The Department of Agricultural Education |
LESSON: Planning a Unit of InstructionCOMPETENCY To prepare and use unit teaching plans. OBJECTIVES: 1. To discuss points to consider in systematic planning.2. To identify points to avoid in planning. 3. To review-the steps in developing a typical unit of instruction. 4. To identify items to be incorporated in the various parts of a lesson plan. A GUIDE FOR PLANNING A UNIT OF INSTRUCTION IN AGRICULTURE There are logical steps to be followed in the "development" of a worthwhile teaching unit. In planning a unit of instruction in agriculture, there are several "do's" and "don'ts" that should be considered in systematic plan- The following suggestions for planning a unit of instruction should serve guide and are not offered with the idea of providing a rigid format (an inflexible teaching pattern) that must be adhered to per se. The eventual lesson plan (including procedures, realistic interest approaches, realia and resource materials) will vary with the type of lesson (informational, operational, or managerial); the educational objectives and the needs and interests of the students .I. Points to consider in systematic planning: I. A plan is based upon specific behavioral objectives which have been pre-determined by the teacher. 2. A lesson plan provides specific methods for attaining the desired behavioral objectives. 3. The content of a plan should be carefully and thoroughly developed. 4. A lesson plan is a "definite and particular" technique for doing a "definite and particular" thing. 5. A lesson plan is developed with regard to complete, up-to-date and accurate knowledge, appropriate materials and summary of basic concepts to be taught. 6. A plan should deal with dynamic and not static student needs. 7. A lesson plan should provide for flexibility to deal with unexpected developments and situations. 8. A plan should avoid inhibiting situations. 9. A plan should be well-balanced with regard to component parts of a lesson plan. 10. A plan should be made in writing so it may be examined critically for improvements and revisions. 11. The plan should not be changed except after the most careful reasoning. 12. Keep the plan in operation until it is revoked or replaced with a better plan. II. Things to avoid in planning: 1. Unnecessary planning--All situations do not require detailed plans. The experienced teacher can very often deal successfully with situations without detailed plans. 2. Do not use some other person's plans. A good lesson plan for one situation may be a poor plan for another situation. 3. Too complicated plans. It is a good principle not to work out a plan in such detail that it cannot be made flexible as new teaching situations develop. 4. Hurried planning. Unless sufficient time is taken to work out the plan, it will probably be a poor plan. 5. No matter how good teachers think their plans are, they should not "fall in love" with their plans to the point that they cannot keep an open mind to modify or change the plan. Teachers should be prepared to meet the actual teaching situation as they find it and to take advantage of what others have done or can contribute to the effectiveness of the plan. 6. Having no plans at all. There is always a very thorough plan behind any well-organized effort. Opportunists and people who trust to luck are too numerous already and make very poor teachers. III. Steps for developing a typical unit of instruction: 1. Identify the unit as clearly and completely as possible in order to provide an indication of objectives and content. 2. List the competency(ies) to be taught in lesson (or unit). 3. Summarize the local needs concerning the unit. 4. Formulate the educational objectives to be attained in teaching the unit. In all probability, the unit objectives will need to be refined as the lesson plans evolve. 5. Through research and study, assemble all pertinent, factual resource and reference materials needed in teaching the unit. 6. Cluster the unit objectives into daily teaching packages. After unit objectives have been formulated, these objectives will need to be arranged in sequence so they will build upon each other. 7. Identify lesson titles based upon the "clustered" objectives, so they communicate the subject matter intent of the daily lesson. 8. Decide upon what type of lesson plan should be utilized to best achieve the objectives sought. (Informational, operational or managerial). 9. Select those teaching-learning activities that can best be used to stimulate and motivate students. 10. Based upon the educational objectives formulated and the factual information assembled, develop a list of key questions and/or problems that must be solved if the objectives of the unit are to be attained. Note: The following factors should be considered in developing study questions for students:
II. Develop study questions (problems) for each objective separately. After all questions/problems are identified, arrange in logical sequence. This may necessitate re-ordering your objectives. 12. After the questions are developed, a complete list of all teaching materials, student references and visual aids to be used should be written on the teaching plan. Make this list as specific as possible. 13. Develop a thorough "analysis of information" necessary to answer the study questions or problems. The answers for each question should highlight only the most important information. 14. From the most pertinent content in the analysis, synthesize a list of concepts that should evolve from the unit. Cluster these concepts in the light of the lesson plans. The concepts should be used to summarize and conclude the lesson. These should serve as a guide only in directing the class towards the development of a conclusion for the lesson. 15. The final step will involve the development of daily lesson plans. The following format is suggested: IV. Suggestions for planning the various parts of a lesson plan: 1. Need:
2. Objectives for the lesson
3. Introduction of the lesson:
Note: The procedures and devices used for introducing the lesson should be varied frequently in order to create and maintain interest. 4. Procedures:
5. Realia:
6. Math-Science Competencies: List the concepts which reinforce any Math-Science competencies which the lesson utilized for which application is provided. Steps of Procedure Key Points Illustrations/Reference
C. _____________________________________ 1. a. D._____________________________________ 1. a. E._____________________________________ 1. a. TYPES OF LESSON PLANS IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION Several methods of teaching are at the command of agriculture teachers. However, most lessons which arise in class instruction for high school agriculture courses tend to fall into three groups or types. These three types of lesson plans are: I. Informational Needless to say, there are numerous variations to each of these procedures. However, the above three types of lesson plans encompass the basic methods used by teachers of agriculture. All of these methods have advantages in appropriate situations. Teachers should not become stereotyped to the point that they utilize only one method of instruction and fail to consider and use others. More importantly, teachers need to consider the applicability and adaptiveness of the "method" for the subject matter they are teaching. The following outline should help illustrate the uniqueness of the teaching procedure for each type of lesson plan. Also, included in this outline are suggested examples of each type of lesson and objectives. THREE TYPES OF LESSON PLANS go to: Lesson Plan Basics |
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