Planning Tools

Many opinions, ideas, and research exist about the “how to” and the “importance of” lesson planning. Based on our experience and research, at CTL we advocate for a simple approach to planning. Starting with a unit backward planning process, teachers first determine what students need to know and be able to do and how they will demonstrate their learning. Next, they can build coherent learning experiences through a daily learning sequence that integrates purposeful literacy practices in support of clear learning objectives. Below are several tools we use with clients to develop planning capacity from the unit level through to daily classroom instruction.