Dive into the world of 'through lessons' that boost student mastery through engaging, structured activities. Learn how innovative digital tools streamline lesson planning, making it more efficient for educators. Explore backward planning techniques that prepare students for assessments, essays, and presentations. Discover the launch of a comprehensive ELA portal designed to enhance teaching skills and curriculum access. Perfect for getting a head start on effective lesson planning for the upcoming school year!
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Quick takeaways
Through lessons emphasize rigorous activities that allow students to practice essential skills in an engaging and scaffolded manner.
The integration of technology in lesson planning significantly reduces preparation time, enabling teachers to focus more on instruction and student engagement.
Deep dives
Understanding the 'Through Lesson' Framework
Through lessons are designed to be the core of a unit, providing students with multiple opportunities to practice key standards as they engage with the material being studied. These lessons should be planned with the end goal in mind, such as preparing students to write an essay or give a presentation. For instance, if students are concluding a unit on a short story, through lessons may include activities that build the specific skills needed to analyze the text and gather evidence. By focusing on these formative activities, teachers can ensure students are adequately prepared for the summative assessment that follows.
Strategies for Effective Lesson Planning
Effective lesson planning involves identifying the necessary skills students need to master before they undertake their final assessment, which may take multiple class periods. For example, a unit may require students to read a text closely while annotating it and answering text-dependent questions to prepare for a literary analysis essay. Additionally, creative approaches such as mock trials or Socratic seminars can further enrich the learning experience by fostering engagement and critical thinking. This method of backward planning helps streamline the process and ensure that lessons are effectively scaffolded to build student confidence.
Leveraging Technology to Enhance Planning Efficiency
The integration of technology in lesson planning has the potential to drastically reduce the time teachers spend on creating lesson plans. For instance, a digital planner can automate the process of organizing units, streamlining the creation of lesson sequences that align with learning standards. This means that instead of spending several hours planning, teachers can condense their lesson preparation into mere minutes. By utilizing software that organizes and structures lessons based on previously established curricular goals, educators are empowered to focus more on their teaching and the well-being of their students.
On this episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, we're taking a deep dive into the core of our ELA lessons which we call "Through Lessons"! These lessons are the "meat and potatoes" of our lesson planning recipe meaning they are made up of rigorous activities that allow students multiple opportunities to practice their skills in an engaging way! You'll learn the components of a "Through" lesson and our tips for creating your own to cover multiple skills! We'll also take a moment to share how the EB Teachers' ELA Portal is making this entire process practically seamless and efficient! (We're talking lesson plans and activities ready to go in minutes!)
This episode is sure to leave you ready to get a head start on your lesson plans for the fall!
FREE RESOURCE: Curious about trying Batch Planning this summer? Simply click the link below to grab our 10 Tips to Get Started Batch Planning and take a look at how easy it can be to begin!
Batch Planning is the ONE thing you can do now that will have the biggest impact on your entire school year!
BIG NEWS: The EB Teachers' ELA Portal will officially be open for enrollment this summer! If having access to ALL of the items below sounds helpful to you, then we invite you to take a quick moment to add your name to our priority list today! Are you ready for:
Hundreds of ready-to-go ELA lessons
A robust Core ELA Curriculum that includes reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary covering all of the ELA standards
Innovative digital lesson planning software
Hours of on-demand PD videos
A community of thousands of supportive ELA teachers from around the world
Pretty incredible, right? Click the link below to add your name to the priority list today: