This document provides guidance on lesson planning elements. It discusses including a short starter activity to engage students and focus them on the lesson outcomes. The main body of the lesson should turn information into a problem to be solved through engaging tasks with variety and progressive challenge. Students should present solutions and get feedback to reflect on and improve their work. The lesson should conclude by reviewing what was learned and previewing the next steps.

1. This section should give details of the activity you will use to hook the students into their Should be the shortest part of your lesson and should serve to move the students into the
learning. This is what we have called a ‘starter’ on previous planning documents but it’s main body of their learning. This may include modeling what you want the students to do.
important to think about engagement and using the activity to focus students right from the
start of the lesson and lead into the lesson outcomes.
Grade cards
Do I: Video clips
Engage learners in a short starter activity that is relevant? STARTER MAIN Do I:
Discuss what they already know or want to know about the Turn the information to be learned into a problem to be solved?
topic and buildon their thoughts? Making the learning engaging by structuring variety and
Be positive in what you do, what you say and how you say it? progressive challenge into tasks?
Connect is all up: what’s gone before and what’s to come? Draw attention to learning processes throughout the lesson?
Stay positive?
Do I: DO I:
Review content, process and benefits? Allow them to present their solutions. Provide time to redraft or tweak
their solutions based on feedback in pairs or groups.
Ask them to explain which learning skills they have developed?
Give feedback and encourage them to reflect on the feedback and, in
Discuss how they can use what they have learned in other lessons?
turn, give feedback to others
Preview what’s coming next? MAIN Invite really good questions and build a climate of evaluation
Reinforce the learning behaviours you wish to promote.
MAIN
Exam Q This is the section of the lesson where students will demonstrate learning or solutions to
the learning question
Is where students will be able to reinforce what they have discovered.

2. What does excellent practice look like: What does excellent practice look like:
The teacher creates a relaxed yet purposeful atmosphere/ environment Information is presented in short chunks
Work from previous lesson(s) is briefly reviewed Exposition is kept brief and does not exceed the students’ concentration span
The lesson is linked to students’ prior knowledge The teacher frequently asks (closed) questions to check for (shallow) understanding
The lesson is placed in a wider context – students are provided with an overview (big The teacher asks open questions to help students make sense of the information they
picture) encounter
Specific learning objectives are shared with students Inputs are punctuated by tasks and activities designed to develop understanding
Interest is generated and curiosity stimulated New information is delivered in a variety of ways, to suit students with visual, auditory
There is a sense of challenge and kinaesthetic learning preferences
Open questions are asked The teacher uses appropriate technical language
Problems are posed The teacher checks that all students understand technical language and subject-specific
Targets – collective and individual – are set by the teacher and generated by students. terms.
Students:
Students engage with learning the moment they walk through the door Students:
by making connections with what they already know either individually, Students are actively listening, asking good questions and/or sharing
in pairs or in groups. information.
Students ask questions, seek clarification, agree success criteria and make Students are engaging with the learning about to take place.
choices about what and how they learn.
There is a dialogue about the level of thinking involved in the lesson.
Students: Students:
Students present what they have learnt to the class, the teacher or to each Students work individually, in pairs or small groups. They are active in
other. their learning, thinking about the information they have been given,
o Students demonstrate progress towards the learning outcomes. researching further information making decisions, discussion ideas and
What does excellent practice look like:
o Students are able to apply their new understanding to new contexts or Teacher handsarguing pointsto students and acts as facilitator.
over learning of view.
different situations. Frequent teacher-student and student-student interactions
o Students share their new knowledge & understanding in a range of ways. High proportion of open questions to monitor progress and extend understanding.
Students rewiew and consolidate understanding & reflect on how learning Time allowed for students to think about and discuss their responses to questions
took place by:
Questions that encourage students to reflect on their thinking
o Consolidating learning outcomes and success criteria.
Opportunities for students to generate questions
o Listening and responding to feedback from others.
What does excellent practice look like: Students fully engaged in their learning
o Planning next learning steps.
SufficientGivingdevoted toto the teacher onhas been learned
time feedback reviewing what the learning experience. Tasks that require students to think&develop understanding
o
Students actively engaged in the review process Students verbalising their understanding
Explicit reference to learning objectives Opportunities for all students to demonstrate their understanding
Students encouraged to reflect on how they have learned Tasks that enable the teacher to assess understanding throughout lesson.
Information provided in order to stimulate thought before the next lesson. Students given opportunities to process information in their preferred style
an emphasis on students re-creating rather than reproducing information