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Atomically Correct


A CPALMS Lesson Study Resource Kit for Grades

10, 11, 12



General
Title: Atomically Correct
Resource ID: 59865
Resource Description: A Lesson Study Resource Kit that addresses interpreting chemical reactions at three areas of cognition: the macroscopic world of observable properties (sensory); the microscopic world of atoms, molecules, ions, and subatomic particles (diagrams); and the symbolic world of chemical formulas, equations, and symbols.
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Study Resource Kit
Keywords: chemical equation stoichiometry limiting reactant
Intended Audience: Educators
Resource Collection: Lesson Study Toolkits


Introduction

A Lesson Study Resource Kit that addresses interpreting chemical reactions at three areas of cognition: the macroscopic world of observable properties (sensory); the microscopic world of atoms, molecules, ions, and subatomic particles (diagrams); and the symbolic world of chemical formulas, equations, and symbols.

What is Lesson Study?

Lesson study is a process that engages small collaborative teams of teachers in the selection, modification, teaching, and analysis of research lessons that serve as vehicles for professional learning. When viewed from this perspective, lesson study is teacher-led, embedded in content, active, hands-on, and focused on student learning outcomes (Lewis & Hurd, 2011; Stepanik, et al., 2007). In short, lesson study is a professional development framework that:

  • Values teaching, teachers, and the professional teaching community,
  • Provides an important learning structure—the research lesson,
  • Values the long-term learning and development of students,
  • Builds a shared knowledge base (Lewis & Hurd, 2011, p. 6), and
  • Motivates teachers to collaborate in examining their practice through the lens of student learning.

Why do Lesson Study?

Lesson study provides teachers with opportunities to work collectively to increase their proficiency in:

  • analyzing and using student data in planning for instruction,
  • reviewing the relevant research on the teaching and learning of a subject, topic, or standard,
  • selecting and/or developing standards-based research lessons and formative assessment tasks that probe student understanding, and
  • assessing the effectiveness of instruction in achieving desired student learning outcomes.

How to Use Lesson Study Resource Kits in CPALMS Lesson Study Support System (LSSS)

The process outlined in CPALMS’ LSSS breaks the lesson study cycle into seven distinct steps:

Step 1: Establish your Lesson Study Team and Schedule Planning Time
Step 2: Set your Team’s Goals
Step 3: Conduct Background Research
Step 4: Plan your Team’s Lesson
Step 5: Teach your Team’s Lesson
Step 6: Debrief and Reflect

The sequence of steps and sub-steps in the LSSS was organized to support lesson study by both novice and experienced lesson study teams. If you and your team are new to lesson study, the LSSS provides a systematic set of instructions and prompts that are designed to guide you through your first lesson study cycle. In order to optimize the professional learning opportunities that lesson study provides, it is highly recommended that novice groups adhere to the directions outlined in the steps. If you and your team are more familiar with lesson study, the step-wise approach outlined in the LSSS provides a framework for engaging in lesson study at a level of depth that research has shown to be effective in enhancing teacher content knowledge as well as student learning.

In order to assist your team in this process, the LSSS combines important background information that directs your team to essential resources, tips, and tools that require direct action on your team’s part.

STEP 1: Establish your Lesson Study Team and Schedule Planning Time

At its most effective, lesson study engages small teams of teachers in collaborative professional learning that is focused on improving student learning outcomes. Because it is an in-depth approach that requires teachers to reach consensus about the goals and conduct of the team’s activities, it is recommended that teams be composed of teachers who share an interest in engaging in collaborative reflective practice and have ample time to participate fully.

Step 1, Task 1: Establish Your Lesson Study Team

Once you have identified prospective team members for a lesson study cycle, go to "Establish Your Lesson Study Team," in task 1 of Step 1 in the LSSS, and follow the instructions for creating "member roles" in the instructions panel. Once you have identified what member roles you desire for your team, invite an individual team member by inserting his or her name in the "Find a member" dialogue box in the "Add Member" section at the bottom of the page. Once a new member’s name appears, you will be prompted to assign roles and access to the LSSS for that member. If you want each member to have "write access" to the lesson study, you can check the "Give write access" box in the permissions and role section. Once you have entered this information, click "Invite" to the left of the member’s name, and an email will be sent to the email address provided by the teacher in the CPALMS database.

Step 1, Task 2: Orient your Team to Lesson Study

Once you have assembled a team it is important to ensure that a shared understanding of lesson study is developed among its members. Typically, the first meeting of a new team is devoted primarily to orienting everyone to the goals and protocols that characterize effective lesson study. One strategy for orienting your team to lesson study is to assign a short reading about lesson study to team members in advance of the first meeting so that they can have an opportunity to share their impressions of lesson study. If you do not have access to any literature on lesson study, choose one or more readings from among the Lesson Study Resource Links located in the "Instructions" Panel in the "Orient to Lesson Study" task in step 1 of the LSSS.

Step 1, Task 3: Develop Group Norms

Group norms constitute the ground rules that govern the interactions of lesson study team members throughout all phases of the cycle. Lewis & Hurd (2011) recommend that lesson study teams reflect upon the qualities that have helped and hindered professional learning collaborations in previous experiences.

  • Examine the Sample Group Norms located in the Instructions Panel on the “Develop Group Norms” task, Step 1, Task 3 in the LSSS.
  • Create norms for your team members by selecting from among the sample group norms and/or creating your own, in the Add/Edit Group norms feature on the “Develop Group Norms” page.

Step 1, Task 4: Schedule Planning Time

Once your team has assigned roles for each member, a meeting schedule can be created that provides the space and time for all projected lesson study team meetings and activities. More information and suggestions for scheduling meetings can be found on pages 38 – 45 of the Florida Bureau of School Improvement’s A Guide to Implementing Lesson Study (http://www.scribd.com/doc/95555469/A-Guide-to-Implementing-Lesson-Study).

  • The “Schedule Planning Time” tool is located in the fourth task in step 1 on the LSSS. This page includes a calendar for scheduling meetings that includes features for generating the meeting itinerary and affixing notes for team members.



STEP 2: Set Your Team’s Goals

Goal setting is a central activity in lesson study. From the establishment of an over-arching research theme, to the subsequent development of a unit plan, and research lesson, goal setting is essential to laying the groundwork for a coherent “teaching-learning plan” (Lewis, 2011, p. 47) that will guide your team’s efforts.


Figure 2. Teaching and Learning Plan (Lewis & Hurd, 2011, p. 49)


The illustration in Figure 2 depicts the three essential elements of the teaching-learning plan as nested circles, with the research lesson as part of a larger unit plan, and both embedded within an over-arching research theme. As your team progresses through the planning of the research lesson, it should continuously check that the goals of these three elements are aligned.

Step 2, Task 1: Develop a Research Theme

The research theme represents a long-term goal that your team has for your students. The role of the research theme in lesson study is to orient your team’s activities toward an overarching mission that directs your lesson study activities. In that sense, a research theme is important in setting the tone for your team’s efforts for one or more lesson study cycles. When determining your team’s research theme, it is helpful to consider your school’s mission statement as well as the particular social and academic qualities that your team would like for your students to develop. Examples of research themes include:

  • Our goal is to develop science learners who are engaged and able to apply evidence-based reasoning to scientific questions.

  • We want our students to develop confidence in themselves and demonstrate persistence when faced with challenging mathematical problems.
In the first example, two broad outcomes are articulated. The development of “engaged” science learners is a desired social outcome, while the application of “evidence-based reasoning” represents an academic objective. The second example focuses on personal qualities of students that are related to improved learning of mathematical material. The Research Theme tool will guide you through the process of selecting a research theme.

  • Use the “Develop a Research Theme” tool, Step 2, Task 1, in the LSSS to:
  • Enter your school’s mission statement
  • Create lists of desired and undesired student qualities your team wants to address through lesson study
  • Bridge the gap between those -desired and undesired student qualities that you and your team plan to address in the LS cycle, and
  • Record your team’s “Research Theme” for the LS cycle.

Step 2, Task 2: Research Focus

This resource kit aligns with the Florida K-12 curriculum standards identified in the table below.

Subject Related Domain Related Big Ideas/Standards/Clusters Related Benchmarks/Standards
Science Physical Science Matter SC.912.P.8.7: Interpret formula representations of molecules and compounds in terms of composition and structure.
Science Physical Science Matter SC.912.P.8.9: Apply the mole concept and the law of conservation of mass to calculate quantities of chemicals participating in reactions.

Step 3: Conduct Background Research

Now that your team has identified a research focus around which it will center its inquiry, the work of curriculum study can begin in earnest. The importance of conducting background research cannot be overstated. It is at this stage of the lesson study cycle that teachers have the opportunity to enhance both their content and pedagogical knowledge in a collaborative and collegial fashion. The LSSS breaks this all-important step in the process into five separate tasks:

  • Explore Research and Resources on Teaching and Learning
  • Develop a Thorough Understanding of Related Benchmarks and Standards
  • Explore Formative Assessments
  • Examine Informational Texts, and
  • Study Curriculum

Although a single LS cycle may be focused primarily on one of these tasks, teams have the option of incorporating any that they would like to in a given cycle.

Step 3, Task 1: Explore Research and Resources on Teaching and Learning

The purpose of this step is to deepen your understanding of the issues related to teaching and learning of the topics and concepts that underpin your research focus.


The following readings have been selected to help you better understand some of the pedagogical issues underlying your selected research focus. Plan to read each one on your own prior to your next team meeting. Questions for discussion are included for your team to consider at your next team meeting. Depending on your time constraints, you may choose to address one reading per meeting for the next few meetings or address all of them at one meeting.

Resource TypeAuthorYearTitleVolumePageSummary Notes
JournalNurrenbern SC Pickering M6/1987Concept Learning versus Problem Solving Is there a Difference64508 to 510To get through most tests in freshman chemistry, the student has to be able to solve problems. Chemistry teachers have assumed implicitly that being able to solve problems is equivalent to understanding of molecular concepts. This study examines whether this widespread assumption is justified.
JournalSawery BA3/1990Concept Learning versus Problem Solving Revisited67253 to 254This article is a follow up to the Nurrenbern and Pickering article sited in this resource kit.
JournalSanger M1/2005Evaluating Students Conceptual Understanding of Balanced Equations and Stoichiometric Ratios Using a Particulate Drawing82131 to 134In 1987, Nurrenbern and Pickering demonstrated that chemistry students who can solve mathematical problems often have more difficulty answering particulate-level conceptual problems covering the same topics. Since that time, several researchers have corroborated these results using the particulate drawings used by Nurrenbern and Pickering, while others have identified additional areas of student difficulty using other particulate pictures. This research study will determine whether students leaving unreacted chemical species in the balanced equation recognized the proper reacting ratio of the starting materials.
JournalDorothy L Gabel3/1993Use of the Particle Nature of Matter in Developing Conceptual Understanding70193 to 194This study has much to say about how students learn chemistry and about how chemistry is taught. There are three levels on which chemistry can be taught: atoms/molecules (microscopic level), sensory (macroscopic level), and the symbolic level. Using an equilateral triangle with a level at each vertex, any point within the triangle can represent the percentage of time allocated to using a given level in the teaching of chemistry.
JournalMary B Nakhleh1/1992Why Some Students Dont Learn Chemistry Chemical Misconceptions69191 to 196Many students at all levels struggle to learn chemistry, but are often unsuccessful. Answering the reasons has been the target of many studies. One possible answer that is beginning to emerge is that many students are not constructing appropriate understandings of fundamental chemical concepts from the very beginning of their studies.


Step 3, Task 2: Develop a Thorough Understanding of Related Benchmarks and Standards

Before creating your unit plan and research lesson for your team’s lesson study cycle, it is important to develop a thorough understanding of any standards or benchmarks that are relevant to your research focus. The “Unpack Related Benchmarks/Standards” tool located in Task 2 of Step 3 of the LSSS, provides your team with a means of:

  • exploring any misconceptions or preconceptions that are associated with an individual standard
  • identifying the content expectations for each standard/benchmark, and
  • formulating essential questions and/or learning goals for each standard
  • Open the "Unpack Related Benchmarks/Standards" tool in Step 3, Task 2 and address the dialogue boxes for each of the three items in the list above for each selected standard or benchmark that pertains to your team’s research focus.
Benchmark
SC.912.P.8.7 : Interpret formula representations of molecules and compounds in terms of composition and structure.

Pre/Misconception(s):

Pre/misconceptions for FL NGSSS SC.912.P.8.7:

AtomCorrectSC912P87_Misconcept.docx












Content Expectation(s):








Essential Questions/Assessable Learning Goals:

How can we describe and model chemical changes using the Atomic Theory?

•Recognize that atoms are neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions, merely rearranged.

•From a word description, illustrate a chemical reaction at the microscopic scale.

•After observing a chemical reaction, write a balanced chemical equation from a word description of the reaction

•After observing a chemical reaction, write a balanced chemical equation given formulas of reactants and products.

•Write a balanced chemical equation from diagrams which represent a chemical change at the sub-microscopic level.













Benchmark
SC.912.P.8.9 : Apply the mole concept and the law of conservation of mass to calculate quantities of chemicals participating in reactions.

Pre/Misconception(s):

Pre/misconceptions for FL NGSSS SC.912.P.8.9:

AtomCorrectSC912P89_Misconcept.docx





Content Expectation(s):





Essential Questions/Assessable Learning Goals:

What is the predictive power of the Atomic Theory?

•Interpret balanced chemical equations in terms of atoms, molecules, and moles.

•Calculate the mass of a reactant or product involved in a chemical reaction given the mass of another product or reactant.

•Identify the excess and limiting reactants when given the starting amounts of reactants in terms of molecules/atoms or moles.

•Write a balanced chemical equation from diagrams which represent a chemical change at the sub-microscopic level.

•Use a balanced chemical equation and a diagram of starting amounts to predict final amounts of products.

•In the laboratory:

oUse a balanced chemical equation to calculate the amount of reactants needed to make a specified amount of a product.

o Write a procedure that will guide the production and separation of the product, include important facts, and answer the stated problem.

oCarry out a gravimetric procedure to separate out final product from a mixture.










Step 3, Task 3: Explore Formative Assessments

Before your team plans its unit and research lesson, it is helpful to examine formative assessment tasks associated with your team’s research focus, in order to incorporate them into your team’s unit planning. The following formative assessment tasks have been included in this resource kit for your team to explore:




For teachers of K-3 Mathematics, the Mathematics Formative Assessment System (MFAS), located on CPALMS, contains at least four tasks aligned to each CCSS standard. Once you have identified the standard(s) your lesson is addressing, locate the tasks aligned to the standard, and observe the following sequence:

Before meeting with your team:

  1. Work through each formative assessment task individually. Record your methods and solutions.
  2. Describe the various approaches you anticipate your students will use to complete this task. Include the kinds of errors you anticipate your students will make.
  3. Read through the rubrics. Then assign a rubric level to each anticipated student approach that you described above.

With your team:

  1. Discuss and compare your solutions, your anticipated student solutions, and the rubric levels you assigned to each.
  2. Choose a task or a set of tasks to implement with your students. Discuss with your team possible approaches to implementation (e.g. small group or whole group) and how you will follow up with each student to probe thinking during task implementation.
  3. Prepare to implement the task.

Before your next team meeting:

  1. Implement the task(s) with your students. Maintain a record of student responses. Include the level you assigned to each student and any notes that will help you to remember students’ thinking about the task.

At your next meeting:

  1. Share the results of your implementation with your team.
    1. Provide an example of student thinking identified through using this task that gave you an important insight about this student(s).
    2. Regarding this example, determine how to modify your instructional plan to meet students’ needs.
  1. As a team, summarize the results and use them in planning your research lesson.
    1. Based on your results, determine how students can be grouped for differentiated instruction (within a class and/or across classes, if possible).
    2. Identify mathematical materials, including textbooks, resources available on CPALMS, and other sources of high quality materials that can be used to plan your lesson(s).

Step 3, Task 4: Examine State, National, and International Assessment Items

In this task, your team can review released assessment items from large-scale assessments including, FCAT 2.0, EOCs, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), and the Program for International Science Achievement (PISA). Through discussion of the central performance tasks embedded in these assessment items, you and your team can work toward identifying key elements of an assessment plan for the instructional unit that is being developed. The assessment items that follow have been selected for your team’s consideration.


Step 3, Task 5: Examine Informational Texts

Anchor standard 10 of the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History, Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (2010), calls for students to: Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently (p.10). The success of Florida’s students in achieving proficiency in this standard depends, among other things, upon the ability of teachers in all subject areas to identify, evaluate, and integrate relevant complex informational texts into their instruction. This will require that teachers in each content discipline become proficient in gauging the complexity of informational texts for use with their students. A tool for evaluating text complexity is included as you add informational texts. A tool for Generating Questions from Considering Qualitative Dimensions of is provided to assist teams of teachers in examining literary and informational texts for use in their classrooms. For more information on the use of complex informational texts, refer to: http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards/english-language-arts-standards/reading-informational-text-6-12/grade-11-12/. FLDOE provides additional guidance regarding text complexity here.

For teams from districts that are incorporating the Comprehension Instructional Sequence (CIS), please click here: http://www.justreadflorida.com/


Step 3, Task 6: Study Curriculum

Now that your team has generated a research base relevant to the teaching and learning of the topic or concept that you have selected, it is time to study specific lessons and curricular materials that your district and/or school have adopted for the subject/topic that is the focus of your team’s research. This step includes but is not limited to:

Exploring relevant curricular materials (e.g. textbooks, worksheets, assessments) for exemplary lessons that exist on the topic

Identifying a learning progression that moves students from pre-requisite knowledge and skills to desired standards-based learning outcomes.

Learning Progression Description
The following files are an example of both the sequence of activities, and the activities themselves, that are designed to support student learning through the three areas of cognition--the macroscopic world of observable properties (sensory); the microscopic world of atoms, molecules, ions, and subatomic particles (diagrams); and the symbolic world of chemical formulas, equations, and symbols.



01_PreAssessAtomicallyCorrect.docx

02_SG1_ChemEquations.docx

03_SG1KEY_ChemEquations.docx

04_SG2_ChemEquations.docx

05_SG2KEY_ChemEquations.docx

06_OStory_ChemEquations.docx

07_OStory notes_ChemEquations.docx

08_ChemEqEval_ChemEquations.docx

09_LabAgCu_ChemEquations.docx

10_LabAgCuTeacherGuide.docx

11_LabAgCuRubric.docx

12_Quiz 1_ChemEquations.docx

13_SG3_Stoichiometry.docx

14_SG3_StoichiometryKEY.docx

15_Lab_Stoichiometry.docx

16_Quiz 2_Stoichiometry.docx

17_PreAssess_LimitReactant.docx

18_InClassPrac_LimitReactant.docx

19_InClassPrac_LimitReactantKEY.docx

20_SG4_LimitingReact.docx

21_SG4_LimitingReactKEY.docx

22_LabMaking3gCu.docx

23_Quiz 3_LimitReact.docx



Step 4: Plan your Team’s Lesson

As your team has probably come to realize, planning a research lesson is an intense collaborative effort requiring a great deal of research and exploration of both the content and the pedagogy relevant to your chosen research focus. In this step, your team will use all that you have learned through your study of research and your use of formative assessments with your students, to construct a detailed lesson plan that addresses your lesson focus and that fits within a coherent unit of instruction.

Step 4, Task 1: Construct Your Unit Plan

Before writing the lesson plan for your chosen topic, it is important to first consider how this topic fits within a larger unit of instruction. Knowledge of what learning comes before and after the learning outcome intended by your research lesson, is essential to your success in developing a coherent teaching-learning plan.

  • The “Construct Your Unit Plan” task poses several important questions for your team to consider in the design of your instructional unit. These include items addressing:
    • essential prerequisite knowledge and skills
    • learning progressions across grades
    • learning progressions within grades
    • unit learning goals and objectives
    • related technology associated with the unit of instruction
    • a description of how your team will evaluate student thinking and learning throughout the unit, and
    • a narrative or schematic describing the flow/sequence of instruction within the unit.
A sample unit plan or developmental story is included below.

Unit Plan


Essential pre-requisite knowledge/skills:

Students should develop the ability to relate macroscopic properties of substances to the unseen sub-microscopic/atomic structure of those substances. This development advances student learning through three areas of cognition—the macroscopic world of observable properties; the microscopic world of atoms, molecules, ions, and subatomic particles; and the symbolic world of chemical formulas, equations, and symbols.

At the present time most chemistry courses are taught at the symbolic level with little emphasis on the microscopic and the macroscopic levels. Researchers have found that when chemistry problems emphasizing either the microscopic level or the symbolic level were administered to students in an introductory chemistry course, significantly more students were able to solve the problems that used symbols and numbers than could solve those depicting particles.

The objective of this unit is to develop a particulate view of chemical changes by giving each area of cognition equal weighting rather than focusing solely on the symbolic level and problem-solving.


Learning progression across grades:

• Use significant figures in calculations

• Use the factor-label method for problem solving

• Recognize that atoms are neither created nor destroyed in chemical reactions, merely rearranged.

• Distinguish between an atom and a molecule.

• Distinguish between an element and compound.

• Write chemical formulas of binary molecular compounds from their names.

• Use the mole concept and molar mass to convert mass of a pure substance to moles, or moles to mass


Learning progression within grade:

What are your objectives for this unit?

Florida NGSSS:

• SC.8.P.9.1: Explore the Law of Conservation of Mass by demonstrating and concluding that mass is conserved when substances undergo physical and chemical changes.

• SC.8.P.9.2: Differentiate between physical changes and chemical changes.

• SC.8.P.8.5: Recognize that there are a finite number of elements and that their atoms combine in a multitude of ways to produce compounds that make up all of the living and nonliving things that we encounter.

AAAS 6-8 grades:

• When substances interact to form new substances, the elements composing them combine in new ways. In such a recombination, the properties of the new combinations may be very different from those of the old.

• All matter is made up of atoms, which are far too small to see directly through a microscope.

• Atoms may link together in well-defined molecules, or may be packed together in crystal patterns. Different arrangements of atoms into groups compose all substances and determine the characteristic properties of substances.


Describe any materials and/or technologies students will interact with throughout this unit.

Questions raised by this unit of study for further consideration later in this course:

• Why do atoms rearrange at different rates?

• Why do atoms bond in predictable ways?

• Why are some chemical reactions spontaneous, while others are not?


Describe how teachers will support and evaluate student thinking and proficiency throughout the teaching of the unit.

Students will use:

• triple-beam or digital balance

• various reagents for chemical reactions

• standard laboratory equipment

• student response system



Session Description

To support development through the three areas of cognition (macroscopic, microscopic, symbols), students will observe the macroscopic properties of chemical changes, use diagrams and symbols to model these changes at the atomic level, develop quantitative relationships between reactants and products, and test the predictive power of the Atomic Theory.

To monitor students' progress through these three areas a pre-test is given at the beginning of the unit that reflects the learning goals for the unit. Students' progress will be monitored by the teacher using:

• In-class independent student practice

• Quizzes aligned to the learning goals that should be mastered at that point in the sequence of instruction.

• Out-of-class independent project.


Step 4, Task 2: Develop Your Research Lesson

Now that your team has developed a learning progression that maps out the flow of key concepts, skills, and learning objectives that comprise your chosen instructional unit, it is time to select one of the lessons in your unit plan as the research lesson. As you undertake this step, it is important to bear in mind that lesson study affords your team an opportunity to select a research lesson from among the best lessons available . In other words, your team is not being asked to create a lesson from scratch. It is preferable for your team to adapt an existing lesson to the specific demands of your curriculum and the needs of your students.

  • The Lesson Study Research Group has links to Lesson Study Work Samples (http://www.tc.columbia.edu/lessonstudy/worksamples.html) from a variety of grade levels and subjects. Your team is also encouraged to search the resources available in CPALMS (cpalms.org) for lessons relevant to your team’s research focus.

  • The Lesson Plan Source on the LSSS’ “Develop Your Research Lesson” task, presents your team with the option to:

    • Search for related lesson plans on CPALMS,
    • Create a lesson plan using CPALMS’ lesson planning tool, or
    • Upload your own research lesson plan or link to one on the web


Step 4, Task 3: Script your Research Lesson

Regardless of the source of your research lesson, your team should generate a detailed lesson script that outlines:

  • The Steps of the lesson, including any teaching/learning activities in each step
  • Anticipated student responses to each step, and
  • Points of evaluation for each step, which may include:
    • o Teacher responses to student questions or actions
    • Relevant student data that might provide insight into student learning

This task gives you the flexibility to upload your own script or generate one in the LSSS using the editable three-column template provided.



Step 5: Teach your Team’s Lesson

The weeks that your team has devoted to the research and preparation of your teaching-learning plan for this lesson study cycle are nearing an end. Prior to teaching and observing the lesson, there are several important things for your team to decide.

  • When and in what class (or classes) will the lesson be scheduled?
  • Who will teach and/or re-teach the lesson?
  • What materials, equipment, and supplies are needed for the lesson?
  • How will substitute teachers be provided to cover your team’s classes?
  • What school/district/other personnel will be invited to observe the lesson?
  • When and where will the debriefing and re-teaching phases be held?

Step 5, Task 1: Devise a Data Collection Plan

Catherine Lewis (2002) has referred to the data collection plan as an element of lesson study that “cuts across all three circles” (p.66) of the teaching-learning plan. The data that your team chooses to focus on during the observation of the lesson should provide insights into student learning of the lesson goals, goals of the larger unit of instruction, and the larger over-arching goals stated in your research theme.

  • The Data Collection Plan page in Step 5, Task 1 of the LSSS prompts your team to consider the following in devising their data collection plan:
    • The immediate goals of the research lesson
    • The broader learning goals of the instructional unit
    • The over-arching student goals expressed in your team’s research theme
    • Relevant samples from student work on the research lesson, and
    • Individual data collection assignments for teacher/observers during the teaching of the research lesson

Step 5, Task 2: Assemble Lesson Materials and Teach the Research Lesson

Your team must decide upon what classroom(s) the teach and/or reteach will take place, what materials will need to be prepared in advance for the students, and who will be attending the teach as data collectors and observers. Once these issues have been resolved, your team will need to ensure that everything is in place on the day of the lesson.

So that there is no miscommunication among team members, it is wise for the team to allocate responsibilities for obtaining instructional materials and setting up the classroom space(s) for the teaching of the research lesson, to specific team members.

A Materials Inventory Tool is included in the Instructions panel in this step of the LSSS to document all materials and equipment needed for the lesson as well as the team member(s) responsible for obtaining them.

Teach your Team's Lesson


As your team prepares to teach its research lesson, it is important to attend to the tasks listed below.

Before the Teach:

  • All observers including visitors should be notified of the teach-debrief-reteach schedule and given directions for the location of the teaching session and post-teach meetings.
  • A data collection strategy should be agreed upon by the team and all observers should be briefed on their data collection responsibilities.
  • All instructional materials should be in place for the teaching session and the classroom should be prepared accordingly.
  • Copies of the lesson script should be made available for each observer, including visitors.
  • All school administrators should be notified of the schedule and invited to attend.
During the Teach:

  • Observers should position themselves about the classroom in accordance with the team’s data collection strategy. Depending upon the team’s preferences, observers may choose to focus on one group of students or may move from group to group.
  • Observers should NOT talk to or interact with students.
  • Observers should focus upon the actions of the students and how they receive the lesson.
After the Teach

  • All team members and observers should refrain from discussing their data and observations until the debrief meeting is convened.
It is suggested that the team break for at least 15 minutes before convening for the debrief. Each person may organize his or her data individually during this time. It is recommended that the team members refrain from discussing the lesson and any data or observations until the debrief.


Step 6: Debrief and Reflect

The lesson debrief provides your team with an opportunity to discuss data collected during your observations of the lesson and implications for student learning. The debriefing should focus on two main themes:

  • Discussion of student data and reflection by each team member and observer
  • Discussion of how the lesson can be modified to better address desired learning outcomes
The Facilitator should begin the debriefing by thanking the teacher who taught the lesson on behalf of the team and briefly describing the Debriefing Protocol located in the instructions pane on Step 6, Task 1 of the LSSS.

After the first round of discussion, in which each team member and observer shares their data and reflections without interruption, the Facilitator should move the debrief to the general discussion phase, in which the team and invited guests begin discussing ways that the lesson can be improved to better achieve the learning outcomes envisioned in the teaching-learning plan.


Step 6, Task 1: Debrief Teaching Session

After team members and observers have shared their data and reflections without interruption, the Facilitator should move the debrief to the general discussion phase, in which the team and invited guests begin discussing ways that the lesson can be improved to better achieve the learning outcomes envisioned in the teaching-learning plan.

  • A Lesson Plan Modification Tool is provided for team members to document proposed changes and to generate a revised Research Lesson Plan for re-teaching.
  • Re-teach the Research Lesson (optional). The modified research lesson may be taught to a separate group of students, preferably by a different teacher. You can use the same data collection plan that your team used when the lesson was originally taught. You may want to revise the plan, though, if you feel that it did not allow for effective data collection or to bring it into better alignment with the modified lesson. It is optimal if the re-teach is conducted on the same day as the original research lesson.





Step 6, Task 2: Debrief Teaching Session

A final debrief and reflection session should be scheduled after the reteach. After the initial discussion of the data collected during the re-teach, the general phase of the discussion should focus on reflecting upon what was learned by your team over the course of the cycle and how this knowledge can be useful in planning and conducting subsequent cycles. Finally, your team should discuss your plan for reporting your activities over the course of the cycle. Your team can report what it has learned over the course of the LS cycle and how that knowledge can be useful in further instruction, in the dialogue box in Task 2 of Step 6 of the LSSS.



Step 7: Report and Share your Team’s Lesson Study Work

Your team has the option of sharing its work, including any final documents that it has produced over the course of the lesson study cycle.

In addition, CPALMS’ LSSS provides reporting options that include:

  • Storing your lesson study cycle documents and generating a report for your team, and/or school and district officials who require one for in-service credit, and
  • Submitting any, or all, of your unit plan and research lesson to CPALMS (cpalms.org) for consideration as a CPALMS instructional resource or lesson study resource kit.

References

Lewis, C. (2002). Lesson Study: A Handbook of Teacher-Led Instructional Change. Philadelphia, PA: Research for Better Schools.

Lewis, C. & Hurd, J. (2011). Lesson Study Step by Step. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann

Stepanik, J., Appel, G., Leong, M., Mangan, M., Mitchell, M. (2007). Leading Lesson Study. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press