As we talk to teachers in schools, we’re still hearing concern about how to create lessons that address the CCSS.  So often, teachers have been accustomed to creating a lesson plan that deals with one objective such as: students will identify the main idea.  With the complexity, rigor, and greater demand of the CCSS, we need to look more holistically at our lessons.  Each lesson should address more than one isolated objective, or we will NEVER even come close to teaching what needs to be taught in a year. In this newsletter, we’re going to outline a lesson protocol and provide links to CCSS lessons that are available online.  What we want you to pay close attention to is how these lessons address multiple standards in one lesson, as we think this is the key component for CCSS.

Because CCSS lessons usually address multiple standards, for instance they might address a reading, writing, and speaking/listening standard, they are longer than what you might have done in the past.  Some lessons will last longer than one day or one class period. Sometimes, they might go across a week.  That is fine, as long as you’re very clear in terms of what standards you’re addressing and what outcomes you expect from your students.  What is not okay is to extend time to complete the lesson because students are not actively engaged and/or working.

 

Steps in Lesson Creation

 

1.  Create an essential question that you want students to be able to answer by the time that they finish the lesson.  Ideally this is a part of your unit plan. 

2.  Create your specific learning targets.  These are what students “can do” by the end of the lesson. They should be tied to the CCSS. 

3.  Create your lesson using the GRR (Gradual Release of Responsibility). Be sure to think about the following:             

                            -What will students be able to do independently

                            -What collaboration will students do?