Running

head: PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT 1

Planning, Preparation, Instruction, and Assessment

Sarah Pazda

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 496, spring 2020

PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT 2

Introduction

The Founding Father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to

prepare, you are preparing to fail” (“45 powerful...”). Planning is essential in any instance, and it

is especially important in teaching. When a teacher does not have a plan, there is no direction

and no targets being met. When a teacher thoughtfully crafts their lessons and their questions,

they become deeper and dive into greater understanding and learning. When a teacher plans, they

are able to highlight the objective, which is what will be tested. “Effective assessment occurs

when there is a clear understanding of the knowledge and skills students are expected to

demonstrate as a result of their learning at each grade” (Bruce Grey, 2011) These objectives that

were laid out from planning should be clearly identified and should not seem foreign to the

students during the assessment. “Classroom assessment that is fair and provides accurate

information about student achievement can serve to support instructional and program

improvement and increase student motivation and achievement” (Bruce Grey, 2011). Planning

and executing clear objectives improve student performance on assessments. All of these

components are essential to promote the best student learning.

Rationale

My first artifact is data from a pre-assessment on Plot. It was an entry slip that asked

“what is plot?’ and “what are the elements that make up a plot?” Each student filled it out and

the results showed that some of them grasped the concept and knew the answers, some knew it

partly and some knew nothing. Four students got an AP, six students got a P, and seven got a

DP. From this data, I would plan to split them into groups based on what they received, so all the

students with DP would be grouped, all the students with P, and all the students with AP. I would

take time in small group to target areas within each group that needed to be addressed. I would
PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT 3

do a mini lesson on plot with each group, diving deeper with the DPs and focusing on different

things in each group. I would do my lessons on Plot whole group as well that explains it further

and finally do an exit ticket with the same questions collecting data to see if they have grasped

the content and understand.

My second artifact is a lesson plan that focuses on plot. It would further my instruction

on teaching plot. This lesson starts with the students grouping up and creating a plot mountain

based on the story we read the day before. This allowed them to map out the story elements of a

plot and use it for practical application from a previously read story. They then present what they

have to the class. Next, we read an article together and I modeled how to to create the best

summary from what we read and what the important plot element were and how that helps create

a good summary. After that, we read another article together and they broke off into pairs to

work on creating summaries. The closure ends the lesson with the exit ticket on plot. This plan

works to execute the learning goals and collect data from instruction.

Reflection

Planning, preparation, instruction and assessment work together to create perfect

harmony. It is hard to do one successfully without the other. All components are necessary

aspects of teaching. Planning your lesson is key and I learned very early on that it is necessary to

make sure you are prepared. Prepping everything ahead of time is extremely important in making

sure things run smoothly, because you do not know what could happen if you wait. God

emphasizes the importance of planning in a different example. He says, “Suppose one of you

wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough

money to complete it” (Bibgle Gateway)? You must think through things first before executing.

After planning comes instruction. Instruction is what brings everything together and assessment
PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT 4

tests everything that was worked to achieve. When a teacher is able to reflect on results and data,

they are able to target areas that certain students need help with. This saves time and gets to the

point. It helps keep everything on track and maintains everyone at generally the same pace,

making sure no one is left behind. All of these components go hand and hand and play an equally

important role in each lesson and unit.

PLANNING, PREPARATION, INSTRUCTION, AND ASSESSMENT 5

References

“BibleGateway.” BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50

Languages., www.biblegateway.com/.

Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board. (2011). PLANNING, ASSESSMENT and

EVALUATION. Retrieved from

https://www.bgcdsb.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_5912063/File/NTIP/Ministry

docs/Plan_assess_evaluate.pdf

45 Powerful Planning Quotes To Help You Reach Your Goals. (2020, March 18). Retrieved

from https://www.workzone.com/blog/project-planning-quotes/