JOSE NICOLAS MONTOYA HERRERA

DIDACTICS OF ENGLISH

UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL ABIERTA Y A DISTANCIA

2020
WHAT IS A LESSON PLAN?
The lesson plan is one of the old acquaintances of teachers. It is a descriptive document that
indicates everything you must do in your classes. That is, it is a tool for planning activities
and content. The teacher's role is to transmit as much knowledge as possible. So, nothing
better than having a planning tool that allows you to organize the content that will be taught
in the most logical way. Contrary to what many people imagine, the class plan is not fixed,
that is, it can be updated permanently and whenever necessary. This flexibility is due to the
fact that the focus in a class can change during the course and also because the planning is
built before starting the course. For this reason it may happen that the planned is not
appropriate for the group, due to its particular characteristics. However, in an online class it
is not possible to modify your videos while the course is running. But if you have a lesson
plan and realize that your audience does not feel comfortable with the way content has been
taught, it is possible to make modified modifications to what was previously planned. The
class plan then functions as a guide for teachers, since it tells you the steps to follow during
the course, the sequence of contents that you are going to teach, the way you will present
each topic, the methods and the evaluation activities, among other things you want to add.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO PLAN A LESSON?

Planning is an eminently human activity. Any voluntary activity is planned, in one way or
another, insofar as it means being able to anticipate, anticipate, organize and decide courses
of action. It is a fundamental task in teaching practice because the success or failure of
teaching work depends on it, in addition to allowing theory to be combined with
pedagogical practice. Its importance lies in the need to organize in a coherent way what is
to be achieved with the students in the classroom. This involves making pre-practice
decisions about what will be learned, what it will be done for, and how it can best be
accomplished. In the case of the school, planning represents and has always represented the
explicitness of the wishes of every educator to make their task an organized, scientific task,
by means of which they can anticipate events and foresee some results, including, of
course, the constant evaluation of that same process and instrument. Generally, under the
name of "planning", only the specific product is usually considered, ignoring the mental
process that underlies it. But this distinction allows us to recognize that the greatest
difficulty for educators in relation to this question does not lie in the thought process, but in
the modality of its explanation. Even teachers who say they are not planning acknowledge
that, in one way or another, they try to anticipate what they are going to do in their classes.
They think, for example, what can I do today? How can I take advantage of the materials I
have obtained? How can I make children interested in this or that proposal? Among other
questions.
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT ELEMENTS THAT MUST BE INCLUDED IN A
LESSON PLAN? DESCRIBE THEM.
1. Gather Your Materials
What will you need to teach this lesson? This includes student supplies as well as your
own. Don’t forget about technology such as your document camera and laptop. Make sure
you have everything situated so you’re ready to roll when your students arrive. You don’t
want to be scrambling around in the middle of a lesson trying to locate the protractors
which you thought were in that bottom cabinet, only to realize at the last minute they’re not
there. Having your resources lined up ahead of time saves valuable class time and gives you
great peace of mind. When your materials are in place, you can devote all your energy to
teaching the lesson.
Your materials list may look something like this:
Materials
 lined paper
 pencils
 rulers
 Kagan chips
 document camera
 laptops

2. Know Your Class Objectives

What exactly do you want your students to be able to do by the end of the lesson? This
should be clearly communicated to your students orally at the very beginning of the lesson
and posted in a highly visible location in your classroom. It's helpful to have a specific
place in your room where you regularly post your objectives, and to have a set routine in
terms of how you introduce the objectives, such as asking your students to read them aloud
with you at the beginning of class each day. Communicating the learning objectives to your
students, both verbally and in writing, serves to motivate them to work with a clear purpose
in mind, and it makes it easier for you and your students to stay on target throughout the
lesson. The objectives should be the ongoing focus of your lesson. Maximize your effort to
create successful learning outcomes with SMART objectives. SMART stands for specific,
measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

3. Activate Background Knowledge

Set the stage by tapping into your students’ background knowledge – previous life
experiences, prior learning, or both – to prepare them for the new concept you’re about to
introduce. The point is to make connections between what your students already know and
what you're going to teach them. For example, if you’re about to present a lesson on using
metaphors and similes in writing, start out by discussing what makes a story engrossing to a
reader. Involve your students in the discussion by asking them to share their thoughts based
on gripping stories they’ve read. Some responses you may get are: “interesting characters,"
“interesting plot," “suspense," “ability to relate to the characters or plot.” Perhaps you have
taught other forms of figurative language such as hyperboles and personification, earlier in
the school year. Review these briefly. These discussions will lead right into your lesson of
using metaphors and similes as additional ways to make a story captivating to readers!

4. Direct Instruction
This is the “meat” of your lesson plan. It’s where you present the new concept that is
included in the lesson objectives. Prepare your students for success by pre-teaching key
vocabulary words that are essential to understanding the concept or text you will introduce
to them. When students know these key words in advance, they can focus more of their
energy into learning the concept or understanding the text. Speak clearly and concisely.
Less is more as long as you stay on topic. Use the board or a document camera as you
model what you’re teaching. If the lesson involves a process, then show the process. Speak
aloud as you model through it, explaining each step as you go along. Be sure to take your
time. Modeling is a critical part of direct instruction. When students watch and listen to you
apply the concept, they are much better able to understand what you're trying to teach them.
It is important to model multiple examples of the concept you're introducing!

5. Student Practice
Student practice consists of 3 steps: guided practice, collaborative practice, and
independent practice. This 3-step process allows you to gradually release your students
from watching you model the correct application of the concept to allowing them to apply
the concept independently.
 Guided Practice:
After you’ve presented the new concept and modeled a few examples on your own,
involve your students in a few additional examples using the board or document
camera. They will gain confidence as they go through the process with you!
Converse with them through the process, questioning them when they offer their
input, as you maintain your role as leader. At this point, they're still "under your
wing" as you walk them through the process, but you're allowing them to participate
in the process with you.

 Collaborative Practice:
This is where students get to apply the new concept in cooperative activities. This
includes working with a partner, in small groups, or in larger groups.
 Circulate the room to check for understanding as students work. Pause to clarify as
needed. If you notice an area where many students are confused or struggling, stop
and address this particular point with the entire class.
If necessary, go back and model a few additional examples followed by additional
guided practice. You want to make sure your students are applying the concept
correctly rather than practicing mistakes.

 Independent Practice:
Once students have had the opportunity to apply and practice the concept with their
classmates through collaborative activities, it's time for them to apply and practice
the concept on their own! This is where you can see if they really "got it."
Continue to circulate the room to check for understanding. You will notice which
students have really grasped the concept and which students need you to take them a
step back, offer more guided practice, and then gradually release them again to
independent application of the concept.

6. Closure
This is where you “wrap it up.” It’s a quick synopsis of the lesson. You may want to ask
students to pair share or to share out something they learned that period, or to provide an
example of the concept taught. Keep it short and sweet. Example: “Today we learned about
metaphors and similes. Tell your partner one example of a simile and one example of a
metaphor.”

7. Demonstration of Learning (Quick Assessment)

The demonstration of learning (D.O.L.) assessment evaluates whether or not your students
met your lesson objectives. It aims to provide you with valuable feedback which should
drive your instruction. Make sure the D.O.L. accurately reflects the learning objectives and
allows your students to apply what they learned during the lesson. The D.O.L. should
always be completed independently without any teacher assistance. It should take most
students no longer than five to ten minutes to complete, and can be a simple written
assignment. Some teachers call it an “exit ticket" to indicate that students must complete it
before they exit the classroom. Student performance on the D.O.L. tells you if you need to
go back and reteach the same lesson the following day, or if your students are ready to
move on to the next lesson.

WHAT ARE THE STEPS OR STAGES IN A LESSON PLAN DEVELOPMENT?

DESCRIBE THEM
Each step is accompanied by a series of questions for reflection and helps in the design of
teaching and learning activities.

1. The learning objectives

The first step is to determine what you want your students to learn and be able to do at the
end of class. To help you specify student learning objectives, answer the following
questions:
 What is the topic of the lesson?
 What do I want students to learn?
 What do I want you to understand and be able to do at the end of class?
 What do I want you to take away from this particular lesson?
Once you expose the learning objectives of the class, you should classify them according to
their importance. This step will prepare you for class time management and achieving the
most important learning objectives in case you are pressed for time. Consider the following
questions:
 What are the most important concepts, ideas, or skills that I want students to be able
to understand and apply?
 Because they are important?
 If I ran out of time, which ones could not be omitted?
 Conversely, which ones could you skip if you're pressed for time?

2. Develop the introduction

Now that you have your learning objectives in order of importance, follow the design of the
specific activities that you will use to get students to understand and apply what they have
learned. Since you are going to have a diverse body of students with different academic and
personal experiences, who may already be familiar with the subject, it is good to start with
a question or activity to measure the subject's knowledge or, possibly, their preconceived
notions. For example, you can do a simple survey: “How many of you have heard of X?
Raise your hand if you have. ” You can also find out about your students' background
before class by sending an electronic survey or asking them to write comments on
flashcards. This additional information can help shape the introduction, learning activities,
etc. When you have an idea of student familiarity with the topic, you will also have an idea
of what to focus on. Develop an introduction to the creative topic to stimulate interest and
encourage thinking. A variety of approaches can be used to engage students (eg, personal
anecdotes, historical events, the reflection dilemma, real-world example, video clips, the
practice app, probing questions, etc.). Consider the following questions when planning the
introduction:
  How can I check whether or not the students know anything about it?
 What are some commonly accepted ideas (or possibly misconceptions) on this topic
that students might be familiar with?
 What am I going to do to introduce the topic?

3. Plan specific learning activities (the main body of the lesson)

Prepare several different ways to explain the material (real life examples, analogies,
visuals, etc.) to capture the attention of more students and attract different learning styles.
When planning the examples and activities, you should estimate the amount of time you
spend on each one. Build over the course of the explanation or discussion, but also be
prepared to quickly move on to different applications or problems, and identify strategies
that aid understanding. These questions could help design the learning activities that you
will use:

 What am I going to do to explain the topic?

 What am I going to do to illustrate the subject in a different way?
 How can students be involved in the topic?
 What are some real-life examples, analogies, or relevant situations that can help
students understand the topic?
 How to help students better understand the topic?

4. Plan to check understanding

Now that you have explained the topic and illustrated with different examples, it is
necessary to check the student's understanding. How are you going to know that the
students are learning? Think about the specific questions you can ask students to check
comprehension, write them down, and then paraphrase them so that you are prepared to ask
the questions in different ways. Try to predict the answers to your questions. Decide if you
want students to respond orally or in writing. You can look at some strategies to broaden
student thinking, to help them generate some ideas, and you can also ask yourself the
following questions:
 What questions will I ask students to check for understanding?
 Going back to my list of learning objectives, what activities can I do for students to
check if each one has managed to learn something?
An important strategy that will also help you with time management is to anticipate
questions from students. In planning your lesson, decide what kinds of questions will be
productive for discussion and what questions might lead the class astray. Thinking and
deciding on the balance between covering content (achieving your learning goals) and
ensuring that students understand.

5. Develop a conclusion and a preview

Go over the material covered in class with a summary of the main points of the lesson. This
can be done in several ways: you can indicate the main points to yourself ("Today we talk
about ..."), you can ask a student to help you summarize, or you can even ask all students to
write in one piece on paper what you think were the main points of the lesson. You can
review student responses to gauge their understanding of the topic, and then explain the
next class more clearly. Conclude the lesson not only with a summary of the main points,
but also by previewing the next lesson. How does the theme it comes with work? This
preview will stimulate student interest and help them connect different ideas within a larger
context.

6. Create a realistic timeline

A list of the ten learning objectives is not realistic, so narrow the list down to the two or
three key concepts, ideas, or skills you want students to learn. Teachers also agree that they
often have to adjust their lesson plan during class based on what students need. The
prioritized learning objectives list will help you make decisions on the spot and adjust the
lesson plan as needed. Having additional examples or alternative activities will also allow
for flexibility. A realistic timeline will reflect your flexibility and ability to adapt to the
specific environment in the classroom. Here are some strategies for creating a realistic
timeline:
 Estimate the amount of time for each of the activities, then plan extra time for each
one.
 When you prepare your class plan, next to each activity indicate the amount of time
you expect it will take.
 Plan a few minutes at the end of class to answer any questions that remain and to
summarize key points.
 Plan an additional activity or discussion question if there is time.
 Be flexible - be ready to tailor the lesson plan to the needs of the students and focus
on what appears to be most productive rather than on the original plan.
 LESSON PLAN:
Area: Humanities
Subject: English Grade: First Teacher: Jose Nicolas Montoya
Herrera
Unit: 5 Unit name: Family and Animals
STANDARD COMPETENCI SABERS PERFORMAN TEACHIN LEARNIN EVALUATION
ES CES G G ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITI ACTIVITI
ES ES
I understand INTERPRETATI THE Oral expression Observation Dialogue. Punctuality.
the basic VE: FAMILY: of the names of of drawings.
language some family Dramatizati Responsibility.
about my Match graphics to Mother. members. Observation ons.
family, words. Pope. and direct Participation.
games and Sister. Pronunciation of listening. Songs.
known places You follow Brother. names of some Attitude.
if they speak simple Grandfather. animals. Identify Repeat
to me slowly instructions. Grandma. graphics teacher- Behavior.
and with Uncle. and words. oriented
clear ARGUMENTATI Aunt. pronunciati Creativity and
pronunciation VE: Simple on originality.
ANIMALS: instructions.
Coherently Make short
exposes in Domestic Explanation dialogues.
English the names animals. with
of some animals didactic Oral tests.
and family Wild material.
members. animals.
Pronunciati SELF
PURPOSE: on APPRAISAL:
exercises.
Explain the Argumentation.
importance of Listen to the
learning the audio Self-criticism.
names of some material.
animals and Valuing your own
family members Copy and performance.
in English. transcribe
words. COEVALUATIO
N:

Comparison.

Observation.

Straight
evaluation:

Oral prayer