"If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else," Yogi Berra. We talk a lot about movement, growth, and going places in education, so it only makes sense that the analogy I'll use for explaining essential questions and lesson planning stems from my obsession with old red trucks, right? Nonetheless, the essential question(s) should be IS the "driving force" of your lesson plan. In this post, I'll share everything you need to know about essential questions in lesson planning.What Is an Essential … [Read more...]
Formula for Classroom Success Series Post #5: Planning
I’ve mentioned several times before here on the blog that planning is one of my favorite parts of teaching. I truly do believe, though, that without a plan – good or great – you just aren’t going to have the same success as you would without one at all. Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might end up some place else.” That kind of lack of direction creates confusion and frustration for teachers and students. Here a couple of things I keep in mind when I plan.1) Backward Planning. Start with the end in mind. In my … [Read more...]