Sample Application of Writing a Backward Design Lesson Plan Which Includes the Student Skills and Classroom Activities

Step Four: Decide Upon What Skills and Classroom Activities Students Should Participate in Which Demonstrate that they Can Both Understand and Apply the Enduring Jewish Knowledge of the Lesson

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to demonstrate how the five step process of Backward Design (*Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) can be incorporated into lesson planning.

Assumption:

We will create a lesson plan to welcome a student or co-teacher into the fifth grade day or supplemental school classroom of a mentor teacher.

According to the Backward Design framework of *Wiggins & McTighe the fourth step specifies the students skills and classroom activities that students can do which demonstrate that they can both understand and apply the enduring Jewish knowledge (i.e. Hachnasat Orchim) of the lesson.

At the top of this post you will find a sample backward design lesson plan template into which the enduring Jewish knowledge, Hachnasat Orchim, welcoming guests, a set of essential questions, the evidence of understanding, and the student skills and classroom activities are written.

*Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by Design. Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

On the next post we will discuss the assessment component of planning a lesson on Hachnasat Orchim.