Planning for Learning

Mark Jenkins

There are 3 Levels of Planning in Schools

LONG TERM

MEDIUM TERM

SHORT TERM

LONG TERM PLANCovers a school year or a key stage Is based on the requirements of the National

Curriculum Is usually written for each subject area by the

subject leader in consultation with class teachers and senior managers

Shows WHAT will be covered in that subject by each year group and WHEN this unit of work will be taught

Often in terms of a simplistic overview Reviewed annually

Needs to address: breadth

balance

continuity

progression

Medium Term Plans: Cover learning for a period of weeks.

Organise coherent units of work around clustered learning objectives and their outcomes – topics / themes

Often highly detailed

Medium Term Planning

Overview GridSubject Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

English:Speak/Listen

English: Literacy

Mathematics

Science

ICT

PE

Special Subject if not included above

Medium term overview grid –

Who writes the MT plan? Often written by subject leaders who

should have a comprehensive understanding of their area of the curriculum

Such information is often shared and discussed at team meetings

Should be reviewed annually

Consider the medium term plans you have been given

Effective Medium Term Planning. Assessment? How and when does this occur? Build in

opportunities for peer, self and teacher assessment.

Evidence of progression? The sequence of lessons scaffolds learning.

Flexibility? Build in space for topical issues and events. Adaptability to meet pupils' learning needs.

Resources and equipment included?

The outdoor classroom? Some tasks will be conducted here.

Time-scale the plan.

Include meaningful cross-curricular links – see handouts

MEDIUM TERM PLANNER

Subject area/ Area of Learning:SCIENCE*Append a RISK ASSESSMENT

Topic Title Year group:Class name:

Overall AimsScience Knowledge and UnderstandingScience SkillsScience Attitudes

Week Learning objectives NC refs. / PoS refs./ QCA

ActivitiesShow progression - knowledge and skill focus

Learning outcomes

AssessmentOpportunitiesInclude skills

Resources Curriculum links

1

2

3

4

5

MEDIUM TERM PLANNER

Subject area/ Area of Learning:Geography

Topic TitleWeather Around the World

Year group: 3Class name: 3 N

Overall AimsFor children to develop an understanding of how and why weather condition vary around the worldFor children to develop their understanding of how to use and interpret globes, atlases and maps

Week Learning objectives NC refs. / PoS refs./ QCA

Activities Learning outcomes

Assessmentopportunities

Resources

Curriculum links

1 To investigate why popular holiday destinations may be hotter than our own country.To use and interpret atlases

QCA unit 7

Intro: In groups children record on white boards their favourite holiday destinations and describe the weather conditions in them. Feedback. Teacher intro to using atlas. (20 mins)Main activity: In groups children are given one destination to identify on atlas. What might they know about it’s climate from it’s location? Using resource packs they research and make note on to A1 sheets about weather and its effects in their given place. (30 mins)Plenary: Comparison of findings from groups. Introduce idea of climatic zones (10 mins)

Children are able to identify some holiday destinations in an atlas map and give reasons for its climate type.

Can children correctly predict weather conditions from geographical location?Record blue and red groups responses during main activity.

Destination packs – one per group.Atlases pg.A1 sheets and marker pensWhiteboards

Science – the earth in space lesson this week will explore how distance from the sun affects temperature on the earth’s surface

2

3

4

5

Why do teachers plan lessons? It enables you to think ahead about

the learning you want to take place in your lesson

You can think about the structure, timing and content of your lesson

It reduces the amount of thinking & decision making you will need to do during the lesson, enabling you to focus on fine-tuning

Materials & resources are ready in advance, suited to all needs.

Written plans support future planning

Planning

Delivery of teaching and learning objectives

Assessment of pupil progress

Review and target setting

Learning Objectives

Lesson Delivery

Learning Outcomes

The Planning and Assessment Cycle

Short-Term Plans (lesson plans)

should evolve directly from medium-term plans

describe the activities to be undertaken in a particular lesson, taking account of the needs of that particular class of pupils

consider the lesson plans you have been given

Planning for Learning

What do I want the children to learn? Do the children have sufficient prior

knowledge to succeed with the new learning?

How will I formulate the learning objective and make it clear to the children?

Which activities will deliver my objectives?

How will I know if the children are learning; how will they know? What are my success criteria?

NOTE: learning objectives = learning intentions – you will see both terms used.

Sharing Your Learning Intentions

In order to be able to share your learning intentions with the children, you need to have thought very clearly about what they are.

Take time to consider what it is you want the children to learn from your lesson – not just do!

Word them carefully in terms of learning To know…. To understand ….. To be able to ……

Sometimes acronym WALT is used: We Are Learning To……

WALT – We Are Learning To…Learning intention on teacher’s plan says:“To investigate how settings and characters

are built up from small details and To identify the main characteristics of key characters, drawing on the text to justify views”

When shared with the children it might read like this:

“We are learning to find clues from the text about the characters in The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe.”

Success Criteria: What are the success criteria? How will

you and they know how well learning is progressing?

Ensure that there is a clear link between what you want children to learn, what you ask them to do, what you expect as an outcome at the end of the lesson and the feedback you give.

WILF –What I’m Looking For…

You will write some sentences which describe your character or characters.

You sentences will contain adjectives that show your understanding of personality traits.

I will know that you really understand when you talk about where you found your evidence in the text.

Lesson Planning A-Z

http://www.schoolsworld.tv/videos/the-primary-a-z-of-lesson-planning

Planning Examples

Look at the sheet you have been given, it is designed for ICT use and is expandable.

What do you think?

Planning a LessonUsing the themes from National Curriculum

History

With a partner

Take time to determine a lesson which could be undertaken in a particular age group

Ensure you develop a lesson to meet your learning objective and engage all of the children

Choose one of the following themes

Key Stage 1 Changes in their own lives and

the way of life of their family The way of life of people in

the more distant past – who lived in the local area or elsewhere

Significant men and women drawn from the history of Britain or elsewhere

Past events which are commemorated – such as the gunpowder plot, Olympic games etc.

Key Stage 2 Local history study Romans, Anglo-Saxons,

Vikings Tudors Victorian Britain Britain since 1930 Ancient Greeks

A world history studysuch as

Ancient Egypt Aztecs

Sharing Time

Look at what other groups have been able to produce

Bibliography

DfES (2003) Excellence and Enjoyment: learning and teaching in the primary years. London: DfES

English, E. and Newton, L. (2005) Professional Studies in the Primary School: Thinking Beyond the Standards. London: David Fulton

Jacques, K. and Hyland, R. (2007) Professional Studies: Primary Phase. Exeter: Learning Matters

Kyriacou, C. (1998) Essential Teaching Skills (2nd edition). Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.