Educators should design lessons to support every student’s journey to meet their learning goals. Instruction should be designed to reach across content areas and curriculum while building on students’ previous knowledge. I supported every learner when planning for instruction by creating lessons that broke concepts into manageable chunks, utilizing backward design, and differentiating instruction.
I broke concepts manageable chunks by following the VDOE pacing guide. With students only getting a bit of brand-new material each day, they were less likely to become overwhelmed. Thus, students were able to successful use and practice a concept before moving on to new material.
I found it helpful to utilize backward design while lesson planning. With backward design, you begin by creating the summative assessment. Once you know the principles you will be assessing, instruction days and checks for understanding can be developed with the end in mind.
In order to reach every learner such as those who enjoyed moving, talking, etc., I wanted to make sure that I was planning activities that would allow each student to utilize their strengths. In order to do this, I filled in a section of my lesson plan with how the material would be differentiated for each type learner to make sure ever student was getting what they needed out of the lesson and a chance to shine.