Lesson Template - Sample 2

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Jennifer Maddrell

Design Guide

Designers for Learning - Adult Learning Zone

Project Requirements

Designers will develop open educational resources (OER) for adult basic education based on the following project requirements:

  • The instructional materials you design and develop will support adult learners who have not completed high school, and are taking adult basic education courses as they prepare for high school equivalency exams (i.e. the GED, HiSET, or TASC tests), or other adult basic education certifications.
  • The instruction you design will align with the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) that underlie high school equivalency exams and other adult basic education programs.
  • You are able to select the intended grade level and topic of the instruction from the following subject areas:
  • English Language Arts and Literacy, including History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical subjects, and
  • Mathematics
  • The instructional materials you design and develop will:
  • conform to the project's Design Guide,
  • be developed within Open Author on OER Commons,
  • incorporate guidance for the instructor implementing the lesson,
  • include all necessary content presentation, learner practice, and assessment materials for 15-30 minutes of instruction on the standard and topic you have chosen.

Part 1: Lesson Description

Lesson Title

[Type lesson abstract here.]

Writing your Lesson Title:

Develop a title that is succinct and efficiently and effectively communicates the topic of the lesson to others. American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines recommend that titles should be fewer than 12 words, and should not contain abbreviations or words that do not serve a purpose. When writing your lesson title, please keep a few important considerations in mind as you create a lesson title:

  1. How well does the title reflect the content and skills this lesson addresses?
  2. Does the lesson title use keywords that will improve its likelihood of being listed in searches on this topic?
  3. Have you chosen an appropriate lesson context for adult learners?

Abstract

[Type lesson abstract here.]

Writing the Abstract:

The abstract should be a short written summary of your lesson to help others find your lesson during a search. Target a very brief paragraph. As covered in Module 1 of the course, define your learner audience. As you did in Module 2 of the course, describe the purpose, goal, and topic(s) of your lesson. Think of the abstract an “elevator pitch” that will help instructors and learners using your lesson to quickly decide if your 15-30 minute lesson will meet their needs.

Learner Audience / Primary Users

[Describe the primary users of the lesson here.]

Describing the Learner Audience:

This section should describe the intended learner audience / primary users* for this lesson. As we have mentioned several times during the course, it is important to develop a clear conception of your audience before you begin your design, and work toward refining that conception as you move through the design process. As we covered in Module 1, it is critical to begin the design process by considering who your learners are, the contexts in which they’re learning, and their goals. While you will never actually meet the adult learners for whom you’re designing this instruction, it is still possible and necessary to develop your own conception of the learners as a diverse group of people with rich histories, including varied life and work experiences. It is important that your instruction allows your learners to draw on their own histories to make the instruction meaningful and relevant. Always keep your primary users in in mind as you craft your lesson. We have shared personas to consider, but it is up to you as the designer to internalize this, and to describe your own conception of the instructors and learners as people who will be using your instruction.

*At the prototype stage, please note that OER Commons offers the following as “primary user” options when you index your lesson: Teacher, Student, Administrator, Parent, Other. When you publish your lesson in OER Commons, please select “Teacher” and “Student” from the menu options.

Educational Use

  • Curriculum / Instruction
  • [Type additional educational uses of the lesson here.]

Selecting the Educational Use:

The educational use should include “Curriculum/Instruction”. Additional educational uses can be added, if applicable. OER Commons offers the following additional options: Assessment, Professional Development, Informal Education, Other.

College & Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Alignment

  • Level: Adult Education
  • Grade Level: [Type CCRS Grade Level A, B, C, D, or E]
  • Subject: [Type CCRS Subject Area of your lesson, either English Language Arts / Literacy or Mathematics]
  • Domain or Strand: [Type the CCRS Domain or Strand information]
  • Domain: If you want to design a Math lesson, what is the domain?
  • Strand: If you want to design an English Language Arts / Literacy lesson, what is the:
  • Strand (e.g., Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, or Language), and
  • Sub-strand if you chose Reading and Writing (e.g., Reading of Informational Text, Literature,  History/Social Studies Text, or Scientific and Technical text, or Writing of History/Social Studies, or Scientific and Technical subjects)?
  • Standard Description: [Type the CCRS description(s) for the specific standard(s) and supporting standard(s) that align with your lesson]

Writing the CCRS Alignment Summary:

As covered in Module 2 of the course, enter a summary of how your lesson aligns with the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), including:

  • Subject: The subject should include the main subject area covered in the lesson (e.g., either English Language Arts / Literacy or Mathematics), as well as the domain (for Math) and strand (for English Language Arts / Literacy).
  • Grade Level: What grade level will be the focus of your lesson? (e.g., Grade Level A, B, C, D, or E)?
  • Domain or Strand:
  • Domain: If you want to design a Math lesson, what will be the domain?
  • Strand: If you want to design an English Language Arts / Literacy lesson, what will be the:
  • Strand (e.g., Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, or Language)?,
  • Sub-strand, if you chose Reading and Writing (e.g., Reading of Informational Text, Literature,  History/Social Studies Text, or Scientific and Technical text, or Writing of History/Social Studies, or Scientific and Technical subjects)?

*Note: When you index your general subject in OER Commons, you will have the following options to refine the scope: Math, English Language Arts / Literacy, Applied Science, Arts, Arts and Humanities, Business and Communication, Career and Technical Education, Education, History, Humanities, Law, Life Science, Mathematics and Statistics, Physical Science, Science and Technology, Social Science.

Language

[Type language(s) of the lesson here.]

Selecting the Language:

The selected language should include “English”. Include additional language(s), if applicable.

Material Type

  • Instructional Material
  • [Type additional material type here.]

Selecting the Material Type:

The selected material type should include “Instructional Material”. Additional material types can be added, if applicable. OER Commons offers the following additional options: Activities and Labs Assessments, Audio Lectures, Case Study, Data, Full Course, Games, Homework and Assignments, Images and Illustrations, Interactive, Lecture Notes, Lesson Plans, Module, Primary Source, Readings Reference, Resource Review, Simulations, Specimen, Student Guide, Syllabi, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Textbooks, Unit of Study, Video Lectures, Other.

Learning Goals

The purpose of this lesson is for learners to be able to:

  • [Type the list of learning goals here.]

Writing the Learning Goals:

As covered in Module 2 of the course, an important part of the process of narrowing your lesson’s focus is defining (and likely continuously refining) the purpose and goals of your lesson. In contrast to the learning outcomes and objectives that we will cover later, the lesson goals broadly define what the learner should be able to achieve when the lesson is complete. In other words, what skills and knowledge do you want your participants to learn as a result of the lesson? Again, keep in mind you are designing a lesson that will take the learner approximately 15-30 minutes to complete. Think of the purpose and lesson goals as a target to be reached or achieved. For your deliverables on this project, a guideline is to have no more than 4 learning goals per lesson.

Keywords

  • Designers for Learning
  • Adult Education
  • [Type list of additional keywords here.]

Selecting Keywords:

As described on the OER Commons website, providing descriptive information about your lesson, such as keywords, greatly increases its discoverability, because their system uses these descriptors to find relevant resources when users search for materials. To help track resources created for this course, please include “Designers for Learning”, “Adult Education”, and additional words or short phrases to help define the content of the lesson and relate to skills and content being taught.

Time Required for Lesson

[Type time required for lesson here (target 30 minutes or less).]

Estimating the Time Required for Lesson:

The time required for lesson provides the instructor an estimate of the time required for a learner at the intended level to complete all activities within the lesson. This allows the instructor to adapt and adjust the lesson as needed, and also ensures that they can cover the lesson in a single session with learners. For the purposes of the Designers for Learning Adult Learning Zone design project, please constrain the total time required for each lesson to 30 minutes or less.

Prior Knowledge

[Type prior knowledge summary here.]

Writing the Prior Knowledge Summary:

The prior knowledge summary should tell the instructor what skills and knowledge the learner must have in order to start the lesson.

Required Resources

[Type required resources summary here.]

Writing the Required Resources Summary:

The resources summary should tell the instructor what resources are needed in order for learners to complete the lesson, and what advance preparation is needed. This may include required technology resources and Internet access. This list will evolve as you move from the Design Proposal to the development of your prototype and final deliverable.

Lesson Author & License

  • Lesson Author: [Type Author Name(s)]

Writing the Author and License Statements:

List the names of the author(s) of this lesson, and specify the desired Creative Commons license. To ensure the broadest use of your work, we request that you select a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.

Part 2: Lesson

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, the learner should be able to:

  • [Type the list of learning objectives here.]

Writing the Learning Objectives:

As covered in Modules 2 and 3 of the course, learning objectives are written statements of what you expect learners will be able to do after completing the lesson. Learning objectives are not just a list of topics, but describe knowledge, skills, and attitudes learners will develop by completing the lesson. Each goal should be specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic. Carefully articulated learning goals will guide you on what content to include in the lesson. For our deliverables on this project, a guideline is to have 3 to 5 learning goals per lesson.

Lesson Topics

Key topics covered in this lesson include:

  • [Type the list of lesson topics here.]

Writing the Lesson Topics:

As covered in Module 2 of the course, the lesson topic list informs the learner about what is covered in the lesson. These topics are context and content specific and ground the lesson in subject matter that associated with the subject and educational standard have you chosen. The topic area will help to frame your lesson, and should be relevant to your adult learners. For example, if you have selected an ELA/Literacy standard, your focus could be on a topic related to Social Studies or Science. Adult education topics may include current events in social studies, or plant and animal classifications in biology. In the topic area of Math, you may include interpreting and building functions, or symmetry and transformation in geometry. When selecting a lesson topic, think about your learners, and what topics would be interesting and relevant to them. Provide a list of topics for the lesson as a bulleted list.

Context Summary

[Type context summary here.]

Writing the Context Summary:

The context summary should frame how the lesson relates to the field of study and the academic curriculum of their program. Write a short paragraph or two that provides context for the content of the lesson.

Relevance to Practice

[Type relevance to practice summary here.]

Writing the Relevance to Practice Summary:

Write a short paragraph or two reinforcing the importance of key issues addressed in the lesson, the relevance to the learners, and professional practice. For example, “a, b, and c impact x, and are relevant because …”

Key Terms and Concepts

[Type the Key Terms and Concepts here.]

Writing the Key Terms and Concepts:

Provide an alphabetical list of the major terms and concepts that will be discussed in the lesson. Include definitions of terms that are:

  • Important to achievement of the learning objectives
  • Unfamiliar to learners who might not have previous knowledge about the topic of discussion

Instructional Strategies and Activities

Warm-Up

Time: xx minutes

[Type your lesson’s warm-up activities here.]

Introduction

Time: xx minutes

[Type your lesson’s introduction activities here.]

Presentation / Modeling / Demonstration

Time: xx minutes

[Type your lesson’s presentation / modeling / demonstration activities here.]

Guided Practice

Time: xx minutes

[Type your lesson’s guided practice activities here.]

Evaluation

Time: xx minutes

[Type your lesson’s evaluation activities here.]

Application

Time: xx minutes

[Type your lesson’s application activities here.]

Writing the Key Terms and Concepts:

Using the outline below and the information covered in Module 3, design the instructional strategies, activities, and materials by incorporating the steps in the WIPPEA framework and Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction. Be sure to keep all aspects of the Design Guide in mind while working on this section to ensure you are meeting the desired objectives, staying within your articulated lesson scope, and meeting the needs of your defined audience. This section should focus on the design and sequencing of activities and materials to guide and support your learners as they progress through the lesson to achieve the learning objectives. The instructional activities you design and develop should focus on what the learner will be doing during the lesson. This is where you can let your creativity shine by designing activities that will engage your learners with the content.

Lesson Segment

Important Considerations

1. Warm-up

Review previously learned content to begin a new lesson. Create an environment for learning

Time: Estimated time for planned warm-up activities

Think about:

How will you get and hold learners attention?  How will you tie lesson objectives to learner interests and previous classroom activities?  What questions might you ask to stimulate your learners’ thinking about the subject matter?

Specific activities to consider:

  • Create an activity that reviews previously learned content to begin a new lesson.
  • Create an activity to focus on the topic to be taught.

2. Introduction

Create motivation for the new topic. What’s in it for them? Don’t start teaching your lesson yet, just create interest in it.

Time: Estimated time for planned introduction activities

Think about:

How will you introduce and explain key skills and concepts?

Specific activities to consider:

  • Create an activity to focus learners’ attention on the new lesson.
  • Describe the purpose of the lesson by stating and / or writing the objective.
  • Describe the content and benefits by relating the objective to learners' lives.
  • Assess learners' prior knowledge of the new material by asking questions.

3. Presentation / Modeling / Demonstration

Present, model, or demonstrate the new information or skill using a variety of strategies; check for learner comprehension.

Time: Estimated time for planned presentation activities

Think about:

How will you model this skill or strategy for the learners (e.g., exemplars, demonstrations, discussions)? How will you break complex skills or bodies of information into understandable components?

Specific activities to consider:

  • Create an activity to introduce new vocabulary.
  • Introduce new information with a variety of strategies using visuals, description, explanation, and written text.
  • Check for level of learner comprehension by asking questions, using polls, etc.

4. Guided Practice

Let the learners practice the new skill. Model the activity. Make it safe for them to make mistakes. Remember that the best lessons have more practice than presentation.

Time: Estimated time for planned practice activities

Think about:

How will learners practice the skill or concept targeted by the standard? How will you gradually withdraw support as learners become capable of independent performance?

Specific activities to consider:

  • Model the activity or skill that learners are to practice the activity or skill.
  • Monitor learner practice by moving around the room.
  • Provide an immediate feedback of the activity to learners.

5. Evaluation

Assess the learners to see if they can perform the skill just practiced. Assess using oral, written, or applied performance assessments.

Time: Estimated time for planned evaluation activities

Think about:

How will you assess learners’ mastery and their readiness to move forward? How will you correct misunderstandings and reinforce learning?  What activities will you suggest for enrichment and remediation?

Specific activities to consider:

  • Create an activity to assess each learner’s attainment of the objective.
  • Assess using oral, written, or applied performance assessments.
  • Create an activity that helps learners reflect about their learning and/or the strategies used to teach the lesson.

6. Application

Create an activity in the classroom where learners apply the new information or skill to their own lives. Simulate real world application of the skill as much as possible.

Time: Estimated time for planned application activities

Think about:

How will you engage learners in reflecting on what they have learned?  What will you use to draw ideas together for learners at the end? What lessons can you preview for learners that will follow as a result of this lesson?

Specific activities to consider:

  • Provide an activity that requires learners to apply the learning beyond the lesson and connect to their own lives.
  • Provide an activity to transfer the skills to a new situation.

Source:

Gigante, L. (2012), What do Common Core State Standards have to do with me and my classroom lesson?, presentation at CASAS National Summer Institute 2012

Part 3: Supplementary Resources & References

Supplementary Resources

[Type your supplementary resources here, if any.]

How to Select Supplementary Resources:

If applicable, list resources that can supplement the instructional materials. These resources will benefit learners who want to read more about the topic for their assignments or further interest. Try to select resources that can be easily accessed by learners, such as websites and other online resources.

References

[Type your reference list here.]

How to Write References

The reference section provides information about any source you cite in your lesson. Your citations and references should match, meaning each source you cite in must appear in your reference list, and each reference should be cited in your lesson. As a guideline, provide the citations and reference list in American Psychological Association (APA) style. For APA style guidance, see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/05/.

Attribution Statements

[Type your attribution statement(s) here, if any.]

How to Write Attribution Statements:

All readings, text (long quotes), graphics (maps, illustrations, tables, and figures), and media (YouTube videos, interactive web components, audio and animations) that are not your original creation must be used with proper permissions (i.e. under a Creative Commons license, or with permission of the author), and appropriately attributed in your materials.

For works of others that you have used in your work with proper permission, follow these attribution guidelines:

  • Original Content: Material created specifically for the slide deck or material created previously that has never been published (e.g., an instructor's lecture notes):

“Original content contributed by PERSON(s) of INSTITUTION(s) to PROJECT.”

“Content created by PERSON(s) of INSTITUTION(s) for PROJECT,
originally published at URL under a LICENSE license.”

  • Modified Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Content: Materials that have been remixed or adapted from existing Creative Commons Licensed work that specifically allows for adaptations of materials.

“This work, TITLE, is a derivative of ‘ORIGINAL TITLE’ by PERSON(s),
used under a LICENSE license. ‘TITLE’ is licensed under LICENSE by YOUR NAME.”

  • Copyrighted Text, Audio, or Visual Content: Materials from YouTube, Vimeo, and other sources whose Terms of Use allow embedding.

“The [audio/video] of DESCRIPTION was created by PERSON(s) of INSTITUTION(s)
for PROJECT and published at URL. This [audio/video] is copyrighted
and is not licensed under an open license. Embedded as permitted by TERMS.”

  • Public Domain Content: Materials no longer covered by copyright (e.g., photos from before 1923 in the US, and before 1946 in Canada, provided no copyright was registered in the US.)

“Content created (or published) by PERSON(s) or INSTITUTION(s) at URL.”

  • CC Licensed Content with Specific Requirements: Similar to CC Licensed content as listed above, but with additional requirements for attribution.

Follow the CC licensed content guideline above and incorporate
any specific instructions provided by the licensor.

CC Attribution

This course content is offered by Designers for Learning under a CC Attribution license.
Content in this course can be considered under this license unless otherwise noted.        Page

(Design Guide effective March 2, 2016)

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