We have elected to title this page “Unique Learning Experiences” rather than the more traditional term of “Lesson Plan” in part because a learning experience can be planned to outlast what might be considered a single class period or may ‘fit’ within a single lesson period.
As you are learning through your practicums and in your methodology courses, having clear objectives is important when planning your lessons. These might be in the form of learning targets or “I can statements”. When planning for these individual experiences or lessons, you will want to keep a close eye on your ‘Big Picture’ or ‘Unit’ Plan to align goals and objectives. Your lesson plans might be seen as creating a path to help students successfully meet overall unit goals and objectives.
Examples of plans created by teachers as “Instructional Samples” are available on the BC Ministry of Education WebSite. You might also find plans you can revise on the OER Commons Educational Resources Website or on TeachBC, an open respository of lessons and resources developed by the BCTF with and for BC teachers. You can even share your own plans via these or other OER sites.
Templates to help get you started (select to download):
- 2016-Revised-Lesson-Plan (a lesson plan template built using a UDL model – Universal Design for Learning – with question prompts to help the teacher develop a more effective learning experience)
- KDU Lesson Plan(built on the Know Do Understand model)
- Lesson plan Template_basic(a very brief/basic planning template that helps make visible ‘what the students will say/do, what the teacher will say/do’ – particularly supportive for initial plans/ early stage teaching for TCs)
- Planning-for-Read-Aloud2 (a simple structure to facilitate planning for a read-aloud in class – provided by LLED 350)
*Designing unique learning experiences for your students involves knowing who your students are and knowing where their learning is headed. You can find some information about Class Reviews and Universal Design for learning in the Teaching Resource section of this site. Planning also involves understanding aligning curriculum in a coherent manner. For a short video and description of how the Know Do Understand Model can help you begin planning for learning, please visit the KDU: a starting point in planning post.