with a logical sequence of activities that progress student learning from easier to harder?
  • Do the instructional activities align with the instructional outcomes of the lesson?
  • Do the activities challenge students to be cognitively active, emphasize thinking, permit student choice, and encourage depth rather than breadth?
  • What content understanding do you want students to learn from this activity?
  • Why are these materials and resources appropriate to the learning needs of your students?
  •  How will you monitor and analyze the success of this activity/lesson?


RESOURCES

Common Curriculum - a free online lesson planning tool that aligns with CCSS.

Instructional Activity Design 
Unit Planning​
Other Resources