2. The Four Part Lesson:
It may surprise you to hear that the
‘Four Part Lesson’ comes in four parts!
Part 1: Connection (Do now)
Part 2: Activation
Part 3: Demonstration
Part 4: Consolidation
3. Part 1 - Connection - Do Now
‘The best lessons get off to a
flying start’.
Remembering
Predicting
Recalling
Enquiring
You have been given a potential ‘Do Now’ feature.
Order yourselves into a line from the most
important aspect of a ‘Do Now’ activity to the least
important.
4. ‘The best lessons get off to a
flying start’.
Remembering
Predicting
Recalling
Enquiring
A ‘Do Now’ task should ideally take between 3-5 minutes.
To be effective it should:
• Be completed with minimal help or direction
• Require a stretch in thinking or understanding.
• Connect back to previous thinking and link to what is being studied in the lesson.
Part 1 - Connection - Do Now
5. Task:
Look at these three ‘Do Now’ tasks.
Which is the most effective and why? Discuss.
Do Now:
Copy down this definition:
‘Personification is a technique
that involves giving human
characteristics to an
inanimate object’.
Do Now:
What is Personification?
Fertile Q: How are poets masters of language
Do Now:
What is interesting about this description?
Discuss with your partner.
1. 2.
3.
Extension:
Discuss on your table an effective
‘Do now’ task that you have used
before.
6. Part 2 - Activation Phase:
Building new learning!
Constructing
Discovering
This is where new information is given.
Typical pitfalls of this phase are:
1. Students being passive (Fill my head up with information!)
2. Teacher being in lecture mode.
The Key – Give new information that allows students to
figure it out themselves whilst reducing teacher talk.
7. 8 core activation phases.
Complete the checklist to decide
what elements of an activation phase
are critical to your lesson.
What could improve them?
Task:
8. Part 3 -
Demonstration Phase:
Demonstration Phase: Key Points
A stage where students take control
of the learning from the activation
stage and take it to a new level to
show their understanding and
mastery of the lesson objectives set.
During this stage, more than others,
students show their creativity and
resilience as risk takers and are
involved in a constant process of self
monitoring, with teacher as
facilitator to ensure success.
9. Use the criteria to devise a suitable demonstration phase task
which links with the learning objectives and displays what they
have learnt in the activation and connection phase.
When you feedback you will have to:
1.) Summarise the lesson so far (Set the context)
2.) Describe and justify your choice of demonstration phase.
Task:
10. DemonstrationTask: Criteria and Ideas
Does your demonstration phase…
❑ use students prior skills, knowledge and understanding?
❑ allow students to practice knowledge, understanding and skills?
❑ encourage students to solve the lesson ‘problem’?
❑ allows students to generate spoken, written or active products?
❑ allow interactions?
❑ allow students to do something new and different with the
learning?
❑ avoid just repeating prior learning?
❑ incorporate challenge?
❑ link to original objectives?
❑ allow students to lead their own learning?
❑ demonstrate language acquisition?
❑ involve an imaginative/engaging task?
❑ promote high levels of resilience, confidence and independence?
❑ allow students to develop their own ideas and self direct studies?
❑ encourage teacher as facilitator?
❑ share criteria for success with students?
❑ develop students as ‘self-monitors’?
Could your demonstration task be…
❑ a debate?
❑ a paired discussion?
❑ a presentation?
❑ a dramatization?
❑ a news report?
❑ a ranking / prioritising exercise?
❑ an authentic project exercise?
❑ a case study?
❑ a drawing / model / sculpture?
❑ a panel discussion?
❑ A decision making exercise?
❑ A persuasive speech?
❑ A simulation?
All tasks should have:
❑ success criteria
❑ appropriate scaffolding and support
11. Part 4 -
Consolidation Task:
Use them to help you write a criteria
for an effective consolidation phase.
Consolidation needs to be a task
whereby students can effectively
reflect on everything they have learnt
in the lesson and how they have
arrived at that learning. Work should
be reviewed against key criteria.
Look at the consolidation tasks.
12. Part 4 -
Consolidation:
This should involve the students
independently drawing everything
together to organise their learning in
their own minds.
It should NOT involve the teacher
repeating the key points!
It should be for the teacher to
assess whether students have
grasped enough to enable them to
move on.
13. Consolidation: Now you know each part…
The four part lesson only works when each part is working
together towards one aim.
Each part should build up to students being able to answer the
lesson question or fulfil the lesson aim.
Part 1: Connection (Do now)
Part 2: Activation
Part 3: Demonstration
Part 4: Consolidation
14. Consolidation: Now you know each part…
The easiest way to plan for this is to work backwards.
Decide what one or two things you need students to have
mastered at the end of the lesson and then plan your four
parts around the best possible way for them to leave with
this knowledge.
This is called the GOLDEN THREAD
15. And finally: Now you know each part…
Now you have mastered the 4 Part Lesson and have an initial
understanding of each stage.
Pick a lesson topic for your subject and make it into a clear
4 Part Lesson.
Jot down some activities and timings.
16. The four-part lesson
Teaching strategies for the four phases1
Connection
Setting the scene
Activation
Active not passive
Demonstration
Applying what you’ve learnt
Consolidation
Question mark not a full stop!
• Before we start a new topic we
need to:
‒ Recall and check relevant
prior learning.
‒ Provide a structure for the
topic.
‒ Set or negotiate the goals.
‒ Motivate the learner.
• Methods to set goals:
‒ Goals by exemplar – show
students what they will be
able to do by the end of the
lesson.
‒ Goals by theatre – sell the
task!
‒ Goals by setting problems.
‒ Goals by challenge.
• During this phase we need to:
‒ Ensure the students are not
passive.
‒ Ensure the teacher is not
lecturing.
• Conventional methods to
present new material:
‒ Teacher talk and
demonstration.
‒ Watching a video /
presentation.
‒ Perfect if done with clear
goals and feedback against
these goals. Is this feedback
interactive?
• Teach by asking:
‒ Don’t provide a resource that
explains the topic and gives
away the answer.
‒ Instead ask students
questions that lead them to
what the you want them to
learn. Have students puzzle
out the answer, reasoning
from prior knowledge and
common sense.
• What tasks should I set?
‒ information gathering.
‒ analysis: atomistic (parts) or
holistic.
‒ productive thinking
‒ synthesis, creativity and
evaluation.
‒ strategic and reflective
thinking.
‒ A ladder of tasks ending in
open reasoning often works.
• How will students prepare their
response?
‒ Alone / in pairs / in groups?
‒ Try to avoid ‘passengers’.
‒ Will it be written / verbal /
practical / graphic organiser /
role play?
• What medium will they use?
‒ show practical work
‒ paper or flip chart
‒ presentation
‒ electronic media
‒ combination
• How can I check all students have
understood?
‒ In what ways does the
consolidation phase allow for
students to review their work?
‒ Are they encouraged to self-
review or review in pairs or
peer-groups?
‒ Against what criteria are
reviews conducted? Are
exemplars used?
‒ How does the consolidation
encourage long-term recall and
understanding?
‒ At what point do you connect to
the goals of the student, the
BIG picture and the outcomes
for the lesson(s) as identified in
the connection phase?
1 - Adapted from Petty, G ‘Evidence-based teaching’ (2009)
17. Entry Points:
Introduce / refer
back to FQ
Orientate the
student within
the 'big picture'
Excite &
Motivate
Assessing mastery:
How can I check all
students have met my
objectives?
How can I make the 'in-
flight' adjustments?
How can I use this phase to
inform my next lesson plan?
Synthesis/ creativity/ evaluation.
Students convey the central
understandings necessary to answer the
question. A ladder of tasks ending in open
reasoning?Think & act flexibly with the
knowledge (scaffold).
Need time to 'do‘.
Teach by asking:
Rich, open questions that
students can explore
collaboratively
Think 'with' not 'for'
Students should be
active not passive
Do I present the
learning as a problem
to be solved?
Use analogies and
varied approaches?
Circulate language
through the task?
ACTIVATION
Do I connect to?
The concepts (what)?
The processes (how)?
What students know
already / care about
CONNECTION
Do I provide precise
feedback?
Give students deep &
fingertip knowledge they
need?
Offer multiple ways of
demonstrating
understanding?
DEMONSTRATION
CONSOLIDATION
Do I structure reflection
on content and process?
Seek knowledge transfer?
Review and preview?
End with a question mark
not a full stop?
