The new NJ Lesson Plan template

The new “Plan” for NJ Teachers
It was just a few short years ago that I had still been in a NJ public school classroom teaching Language Arts, Algebra I, World History, and U.S. History to seventh and eighth graders. On a weekly basis, I, like every other teacher, would prepare lesson plans for the week. Some weeks certain lessons might take two to three days, others only one day. The one constant however was the lesson plan template I used. It is not something I now look back on proudly, but it always looked a little something like this:


THEN…
O: SWBAT


M:


A:


E:

Unfortunately, my plan book had 24 other blocks that looked very similar to the one above. I must add though that my classes were fun, different and effective, since most of my students did very well in class and on most state-wide assessments, with your few exceptions here and there. I must admit, my lesson plan book was a nuisance to me. I always had the real plan in my mind and I always knew how I would make adjustments to my lessons from one year to the next. My problem as I see it now is the new lesson plan template the state of New Jersey wants being used is much more elaborate. It’s as if I could no longer leave my ideas in my mind. Today, you must put it all in the lesson plan, like it or not.
Below is a snapshot of the 21st century NJ lesson plans template that is going to likely go into effect this upcoming school year. I will briefly describe the template for you to conclude my work. I hope you find how the new template, despite the time it will consume to do a thorough job, is well done and really allows for our teachers today to reflect back in a more detailed way.

Content Area – The subject you teach would go here

Lesson Title – The title of your lesson would go here
21st Century Themes

Global awareness – Share diverse examples when possible. Group students in diverse ways when doing collaborative lessons.

Financial, Economic, Business, and Entrepreneurial Literacy – Incorporate economics in your lesson. Give comparisons when appropriate.

Civic Literacy – Teach the civic responsibilities of citizens at the local, state and national levels and how those responsibilities affect each individual.

Health Literacy – Encourage healthy choices whether it’s exercise or diet. You’d be surprised how you can add a little healthy literacy to you classroom if you really give it some creative thought.

21st Century Skills
Creativity and Innovation – Be more creative and open to new ideas. Share with colleagues lessons that were powerful and effective. Reflect on those lessons you feel did not go as planned or ask someone to observe it next time for some feedback.

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving – Try new ways to problem solve from your norm. Use open-ended items to get better responses to certain types of questions.

Communication and Collaboration – Use new technology when possible. Incorporate new written, oral and nonverbal ways to communicate.
Information Literacy – Access information efficiently and effectively.

Media Literacy – Educate students on the media and how and why the media publicizes the news.

ICT Literacy Life and Career Skills – Use technology to store, communicate, organize and evaluate information from your lessons.

Life and Career Skills – Encourage students to think about careers (www.careerclusters.org) as you work through certain curriculums and teach how their course of study directly impacts their future.

Interdisciplinary Connections: List here any cross-curricular content areas you are able to cover within each lesson.

Integration of Technology: List here any technology used for each lesson.

Equipment needed: List here the equipment needed for this lesson.


NOW…
Goals/Objectives:
Students
∙
∙
∙
Learning Activities/Instructional Strategies:
Lesson Sequence
1.
2.
3.
Formative Assessment Tasks:
∙
∙
∙
Differentiation:

Resources Provided:

In closing, I was surprised not to see the word “standard” on the new template. I know teachers will list the standard in their plans (likely next to Content Area) but to not have a row on the template struck me as odd. The new template also has a great reflection tool teachers are encouraged to use so that the lesson is followed up with pluses and minuses. I like this chart because often times a mental note will not always stick. The reflection chart allows for documentation and notes so that the lesson will be tweaked accordingly the next time someone uses it.


Works Cited
(http://www.p21.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=57&Itemid=120)