MODULE IV: DETAILED LESSON PLANNING

INTRODUCTION:

A lesson plan serves as a guide that a teacher uses every day to determine what the
students will learn, how the lesson will be taught as well as how learning will be evaluated.
Lesson plans enable teachers to function more effectively in the classroom by giving a detailed
outline that they adhere to during each class. This helps to make sure that every moment spent
in class is used to teach meaningful concepts and have worthwhile discussions rather than
figuring out what you are supposed to do as time goes on.
A lesson plan is a vital step towards creating a complete curriculum. It delves deeper
into the details to make sure that you provide your students with the right information at an
appropriate time while making your career easier by giving you a clear sense of direction that
you can follow each day.
 

Importance of Lesson Planning in Teaching

The basis of creating a lesson plan is the objectives of learning and giving learners a
chance to discover, establish, and demonstrate what they are taught. It facilitates a learning
environment that focuses on the class as a whole rather than concentrating on the teacher.
All effective teachers have a plan that they consider when they deliver training. The plan may be
a simple list or a more complex system that is structured and detailed. Lesson plans are
essential tools that teachers develop to guide their training sessions. They are properly planned,
prepared, and executed to achieve specified learning outcomes.

A conventional lesson plan usually consists of details pertaining to the lesson, the
outcomes that will be addressed and the method that will be used as well as the materials and
activities that will be included to engage and evaluate the students. The last part of a lesson plan
deals with the assessment session from both the teacher’s and student’s standpoints.
Having a lesson plan that has been carefully constructed for every lesson boosts your confidence
and maximizes the possibility of having purposeful learning sessions with your students
whenever you enter the classroom. It equips you with a general outline of your goals and the
things you need to achieve them.
 When a lesson is productive, it not only refers to everything going according to your
plan, it also ensures that teachers and students learn from each other. Reflecting on lesson plans
after every class gives teachers insight into what worked effectively and the reasons why in
addition to what could have been handled in a different way. This makes it possible to adjust to
unexpected occurrences in the classroom and make changes to the lesson plan when necessary.
 

Importance of Lesson Planning in Science

While science may appear to be an easy subject for teachers due to its factual and
logical content, in reality, it can be very challenging to teach science. Even the most highly
trained and experienced teachers will be overwhelmed if they do not have a lesson plan. In order
for the students to understand what they are being taught, a lesson plan is a critical part of the
process that determines how the topic will be delivered during class periods.

This type of plan should ideally be based on how students comprehend concepts and
retain them after the lesson is completed. Teaching science is an extremely rewarding experience
when the learning process is successful. Science lessons are complicated as teachers not only
have to provide extensive knowledge; they are also responsible for dispelling various myths.

Students are expected to consider other perspectives of the world and be receptive to
concepts that defy logic. This is why a science lesson should be planned carefully to make sure
it is effective instead of ending up with confusion. It is also important to structure science
lessons in the form of relatable stories that make the teaching procedure clear and worthwhile.

When lessons are organized, students can visualize much more and in case they get
lost along the way, they will be able to get back on track. There are several ways to implement
lesson planning for science but regardless of the approach that you choose to take, the goal is to
plan lessons that will allow students to make great progress. Studies show that the teacher is the
most important factor that affects a student’s achievement according to research carried out on
60,000 learners.
LESSON 1: OBJECTIVES

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to attain the following objectives with at least
75% proficiency level:
a. formulate a SMART learning objectives.

Learning Process
A. ACTIVITY

Provide verbs (as many as you can) that you think are applicable in making SMART
objectives.
 B. ANALYSIS

In connection with your activity, answer the following guide questions.

1. What did you consider in providing verbs in attaining SMART Objectives?

2. Why did krathwohl and Anderson revised the Bloom's taxonomy?

C. ABSTRACTION

How Bloom’s works with learning objectives

Fortunately, there are “verb tables” to help identify which action verbs align with each
level in Bloom’s Taxonomy.

You may notice that some of these verbs on the table are associated with multiple
Bloom’s Taxonomy levels. These “multilevel-verbs” are actions that could apply to different
activities. For example, you could have an objective that states “At the end of this lesson,
students will be able to explain the difference between H2O and OH-.” This would be
an understanding level objective.

However, if you wanted the students to be able to “…explain the shift in the chemical
structure of water throughout its various phases.” This would be an analyzing level verb.
 Adding to this confusion, you can locate Bloom’s verb charts that will list verbs at levels
different from what we list below. Just keep in mind that it is the skill, action or activity you will
teach using that verb that determines the Bloom’s Taxonomy level.
History of Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s taxonomy is named after Benjamin Bloom - an educational psychologist at the

University of Chicago who chaired the committee which proposed bloom’s taxonomy in 1956.
The committee proposed the following three domains of learning.
 Cognitive: It corresponds to the mental abilities of a person. It is divided into six learning
objectives which are explained below in this article in detail.
 Affective: It involves emotional areas and growth in feelings. Like cognitive domain, this
level comprises of five categories. These five categories are receiving, responding,
valuing, organization and characterization.
 Psychomotor: Psychomotor domain encompasses physical or manual skills which
require practice. These skills are measured against factors such as speed, precision,
distance, procedures, or techniques in execution.

Bloom’s committee originally proposed five learning levels of the cognitive process
which were ranked in the order of their complexity. However, in 2001 it was revised to
incorporate the 6th level. These 6 levels are used by the teachers all over the world to formulate
curriculum, lesson plans, learning standards or objectives and assessments for courses.

Originally it was proposed to devise a common teaching language for educators so that
they can communicate learning and assessment methods with each other. The primary goal of
bloom’s taxonomy is to create a higher-level thinking and skills among students starting from the
most basic level.

Anderson and Krathwohl (2001) revised Bloom's taxonomy to be more adaptive to our
current age by proposing another taxonomy that will meet curriculum designers, teachers, and
students needs better than the Bloom's one.

The original Bloom’s educational taxonomy Bloom et. al (1956) published the taxonomy
of educational objectives: a cognitive domain. Bloom et. al (1956) classified forms and levels of
learning based on cognitive processes that learners involved in when they learn. Bloom
considered his initial effort to be a starting point, as evidenced in memorandum from 1971 in
which he stated “Ideally each major field should have its own taxonomy in its own language –
more detailed, closer to the special language and thinking of its experts, reflecting its own
appropriate sub-division and levels of education, with possible new categories, combinations of
categories and omitting categories as appropriate” (www.wikipedia.org).
 Anderson’s Revised taxonomy as a match to Bloom’s taxonomy Anderson (1990), a former
student of Bloom, updated and revised the taxonomy reflecting relevance to 21st century work
for both students and teachers as she said (Anderson& Krathwohl, 2001). Anderson changed the
taxonomy in three broad categories: terminology, structure and emphasis (Forehands, 2005).
Anderson modified the original terminology by changing Bloom’s categories from nouns to
verbs. Anderson renamed the knowledge category into remember, comprehension into
understanding and synthesis into create categories. Anderson also changed the order of synthesis
and placed it at the top of the triangle under the name of Create (Taylor & Francis, 2002). Thus,
Anderson and Krathwohl’s (2001) revised Bloom’s taxonomy became: Remember, Understand,
Apply, Analyze, Evaluate and Create ( Figure 1).

TAXONOMY OF OBJECTIVES
1. Remember (Knowledge)
It is the lowest level of bloom’s taxonomy hierarchical model which encompasses the ability to
recall the learned information. Before a student can understand a concept, he must be able to
recall the information. Common teaching or learning methods used at this knowledge level are
lectures, book reading, online resources, memorization and watching videos.

Examples of Learning Objectives

 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to define acceleration.
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to label different parts of the human brain.
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to name different parts of nervous system.

2. Understand (Comprehension)
The next level is comprehension. At this stage, students are able to understand, interpret and
summarize the concepts learned in the knowledge phase in their own words. The most common
methods for teaching and learning at this stage are charts, graphs, discussion, reading material,
and presentations.

Examples of Learning Objectives

 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to explain how sensory receptors in our
brain detect stimuli.
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to distinguish between mass and weight.
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to discuss the factors that affect the
solubility of a liquid.

3. Apply
At this stage, students are able to apply facts, ideas, and concepts into another context.

Examples of Learning Objectives

 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to compute for IMF.
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to use the compound microscope
4. Analyze
At this stage, students are finally able to break down the concepts into individual parts, think
critically to draw a connection between the broken parts, analyze, draw inferences and make
attributions.

Examples of Learning Objectives

 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to compare and contrast prokaryotic and
eukaryotic cells.
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to illustrate how DNA code translates
into RNA code.

5. Evaluate
At this stage, students make judgments about the concepts, defend or criticize them based on
certain criteria and standards.

Examples of Learning Objectives

 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to explain which kind of medicine is
better for leukemia and why?
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to defend their proposed hypotheses.
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to assess the environmental impact of coal
mining.
6. Create
This is the last level of learning in Bloom’s taxonomy. At this stage, students can demonstrate
their knowledge by applying the learned concepts to create something meaningful. It could
involve developing an application or part of a machine, designing a website, creating a report or
a video.

Examples of Learning Objectives

 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to compose the scientific name of an
organism.
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to come up with the innovative ideas to
tackle climate change.
 By the end of this lesson, students will be able to make their own battery charger.
 The mnemonic SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound
—can be used to describe the elements of a well-written learning objective.

Practical tips for writing effective learning objectives.

D. APPLICATION

Formulate a SMART lesson objective in the three domains (cognitive, psychomotor, affective) in
Grade 11 Earth and Life Science (any topic of your choice).
LESSON 2: CONTENT

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to attain the following objectives with at least
75% proficiency level:
a. identify the parts of a learning content; and
b. infer methodologies in teaching science.

Learning Process
A. ACTIVITY
Give at least five (5) words related to the word in the center.

TOPIC REFERENCES

MATERIALS METHODOLOGY
 B. ANALYSIS

In connection with your activity, answer the following guide questions.

3. What are the parts of a Learning Content?

4. Identify some learning methodologies.

C. ABSTRACTION
Learning content contains the topic, reference/s, materials, and the methodology to be
used in the teaching and learning process.

 Topic – the lesson to be discussed in a particular subject. It is what

the lesson about.

 References – the source of information used in the lesson.

 Materials – the tools or equipment to be used in the teaching and

learning process.

 Methodology – the methods used in the teaching and learning

activity.
Methodology of teaching science

To learn science is to do science. In this context, teaching of science gain significant

importance and it needs an appropriate method. So it is important to know about the different
methods of teaching science and to be able to choose the appropriate method in a classroom.

The methods are namely demonstration method, laboratory method, project method,
problem solving method, question and answer method, role playing method, brain storming
method and innovative method. It is up to a teacher's discretion to choose the method which is
most suitable for a certain topic in a certain class and sometimes a teacher should introduce
different methods in a lesson plan to address the learning styles of the students.

Demonstration method the teacher only shows certain phenomena, concepts or principles to
provide concrete experience to the students. It may include the use of specimen, film slides,
chemicals, equipments and experiments, etc Students remain active during the demonstration.
Sophisticated and complicated apparatus can be used by the teacher which cannot be handled by
the students. Demonstration method is a teacher centered method, the principle of learning by
doing is neglected as students do not get a chance to experiment. It is not effective if done in a
large classroom. Also the individual differences of the students cannot be taken care of.

Laboratory method There is a talisman in science education which states Ï heard and I forgot; I
saw and I remembered; I did and I understood." Science is a subject which can be best learned by
doing. Laboratory method is one such method which is based on this principle of learning by
doing. The teachers acts as a guide and supervisor and gives instructions including required
materials and equipments. The students perform the experiment, records observations and draws
inferences. The teacher goes to the students, observes what is being done, corrects them if
something is wrong. During the process the students learn by doing to gain permanent
knowledge. The students are active throughout the class and they are learning on their own by
doing. The knowledge gained is permanent. Weakness of each student can be identified and
required help can be provided. This method also facilititates training in scientific method i.e.,
training in performing experiments, observing, recording data, interpreting results and drawing
conclusions.

Project method may be any purposeful activity like the preparation of a working or static
model, a chart or performing an experiment. In this method, a group of students select a problem
after discussing with the teacher and formulate the hypothesis. They develop the plan of action,
list the needed equipment, and conduct the experiment for testing the hypotheses. Then they
notes down the observation, collects the data, interprets it and finally they reach the conclusion.
This method basically aims to provide the students with the opportunity for extended learning.
Moving on to the merits of the project method, this method helps in giving clarity to various
concepts of science. The knowledge gained is permanent.

Problem solving method provides the students an opportunity to solve problems on their own
by following some scientific steps. The lessons starts with a problem and some possible solutions
are thought by the students on the basis of their previous knowledge. The problem is first
identified, stated and then explained through discussions, self study, practical work, etc. Next is
the delimitation of the problem concentrating only on those parts of the problem which are
within the reach of the students. Now a hypothesis is formulated for investigation, the hypothesis
is tested through experiments and the conclusion is reached finding out the best hypothesis.
Through this method, the habit of self learning is developed and the students develop problem
solving skills.

Question answer method Since ancient times, educationalists have realized that teaching is
incomplete without questions. It’s a major component in lessons to invoke curiosity among the
students. The questions needs to be framed in a systematic and organized manner and these
questions are placed before the students. Co-relating various answer provided by students paves
way for developing new knowledge. It is widely used for purposes like introduction, content
presentation, revision, etc. The question answer method in itself is not complete and it should be
combined with other methods.
Brain storming method a problem is given to the students. Everybody gives their views on the
problem and discusses it. Points emerging from the discussion are noted on the black board.
Through the discussion and debate, a solution is found. This method gives a chance to everyone
to express their thoughts and contemplate on it. This method is useful in higher classes and
encourages students to express themselves and to think independently, logically and critically. It
also encourages creativity. This method is suitable for a very few topics. Also it is not suitable
for junior classes. The method is again a time consuming method.

Assignment method can be used for teaching theory as well as practical aspect of the syllabus.
In this method, the whole course is divided into various parts according to the topics, as
assignments. These assignments are given to the students to be completed within a stipulated
time. After completing theory of one topic, the student moves on to the practical aspect. After
this they move on to the next topic. In assignment method, each student works according to
his/her capacity. The individual differences are taken care of. Habits of self study, decision
making are inculcated in students.

D. APPLICATION

Choose a topic from the K to 12 Curriculum Guide specifically in Science subject in any grade
level. With the parts of learning content in lesson planning, fill out the form below:

Topic: _______________________________________________

Reference/s: _______________________________________________

Materials: _______________________________________________

Methodology: ___________________________________________
LESSON 3: PROCEDURE

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to attain the following objectives with at least
75% proficiency level:
a. differentiate 4A’s and 5E’s
Learning Process
A. ACTIVITY
What is 4A’s format in lesson planning?

What is 5E’s format in lesson planning?

 B. ANALYSIS

In connection with your activity, answer the following guide questions.

1. What are the parts of 4A’s format?

5. Identify the parts of 5E’s format?

C. ABSTRACTION

Your lesson procedure is an in-depth explanation of how the lesson will progress in the
classroom.

The lesson procedure is essentially step-by-step instructions that walk you through
everything from the time students enter the classroom until the bell rings at the end of the period.

When writing your lesson procedure, you need to choose the type of activities that will help
students meet the lesson objectives.

THE 4 A’s

The collaborative effort of the students and teachers is a must in order to make a
meaningful and creative learning and 4A’s could be one of the most useful tools towards it.
Based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory it aims to approach the child holistically. It also
acknowledges the past schemes of the student and integrating it to a new one so most likely this
format will bring out what has been in stored and what is missing will be filled in eventually
towards a deeper knowledge of the lesson.

Brief explanation of 4A’s

I. Activity – This will bring understanding to what the learners already know and clarity to what
learners should learn further. At this early stage, the student should already have a retrospect of
what they will be learning through the activity that will be presented.

II. Analysis – A more in-depth understanding of the lesson, it is another phase where the
students will process and classify what is valid and not. The teacher on this part will ask further
questions and will also lead as a facilitator rather than mere lecturing and sharing facts and ideas.
The students know gains a wider view of the lesson but at the same time draws closer to the main
topic.

III. Abstraction – The teacher on this part will now focus entirely on the lesson being presented
and ask more lead questions to lead the students in reinforcing what they know and should know
more. The student here starts to feel more the importance of the lesson to her and see the
necessity of it to his/her life.

IV. Application – The word itself describes the stage as bringing the student to a more practical
way of using HOW are they going to use what they have learned and thinking of new ways on
how it can be improve further.
“The 5E Model of Instruction includes five phases: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and
Evaluate. It provides a carefully planned sequence of instruction that places students at the center
of learning. It encourages all students to explore, construct understanding of scientific concepts,
and relate those understandings to phenomena or engineering problems.” –Rodger Bybee

Key Ideas

 Teachers use the 5E Model of Instruction to sequence lessons and activities which
provide best first instruction for all students. Through this process they emphasize
opportunities to personalize learning.
 In each phase of the 5E Model of Instruction, teachers carefully consider how the
evidence collected or information obtained builds student understanding of a
phenomenon or a solution to a design problem.
 The optimal use of the 5E Model is a learning sequence of two to three weeks where each
phase is used as the basis for one or more lessons.
 Using the 5E Model as the basis for a single lesson reduces the effectiveness of
individual phases due to the shortening of the time and opportunities for meaningful and
deep learning across a learning sequence.
 According to research, there is the greatest impact on learning when phases are not
omitted or their position shifted (e.g., Explain before Explore).
 Phases can be repeated or looped as needed to create time or experiences to learn a
concept or develop an ability (e.g., Engage, Explore, Explain, Explore, Explain,
Elaborate, Evaluate).
 Activities in a 5E learning sequence should be designed to integrate the Science and
Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas.
“The 5E Model of Instruction promotes active learning. Students are involved in more than
listening and reading. They learn to ask questions, observe, model, analyze, explain, draw
conclusions, argue from evidence, and talk about their own understanding. Students work
collaboratively with peers to construct explanations, solve problems, and plan and carry out
investigations.” –Rodger Bybee

D. APPLICATION

Using your activity (Application) in Lesson 2, create a procedure using either 4A’s or 5E’s
format.
 LESSON 4: ASSESSMENT

Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to attain the following objectives with at least
75% proficiency level:
a. formulate learning assessment in line with lesson objectives.
Learning Process
A. ACTIVITY
COMPLETE THE TABLE. Supply with appropriate assessment and type of learning
objectives.

Type of learning Examples of appropriate assessments

objective

Objective test items such as fill-in-the-blank, matching, labeling, or multiple-choice

Recall
questions that require students to:
Recognize
o recall or recognize terms, facts, and concepts
Identify

Activities such as papers, exams, problem sets, class discussions, or concept maps that
require students to:
o summarize readings, films, or speeches
o compare and contrast two or more theories, events, or processes
o classify or categorize cases, elements, or events using established criteria
o paraphrase documents or speeches
o find or identify examples or illustrations of a concept or principle

Apply
Execute
Implement

Analyze
Differentiate
Organize
Attribute

Activities such as journals, diaries, critiques, problem sets, product reviews, or studies
that require students to:
o test, monitor, judge, or critique readings, performances, or products against

established criteria or standards

Create
Generate
Plan
Produce
Design
 B. ANALYSIS

In connection with your activity, answer the following guide questions.

2. Why is there a need for the assessment to be aligned with the learning objectives?

C. ABSTRACTION

If assessments are misaligned with learning objectives or instructional strategies, it can

undermine both student motivation and learning. Consider these two scenarios:
Your objective is for students to learn to apply analytical skills, but your assessment measures
only factual recall. Consequently, students hone their analytical skills and are frustrated that the
exam does not measure what they learned.
Your assessment measures students’ ability to compare and critique the arguments of
different authors, but your instructional strategies focus entirely on summarizing the arguments
of different authors. Consequently, students do not learn or practice the skills of comparison and
evaluation that will be assessed.

Why do I need to build alignment between assessment and learning outcomes?

To students, assessment is the main component of a course because it sends a message

about what is important and where their time should be focused. Clearly defining your
assessment and its relationship to your student learning outcomes is therefore very helpful in
ensuring students understand not just how the assessment fits into their learning but how all the
practices and content you engage with assists them in achieving success in the course.
 Building clear alignment between your outcomes, assessment, and practice (as well as
clearly communicating this alignment to students) can build mutual clarity on the learning
journey and lessen students’ anxiety and questions. The role of assessment is to measure student
attainment of the necessary skills and learning, so being able to demonstrate this connection in
class and through the syllabus is very helpful in situating why you have made the assessment
choices you have.

What do well-aligned assessments look like?

This table presents examples of the kinds of activities that can be used to assess different types of
learning objectives (adapted from the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy).

Type of learning objective Examples of appropriate assessments

Objective test items such as fill-in-the-blank, matching, labeling, or multiple-choice questions

Recall
that require students to:
Recognize
o recall or recognize terms, facts, and concepts
Identify

Interpret Activities such as papers, exams, problem sets, class discussions, or concept maps that require
Exemplify students to:
Classify o summarize readings, films, or speeches

Summarize o compare and contrast two or more theories, events, or processes

Infer o classify or categorize cases, elements, or events using established criteria

Compare o paraphrase documents or speeches

Explain o find or identify examples or illustrations of a concept or principle

Apply Activities such as problem sets, performances, labs, prototyping, or simulations that require
Execute students to:
Implement o use procedures to solve or complete familiar or unfamiliar tasks
o determine which procedure(s) are most appropriate for a given task

Analyze Activities such as case studies, critiques, labs, papers, projects, debates, or concept maps that
Differentiate require students to:
Organize o discriminate or select relevant and irrelevant parts

Attribute o determine how elements function together

o determine bias, values, or underlying intent in presented material

Evaluate Activities such as journals, diaries, critiques, problem sets, product reviews, or studies that
Check require students to:
Critique o test, monitor, judge, or critique readings, performances, or products against established

Assess criteria or standards

Create Activities such as research projects, musical compositions, performances, essays, business plans,
Generate website designs, or set designs that require students to:
Plan o make, build, design or generate something new

Produce
Design

This table does not list all possible examples of appropriate assessments. You can develop and
use other assessments – just make sure that they align with your learning objectives and
instructional strategies!

D. APPLICATION
You are almost complete in crafting your detailed lesson plan. Create an assessment that is in
line with your lesson objectives.

LESSON 5: ASSIGNMENT
Intended Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to attain the following objectives with at least
75% proficiency level:
a. formulate and identify general suggestion in creating assignments.
Learning Process
A. ACTIVITY

What are your considerations in giving assignments?

Have I...
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________

B. ANALYSIS

Give general suggestions and questions to consider when creating assignment.

C. ABSTRACTION
Creating Assignments

Here are some general suggestions and questions to consider when creating assignments.
There are also many other resources in print and on the web that provide examples of interesting,
discipline-specific assignment ideas.

Consider your learning objectives.

What do you want students to learn in your course? What could they do that would show
you that they have learned it?

Design assignments that are interesting and challenging.

This is the fun side of assignment design. Consider how to focus students’ thinking in
ways that are creative, challenging, and motivating. Think beyond the conventional assignment
type! For example, one American historian requires students to write diary entries for a
hypothetical Nebraska farmwoman in the 1890s. By specifying that students’ diary entries must
demonstrate the breadth of their historical knowledge (e.g., gender, economics, technology, diet,
family structure), the instructor gets students to exercise their imaginations while also
accomplishing the learning objectives of the course (Walvoord & Anderson, 1989, p. 25).

Double-check alignment.
After creating your assignments, go back to your learning objectives and make sure there
is still a good match between what you want students to learn and what you are asking them to
do. If you find a mismatch, you will need to adjust either the assignments or the learning
objectives. For instance, if your goal is for students to be able to analyze and evaluate texts, but
your assignments only ask them to summarize texts, you would need to add an analytical and
evaluative dimension to some assignments or rethink your learning objectives.

Name assignments accurately.

Students can be misled by assignments that are named inappropriately. For example, if
you want students to analyze a product’s strengths and weaknesses but you call the assignment a
“product description,” students may focus all their energies on the descriptive, not the critical,
elements of the task. Thus, it is important to ensure that the titles of your assignments
communicate their intention accurately to students.

Consider sequencing.
Think about how to order your assignments so that they build skills in a logical sequence.
Ideally, assignments that require the most synthesis of skills and knowledge should come later in
the semester, preceded by smaller assignments that build these skills incrementally. For example,
if an instructor’s final assignment is a research project that requires students to evaluate a
technological solution to an environmental problem, earlier assignments should reinforce
component skills, including the ability to identify and discuss key environmental issues, apply
evaluative criteria, and find appropriate research sources.
Check feasibility.
Is the workload you have in mind reasonable for your students? Is the grading burden
manageable for you? Sometimes there are ways to reduce workload (whether for you or for
students) without compromising learning objectives. For example, if a primary objective in
assigning a project is for students to identify an interesting engineering problem and do some
preliminary research on it, it might be reasonable to require students to submit a project proposal
and annotated bibliography rather than a fully developed report. If your learning objectives are
clear, you will see where corners can be cut without sacrificing educational quality.

Establish clear performance criteria.

Different instructors apply different criteria when grading student work, so it’s important
that you clearly articulate to students what your criteria are. To do so, think about the best
student work you have seen on similar tasks and try to identify the specific characteristics that
made it excellent, such as clarity of thought, originality, logical organization, or use of a wide
range of sources. Then identify the characteristics of the worst student work you have seen, such
as shaky evidence, weak organizational structure, or lack of focus. Identifying these
characteristics can help you consciously articulate the criteria you already apply. It is important
to communicate these criteria to students, whether in your assignment description or as a
separate rubric or scoring guide. Clearly articulated performance criteria can prevent unnecessary
confusion about your expectations while also setting a high standard for students to meet.

Specify the intended audience.

Students make assumptions about the audience they are addressing in papers and
presentations, which influences how they pitch their message. For example, students may assume
that, since the instructor is their primary audience, they do not need to define discipline-specific
terms or concepts. These assumptions may not match the instructor’s expectations. Thus, it is
important on assignments to specify the intended
audience http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop10e.cfm (e.g., undergraduates with no biology
background, a potential funder who does not know engineering).

Specify the purpose of the assignment.

If students are unclear about the goals or purpose of the assignment, they may make
unnecessary mistakes. For example, if students believe an assignment is focused on summarizing
research as opposed to evaluating it, they may seriously miscalculate the task and put their
energies in the wrong place. The same is true they think the goal of an economics problem set is
to find the correct answer, rather than demonstrate a clear chain of economic reasoning.
Consequently, it is important to make your objectives for the assignment clear to students.

Specify the parameters.

If you have specific parameters in mind for the assignment (e.g., length, size, formatting, citation
conventions) you should be sure to specify them in your assignment description. Otherwise,
students may misapply conventions and formats they learned in other courses that are not
appropriate for yours.

A Checklist for Designing Assignments

Here is a set of questions you can ask yourself when creating an assignment.
Have I...
o Provided a written description of the assignment (in the syllabus or in a separate document)?
o Specified the purpose of the assignment?
o Indicated the intended audience?
o Articulated the instructions in precise and unambiguous language?
o Provided information about the appropriate format and presentation (e.g., page length, typed,
cover sheet, bibliography)?  
o Indicated special instructions, such as a particular citation style or headings?  
o Specified the due date and the consequences for missing it?
o Articulated performance criteria clearly?
o Indicated the assignment’s point value or percentage of the course grade?
o Provided students (where appropriate) with models or samples?

D. APPLICATION
Using again your crafted Detailed Lesson Plan, formulate now your assignment.

REFERENCES:
PHOENIX Earth and Life Science pages 127-130
https://tips.uark.edu/using-blooms-taxonomy/
https://members.aect.org/pdf/proceedings/proceedings15/2015i/15_04.pdf

https://researchcentres.wlu.ca/teaching-and-learning/planning/aligning-assessments-with-

outcomes.html#:~:text=Building%20alignment%20between%20assessment%20and,be

%20developed%20throughout%20the%20course.

https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-is-a-lesson-plan#:~:text=4.-,Lesson%20Procedure,the

%20end%20of%20the%20period.

http://xeniaquincyfermin.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-4-as.html

https://ngss.sdcoe.net/Evidence-Based-Practices/5E-Model-of-Instruction

https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/alignment.html

https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/assesslearning/creatingassignments.html