Structure of a Lesson
Heather Menar
Last Update há 2 anos
The introduction includes a list of student-facing learning goals and a timeline infographic of major historical events and eras covered in the course. Teachers see a list of key terms and concepts and timeline events highlighted in the lesson’s mini-lecture video.
The launch task prompts students to formulate opinions, ideas, thoughts, and questions about topics they will encounter in the lesson. Students can do it at home independently or in school. The launch task engages the learner, activates prior knowledge, and sparks curiosity.
The worthy task focuses on diverse perspectives in the classroom and the world. It should be done in school. The worthy task fosters collaborative learning and positive interdependence. (Laal, 2013) Students reconcile different points of view and grapple with real-life uncertainties and ambiguities.
Mini-lecture videos presented by our University Professor partners are the foundation of each lesson. They increase student engagement, improve information retention, and activate active listening skills. Multiple-choice comprehension questions accompany the 5-10 minute video as a “check for understanding.”
Primary sources are snippets of history, items or accounts providing original information about the time period from which they come. Students confront the complexity of the past by comparing multiple sources that represent different points of view.
Powerful questions provoke powerful thinking. Use discussion questions to spark meaningful discourse in the classroom. To give students more opportunities to focus on their writing skills, use discussion questions as essay prompts.
Key takeaways are the main understandings that connect back to the lesson’s learning goals. This brief synthesis helps stamp the learning, increasing information retention.
Exit tickets are a formative assessment tool that documents student learning at the end of every lesson. Using this qualitative data, teachers can provide students with immediate feedback and adapt instruction for the next lesson based on student need.