ExplicitInstruction:LessonPlanning

(HandouttoaccompanyProfessionalLearningonthecomponentsofExplicitInstruction)

WarmUp

LiteracyorNumeracy

LearningIntention

Statelearningoutcome/WALT(what
arewelearningtoday)WILF(whatam
Ilookingfor)
LessonImportance

CheckforUnderstanding(CFU)

ActivatePriorKnowledge

CFU

Ido

Wedo

Readytolearn

Youdo

Reviewcriticalcontent(Ploughback)

Closure

Childrenaresittingdownquietly
Sittingincorrectspot
Eyesontheboardandteacher
Tunestudentsintothesubject
Reviewpreviouslearning
Fluencydrills
Spacedpracticeofpriorlearning
Writeandreadlearningoutcome
Whatwillsuccesslooklike?

Whyarewelearningthis?
Callonnonvolunteers
Placenewknowledge,skill,strategyinthecontextof
whatstudentsalreadyknow
Reviewanyrequiredsubskills
Explaintheknowledge,strategyorrule
Modelthesteps,process,skill
Thinkaloud
Checkforunderstanding(nonvolunteers)
Guidedpracticeasyouworkthroughtheexamplesstep
bystepwiththechildren
Checkforunderstandingateachpoint
Unisonoralresponses,pairandshare,individualwork
Ifpossible,beginwitheasierandprogresstoharder
examplesasstudentsbegintodemonstratethe
knowledge,ruleorstrategy
Extendmoreablestudentsandprovideadditional
examplesforweakerstudents
Afterstudentshaveachievedsuccessduringguided
practice,testtheirknowledge.
Thiscanincludedifferentiatedactivitiesforindividual
studentneeds
Reviewlesson,inthislessonwehavelearnedabout...
havestudentsdemonstratedtheknowledge,ruleor
strategy?
Reviewthesteps,process,knowledge
Whatarewelearningnext?Howdoesthisknowledgefit
withwhatwearelearningnext.

Dr Lorraine Hammond Sydney Successful Learners Conference 2013

TeacherObservation
TopicofLesson:

YearLevel:

Warmup(Beginandendtime)

ObservedLesson
ElementsofanExplicit
Observations
InstructionLesson
Gainstudentsattention
Statelearningoutcome/
WALT(whatarewe
learningtoday)WILF
(whatamIlookingfor)
CFU

Lessonimportance

ActivatePriorKnowledge
andreviewnecessary
preskillsorbackground
knowledge
Previewthelesson

content/goals/activities
Ido(Beginandendtime)
Wedo(Beginandend

time)
Youdo(Beginandend

time)
Reviewcriticalcontent

(Ploughback)
Close

Previewnextlesson

Otheraspectsofthelesson
Teacheristeachingcriticalcontent.
Teacherandstudentshaveallnecessarymaterials.
Teacherprovidesclear,easytounderstandexplanationsand
directions.
Teacherisusingpositiveandencouragingtechniquestorespondto
behaviour.
Studentsreceivinginstructionareattentiveandactivelyparticipate.
Fastpacing(min1012responsesperminute)
Teacherelicitsresponsesthroughoutthelessonandcorrectserrors.
Teachermonitorsstudentsperformance,circulatingaroundthe
roomwhennecessary.
Studentsaremakingwrittenresponseswhenrequested.
Studentsarefollowingdirections.
Generalcomments

Thingstoworkonfornexttime

Dr Lorraine Hammond Sydney Successful Learners Conference 2013

Comments

Observation2
(ThefollowingfeedbackwasgiventoaYear5teacherafterviewingalesson)
SpellingLesson
Warmup(9.009.15am)
1. Studentsarereadinghighfrequencywords.Lookatsleeping/spellaloud.Couldyougroup
sleep/cheers/queenandaskaboutpositionofmedialvowel?
2. Digraphdefinition,drillofdigraphs.Youmayneedtoleadmorehere,therearesome
incorrectanswers.Stopandaskthestudentstogiveyouawordthatcontainstheaisound
3. Shortvowels,thelistofwordswasgreatmaybegetthemtoreadthemtosubstitutethe
shortvowelsoundforsomeoftheendings(ie.Ramp,remp,rimp,romp,rump)
4. Longvowels,fryandcrymightbeagoodreminderthatyisalongvowelsound.
5. Commonlongvowelsounds(so,inthewordsightwhichletterssaythe/i/sound?)
6. Syllablesdefinition,practiceidentifysyllablesinwords.Idaskthestudentstoidentifythe
vowelsoundstootocheckforunderstandingandlinktothebiggergoalofspelling.
Summarytherewerenoshortageofexamplesandthestudentswererespondingtogetherwell.
Youneedtocheckforunderstandingbyaskingmoreindividuals.Itwas9.15untilyouaskedSherry
torespondonherown.
ObservedLesson
ElementsofanExplicitInstruction
Observations
Lesson
Gainstudentsattention
Clearinstructionsaboutwhatwas
requiredweregiven.
Toidentifythepurposebetween
Statelearningoutcome/WALT
(whatarewelearningtoday)WILF opensyllablesandclosedsyllables.
(whatamIlookingfor)
CFU
Lessonimportance
ActivatePriorKnowledgeand
reviewnecessarypreskillsor
backgroundknowledgeCFU

Previewthelesson
content/goals/activities
Ido9.20am(10mins)

Yes,fivechildrenwereasked.
Popstickswereused.
ThiscameaftertheIdo,you
mightmoveituptoearlier.
Quickrevisionofconsonants,long
andshortvowelsmighthave
helpedherejusttotunethemin.I
knowitwasinthewarmup,but
itsthecriticalknowledgerequired
hereto
Notstated

Explanationofruleforopen
syllables.Positionofvowelina
syllable?Youmightneedtoreview
whatavowelis.Fourchildren

Dr Lorraine Hammond Sydney Successful Learners Conference 2013

Comments

Learningoutcomewas
clearlystatedand
regularlyreferredto
throughoutthelesson.

Maybetheyknowthe
routine?Itsgoodto
restateit.
Ithinkthissectionmight
betoolong.Iam
wonderingifyoushould
treatoneaspectinamini

Wedo9.30am9.45am(15mins)
Guidedpractice,CFU

Youdo9.45am9.55am

wereaskedtorepeattheruleas
youcheckedforunderstanding.
Youcolourcodedthevowelsto
highlighttherule.Gooduseofthe
popsticks.Idextendtheanswer
given.Soifitsaysthevowel
name,whatarethenamesofthe
vowels?
Closedsyllabledefinitionand
examplesfollowed
Closedoropentask(freetomove
orlockedingreatexplanation)
Idaddforretellmeawordthat
startswithre(remember).Thats
rightthefirstsyllableisresowhen
wespellthiswordwebreakitinto
syllablesandworkoutwhetherthe
vowelisopenorclosed.You
shouldalsotellthestudentsthatre
isaprefix.Canyouusethe
whiteboardsatthisstagetohave
studentsidentifythevowelsas
openorclosed?Theyaregettinga
littleinattentive.
Withthewhiteboards.Idgetthem
toallwritetheword,thenturn
overtheirboards.Youcanthensay
chinitandtheyallshowyouat
once.
Theindependenttaskmatchedthe
conceptstaughtanditwasgoodto
seeyouhadahardersheetforthe
moreablestudents.

Reviewcriticalcontent
(Ploughback)

Goodtoseeyoubringthem
togetherintheendtoreviewthe
differencebetweenopenand
closedsyllables.
Close

Previewnextlesson

Teacheristeachingcriticalcontent.
Yes

Teacherandstudentshaveallnecessarymaterials.
Yes
Teacherprovidesclear,easytounderstandexplanationsand Yes
directions.
Dr Lorraine Hammond Sydney Successful Learners Conference 2013

lesson,getthemto
respondmore,goto
independentpracticeand
thendoasecondlesson
onclosedsyllables.

Goodclarificationwith
tie,vowelsoundislong,
andtwolettersgo
togethertomakethei
soundiande.

Subjectgoodtoseeyou
reviewthesteps,break
intosyllables,underline
thevowel.Thatsthe
processyouwantthe
studentstofollow.

Ifstudentsarefindingthis
hard,youcangivethe
easierexamplestothe
firstrowandtheharder
wordstootherrows.
Choosingtheopenor
closedsyllableswasgood
idea.Maybeattheend
youcanhavethe
studentsapplytheir
knowledgetospellsome
newwordsthatyou
dictate?

Perhapsyouneedtolink
tothetaskofspellingan
unknownwordby
demonstratingthis
process.

Teacherisusingpositiveandencouragingtechniquesto
respondtobehaviour.
Studentsreceivinginstructionareattentiveandactively
participate.

Yes

Yes

BriskPacing(1012responsesperminute)
Teacherelicitsresponsesthroughoutthelessonand
correctserrors.
Teachermonitorsstudentsperformance,circulatingaround
theroomwhennecessary.
Studentsaremakingwrittenresponseswhenrequested.

Yes
Yes

Particularlyinthelead
(wedo)phasewiththe
whiteboards

Yes

Yes

Thislessonreallyshowcasedhowfaryourskillshavedevelopedinthelastmonth!Youhave
reallyimpressedme.Icanseehowwellyoupreparedthepowerpointandexamples.The
structureofthelessonwasastrengthandthestudentswererespondinginunisonregularly.
Theyclearlyknewtheroutineandsodidyou.Imighthavecheckedforunderstandingwith
individualstudentsearlier.

Withrespecttoyourwarmup,Icanseethatthewordsyouusedwererelevant,howeverI
amwonderingifyoucouldreinforcesomespellingconceptsasthestudentsreadthewords.
So,thepositionandsoundofvoweldigraphstherewerelotsofpatterns.Keepinmind
thatthewarmupisyouropportunitytoreviewthesubskillsyouwantthestudentsto
automaticallyaccessduringthelesson.

Whenyougotthewhiteboardsouttheywereexcitedandyousaid,probablytoomuch
talkingfromme.Ithinkyouareright.Iwouldspeedupthemodel(Idophase)orifthe
studentsarenotsure,breakthetwoaspectsinhalfandgetthestudentsidentifyingvowels
earlierwiththewhiteboards.Youmayneedtodifferentiateattheleadphaseandgive
somestudentseasiertasks.Youcanalsobringastudentuptotheboardandaskthemto
demonstratetheprocessforyouofdetermininglongandshortvowels.

Youwereteachingprocessandstrategyandthisiswhatyouneedtokeepremindingthem
aboutasyoucheckforunderstandingandextendtheirresponses.So,dontbeafraidtobe
thatbrokenrecordandkeepsaying,Step1,breakthewordintosyllables.Step2,identify
whetherthevowelislongorshortdependingonthesoundyouhear,thepositionofthe
vowelandthesurroundingletters.

Finally,Idhavesomeexamplesforthestudentsatthebeginninginthewarmupthat
requirethemtoapplytheirunderstanding(sofar)oflongandshortvowelsandsyllables..If
theywrotethemontheirwhiteboardsyoucouldremindthemaboutphoneme
segmentationtoo.Step1,listentotheword,Step2sayitinyourhead,Step3breakitinto
sounds,Step4writeitdown,Step5checkthevowelsound.

Whattoworkonnext?
MoresuccinctIdo,moreexamplesforstudentsonthewhiteboardslinkedtoapplyingthe
knowledgegainedaboutprocesstospellanunknownword.

Dr Lorraine Hammond Sydney Successful Learners Conference 2013