Long-term Planning
InTASC Standard 7: The teacher plans instruction that supports every student in meeting rigorous learning goals by drawing upon knowledge of content areas, curriculum, cross-disciplinary skills, and pedagogy, as well as knowledge of learners and the community context.
Introduction
Long range planning is the initial step to a organized and successful school year. Having an academic map that guides through the curriculum and standards can keep the destination of mastery a priority. An organized long term plan can make time for effective assessments, data tracking and proper differentiation.
Communication with my students about the connections of each unit is important. Scholars knowing how each unit builds up to the other can motivate students to take each unit seriously. For an example, in language arts it is difficult to write a detailed opinionated essay if one does not comprehend what a opinion is in unit one. In addition, knowing the connections of each unit can help with unit planning and lesson planning. Connecting each standard and building of of each one can promote mastery of the standards throughout the school year. Especially over a 180 day year, organization within planning is key.
Long range planning is important within Language Arts because it is a map that is designed to master the standards. The standards are the essential requirements in each unit. Each standard builds off of each other and once scholars master a skill, the next standard is the focus. Within each standard, comprehension on the text is common. The complexity of comprehending any type of text is intensified with each standard.
Once these steps are completed in planning, the long range plan will be implemented for the school year. I do not revise the long range plan because tthe plan is that expectation and guide for mastery.
Long Range Plan- Language Arts
This is a long range plan that I created for my language arts class. This plan is aligned with the Common Core State Standards. Before I plan I had to understand that the Language Arts standards has several standards, however this plan focuses on three strands of the standards: Informational text, Reading Literature and Language. Informational text focuses on comprehending parts of a non-fiction text. Reading literature focuses on comprehending parts of a fiction text. Language focuses on phonics, building vocabulary and grammar. After comprehending these strands and how they align with the standards, I was able to create an effective long range plan.
When I long term planned, I focused on three strands; Informational Text, Reading Literature and Language. These strands were the main focus because the scholars in my school have difficulty with comprehending non-fiction text and reading on grade level. Reading literature reinforces comprehension with fiction text. I use text from the curriculum, however I use grade level text that engages my students and challenges them as well. I usually print out he long range plan to have a physical copy to keep my lessons on track. Thuis way all three types of lessons are intertwined and present in my classroom.
Once the strands and standards are picked, I create objectives that align with the curriculum map. My objectives are worded to align with the standard and students are expected to master the master the objective by the end of the lesson. Skills are reviewed in order to achieve the objective.
Finally, I create a section for re-teaching a lesson. Skills in language arts can take scholars some time to master. For an example, the skill of determining the definition of unfamiliar words can take a couple of lessons to grasp. After assessment, I usually re-teach vocabulary to reinforce the skill of comprehending unfamiliar words. This section aligns with the common core state standards of language.
Above is my long range plan. I have at least three to four standards I cover in each unit. In addition, I have objectives that align to each of those standards for each unit.
Long Term Plan Calendar
Above is my long term plan calendar. The dates are color coded to represent each unit and days where lessons will not be implemented. This organization helps me stay on path to guiding my scholars to mastery