1. A Tutorial By Nancy Woods
It’s All About Planning – Lesson Planning for Spartan Early Learning Center
A Tutorial
By Nancy Woods
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2. This is the lesson planning template we use at Spartan Center.
Use this tutorial to learn or review how to complete the template.
Click on the area to see its instructions.

3. Your Name
Each planning calendar notes monthly themes and weekly themes. Write the theme that applies to your lesson here.
Your team color goes here.
Red, Blue, Green, or Purple
There are two preschool days each week, so there are two teaching days. Day 1 or Day 2 – which day is this lesson for?
According to the schedule, what time does your lesson begin?
According to the schedule, what time should your lesson end?
You won’t complete this until after you’ve taught your lesson. Then, write here how long the lesson actually took.
Circle the lesson type – like the subject – for your lesson.

4. Kindergarten Readiness Skills
or KRS are like the SOLs (Standards of Learning) for Pre-kindergarten.
You should be able to identify and write at least two KRS that your lesson includes.

5. Click here to see the KRS chart.
Almost all lessons could include “follow age appropriate directions” and “ability to listen”. Try to identify the skills that are more specific to your lesson.
For example: A math lesson on counting 1,2,3,4,5 might include “can count out loud from 1 – 5”. Use the specific skill, not just the category (Basic Number Recognition) whenever possible.
Click here to see the KRS chart.

6. Objectives are your goals.
What do you want the children to be able to do at the end of your lesson?

7. Objectives begin with TCWBAT.
This stands for The child will be able to.
When you write your objective, read it with TCWBAT at the beginning of your sentence.
Does it make sense?

8. Objectives are specific.
Never use the words learn, know, or understand.
Use words like: describe, identify, count, explain, define, write, say…
Bloom teaches us about higher order thinking skills and the verbs to use.

9. Let’s look at an example.
A parachute lesson from the Parachute Resource Book states the objective is to introduce the parachute.
BUT – Does The child will be able to introduce the parachute make sense? No.
YOUR objective might be: The child will be able to identify the colors on the parachute. OR The child will be able to grasp the parachute and make a wave with it.

10. Click here to view some ways we gain attention.
You will need to get the preschoolers’ attention before you begin your lesson. How will you do this?
Remember – we use the lesson planning template to plan out every part of our lessons. This way we are as prepared as possible when we teach.
Click here to view some ways we gain attention.

11. Lesson
What exactly are you teaching? What are the steps you will use to teach your lesson?
This area should include Step by Step instructions on teaching your lesson.
Pretend like you are leaving directions for a substitute to teach your lesson.

12. What specific activity will the preschoolers do
What specific activity will the preschoolers do? How will you explain the activity?
Write these instructions in the order that you will do them.
For example: You might pass out materials – or you may want them set out on the tables before the preschoolers sit down. You’ll want to give the preschoolers directions before they begin – and so on.

13. Materials needed:
What materials do you need to complete your lesson?
How many?
What colors?
Where are they kept?
Where will they be found this day?

14. This area should include the locations of all materials necessary to teach your lesson.
Materials that you have created should be kept in your team’s teaching tray.
B b
A a
C c

15. Materials that are common resources – things like counting bears, the parachute, or a music tape – are kept in their permanent location.
You’ll need to note where this is.
This is another time when it helps to pretend like you’re leaving instructions for a substitute.

16. How will you know your lesson was successful?
Check for Objectives
How will you know your lesson was successful?
Did your lesson meet the goals you set?
How will you know?
There are many ways to check for objectives.
Click here to view some techniques.

17. Closure
How will you end your lesson and transition the preschoolers to the next lesson?
You may wish to have the preschoolers help clean up, or take their work to their cubbies or the drying rack. Maybe you want them to line up for the Library or have a seat on the carpet.

18. Evaluation
This is your area to self-evaluate your lesson.
What was successful? What didn’t go so well? How could your lesson be improved?

19. Your 2s, as team leaders, will complete this area.
On Fridays, you will have the opportunity to read their comments.
The purpose of these comments is to tell you what someone viewing your lesson sees.

20. 5 areas of child development.
Ability to Listen-Social
Can sit still and listen to a story
Can follow age-appropriate directions
Ability to Play well with Others-Social
Shares
Takes turns
Includes classmates in play
Strong Fine-Motor Skills-Physical
Can hold a pencil to draw or write
Can use scissors
Can use glue and glue sticks
Basic Letter Recognition- Mental/Cognitive
Can identify upper case letters
Can identify lower case letters
Can identify letters in their name
PALs (Phonics Awareness Literacy)- Mental/Cognitive
Starts to identify beginning letter sounds
Begins to identify rhyming sounds, words
Begins to identify word concepts (1 to 1 correspondence by pointing)
May be familiar with sight words by the end of the year
Basic Number Recognition- Mental/Cognitive
Can count out loud to 25
Can write numbers from 1 – 5
Can identify numbers from 1 – 10
Can count a set of objects to 10
Colors and Shapes- Mental/Cognitive
Can identify colors
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Black
White
Can identify and draw shapes
Circle
Square
Rectangle
Triangle
Octagon
Can repeat a simple pattern- Mental/Cognitive
Can sort objects by color, size, type- Mental/Cognitive
Kindergarten Readiness Skills
5 areas of child development.

21. 5 Areas of Child Development
Social
Mental / Intellectual
Physical
Emotional
Moral

22. Bloom’s Taxonomy
In 1956, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of educational psychologists who developed a classification of levels of intellectual behavior important in learning.
During the 1990's a new group of cognitive psychologist, lead by Lorin Anderson (a former student of Bloom's), updated the taxonomy reflecting relevance to 21st century work.
Bloom’s Taxonomy

23. Bloom’s Taxonomy
Remembering: can the student recall or remember the information?
define, duplicate, list, memorize, recall, repeat, reproduce state
Understanding: can the student explain ideas or concepts?
classify, describe, discuss, explain, identify, locate, recognize, report, select, translate, paraphrase
Applying: can the student use the information in a new way?
choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.
Analyzing: can the student distinguish between the different parts?
appraise, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test.
Evaluating: can the student justify a stand or decision?
appraise, argue, defend, judge, select, support, value, evaluate
Creating: can the student create new product or point of view?
assemble, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, write.

24. Gaining Attention
1,2,3 Eyes on Me – don’t forget, you must teach the preschoolers the response, 1,2 Eyes on You, before you can expect them to respond! Clap a pattern – The preschoolers will clap it back if you teach them to. Ring a bell – Don’t forget to tell the preschoolers what you expect when they hear the bell ring!

25. Gaining Attention
Catch a bubble – Preschoolers are instructed that when they hear Catch a bubble they pretend like they catch a bubble in their mouths. You can’t talk with a bubble in your mouth! We vary the methods used to gain attention. If you use the same method over and over again, it stops working!

26. Social
This is the child's ability to interact with others, including helping themselves and helping others.
Examples at the preschool level include taking turns, sharing, and making friends.

27. Mental / Intellectual
This is the child's ability to learn and solve problems. This is also called cognitive development.
Examples at the preschool age include using their senses, trying to solve puzzles, and engaging in dramatic play.

28. Physical
This is the child's ability to learn and solve problems. This is also called cognitive development.
Examples at the preschool age include using their senses, trying to solve puzzles, and engaging in dramatic play.

29. Emotional
Preschoolers are ruled by their emotions, but don’t always understand why they feel like they do – or how to react appropriately.
Preschoolers may bite, hit, or kick when frustrated. They need to learn self-control.
Emotional development goes hand-in-hand with both social and moral development.

30. Moral
For preschoolers, moral development means developing empathy for others. They are learning to understand how others feel and that their own self-interest isn’t always the most important.
This includes learning to express feelings, being considerate of others feelings, and learning about fairness.
Modeling empathy is the best way to encourage a preschooler’s moral development.

31. Checking for Objectives
You can check for objectives by
asking the children questions.
walking around the tables, looking at the children’s work.
asking your fellow teachers – those helping the children with your lesson – about the children’s performance.

32. Reminders
Your lesson plan must be totally complete before you turn it in to your 2. Write legibly – both your 2 and I must be able to read your lesson plan. Your lesson plan contains all of the elements necessary to present a fully prepared lesson. It is a valuable tool for YOU to use when teaching!