Wayne State University College of Education

Lesson Planning Framework for Effective Instructional Design

Teaching Intern(s): Stefan Potter
School in which the lesson is being taught: North Farmington
Grade level of students for whom the lesson was developed: 10-11
Subject/content area(s) for the lesson: AP World History/ Test Taking
Title of the lesson: Test Taking Strategies and Stress Management
Time needed for lesson: 15-20 minutes
1. LEARNERS & LEARNING ENVIRONMENT
a) Engaging and Supporting Diverse Learners: Applying Principles of Universal
Design for Learning:

I have two students with ADHD in my classes who will benefit greatly by the pace
and layout of Prezi.
I have a student with anxiety and the Prezi is repetitive enough to add a cohesive
element to the lesson. The video about stress management teaches the students in a
fun, animated way how to deal with stress. The stress management aspect of this
lesson is to help my students with anxiety.
I have also chosen blues as my primary colors for backgrounds, this should add a
feeling of calm to the Prezi and the lesson.
My hope is that using the methods of stress management, the students will be better
equipped to take a higher level exam with a lowered level of anxiety.
Each class has anywhere from 29-32 students in them, all with varying levels of
preparedness for an AP style test. The class also is made up of both Junior and
Sophomores, which leads to a difference in cognitive reasoning ability. Some students
show great strength in the area of test taking and some are lacking.
This lesson was designed to help students who are struggling with grasping the habits
of mind required to take an AP test. These students have been ability grouped with the
more experienced students in the class, mostly Juniors, who have taken AP courses
before and can aid them with the synthesis of information.
One of the greatest strengths in my classes is that the students are all ready to learn,
but one of the greatest weakness is that many of the students have never learned how
to learn.
In my classes there is a diverse population of students that hail from a variety of
socioeconomic backgrounds and might not have access to a tutor for test taking
strategies. This lesson should give them a basic understanding for how to take a test
that they would normally receive from a tutor.
While I have many students from other cultures in my classes this lesson is not one
that needs to be catered to any specific culture.

b) Materials & Digital Tools Needed: A Prezi, a computer and a projector will be

needed for this lesson. The computer and projector are located at the front of the
room and the Prezi is online on my personal Prezi page. Access can be gained by
anyone with an email address. Students should have note taking gear (pen and
paper). White board, dry erase marker, and an eraser. I have limited the materials
for this lesson down to a writing device and a piece of paper; both of which I can

supply if needed.

2. OUTCOMES & ASSESSMENT

a) State Standards and Student OutcomesLearning Goals
Standards:
**AP Standards Used**

Skill Type II (Skill 4):

Compare related historical developments and processes across place,

time, and/or different societies, or within one society.
Explain and evaluate multiple differing perspectives on a given
historical phenomenon.
Skill Type III (Skill 6):
Analyze commonly accepted historical arguments and explain how
an argument has been constructed from historical evidence.
Evaluate and synthesize conflicting historical evidence to construct
persuasive historical arguments.
Skill Type III (Skill 7):
Analyze features of historical evidence such as audience, purpose,
point of view, format, argument, limitations, and context germane to
the evidence considered.
Based on analysis and evaluation of historical evidence, make
supportable inferences and draw appropriate conclusions.
Outcomes:

SWBAT 1: Understand what stress is and be able to apply helpful coping

strategies before and during tests. Students will demonstrate this ability
before and during the next test by taking deep breaths.
SWBAT 2: Identify and apply Multiple Choice Question strategies by
eliminating two of the not right answers and then looking to the original
question for the most right answer.
SWBAT 3: Break down an argumentative short answer and essay question
on a test to identify important factors in the passage provided. Students will
then be able to construct and argument to best support their thesis using
main points and support.
b) Assessment and EvaluationEvidence of Student Learning
Assessment:

SWBAT 1: To be observed on test day. The instructor will note the relative
stress levels of the students by looking at some non-verbal ticks such as
fidgeting (excessive), eyes looking around the room, and a type of head in
hands motion, etc. Breathing should be observed as well to ensure that this
lesson was helpful in de-stressing the students during the test. Students can
also be asked after the test if this lesson helped by a show of hands.
SWBAT 2: During the second multiple choice question, students will be
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asked to justify any mental moves they make to solve the question when
they raise their hand. Showing their thinking is what is important during the
multiple choice section.
SWBAT 3: What should be observed during the group discussion is that
students are discussing the argumentative prompt and applying their themes
from the AP class discussions in the past. Working with this group to apply
the outline strategy covered in the lesson as well as asserting their own
opinion and justifying to groupmates. Mentioning of themes, identifying the
bias of the author, and any information regarding a comparison to any other
river civilization should be watched for.
Evaluation: The evaluation for this lesson will come to fruition by
examining students during test time.

3. INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICE

a) IntroductionEngaging Students, Activating Prior Knowledge, Setting

Lesson Goals:
A sponge game will be played at the opening of the hour. The game is known as
Taboo. In this game the class will be split into two groups. The two groups will
also be the same split for the argumentative prompt later in the lesson. The game
Taboo gives students a word they have to get their team to say without saying
any of the other listed words. This game engages the students minds and
prepares them for learning. Taboo was specifically chosen because it will get
students to think outside of their normal habits of mind and use new pathways of
thought, which is the aim of the lesson. This will also help with the sense of
community in the classroom by allowing students to work together to solve a
problem. After the Prezi is brought up, the instructor will empathize with the
students about the difficulty of tests, but ensure them that they can be overcome.
b) Instructional ProceduresEngaging Students in Actively Constructing
Deep Understanding:
**Remember to Give time for writing and thinking throughout lesson**

1. This lesson is after the sponge activity

2. The instructor will introduce the lesson by bringing up the Prezi on the
computer.
3. The instructor will encourage the use of note taking and emphasize that it okay
to call out the answer during the lesson.
4. The class will be set to the red cell phone policy during the lesson.
5. The Prezi will be brought up and the instructor will empathize with the students
about the difficulty of tests, but ensure them that they can be overcome. Add in
personal experiences about test taking and ask students if they feel the same with
a show of hands.
6. The video will be watched as students take notes on quality stress relief
strategies.
7. Instructor will then ask, So did you find this helpful? and follow up with,
How many of you already employ some of these strategies? If no one
volunteers, a quick show of hands will be used.
8. The instructor will then move onto the How to Study slide of the Prezi and
review the Study Hacks These will be read aloud for students to copy down. If
anyone volunteers anything else that works for them, it can be added. Add into
the conversation by talking about the Wonder Woman power stance and
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demonstrate. Follow up with quick talk about confidence and its importance.
9. Instructor will check for understanding by asking, So, is there anything on here
that any of you already do, and which hacks do you use?" If no one volunteers,
instructor can ask the class what hacks do they want to start using.
10. The Prezi will be moved onto the next slide, Multiple Choice Strategy
11. The Instructor will review the major themes that have been discussed so far in
class. (SB, CUL, ENV, ECO, SOC [gender]) These themes represent the main
themes that have been used in every lesson so far this semester and application
of these themes during the test is crucial to the students success.
12. The Multiple Choice question will then be discussed and worked through as a
group. The instructor will remind the students of the skip and come back
strategy. Note: most students know this strategy so acknowledge that they do to
make them feel valued and intelligent.
13. The Instructor will share the most right answer strategy while modeling
thinking out loud for the students and asking for the students ideas on how to
solve the Multiple choice question. Bring up percentages (25% chance of getting
it right when you have four choices and 50% with two choices). Also, remind
students that even if they dont know the answer they can use this strategy.
14. The instructor will then move onto the next slide with an additional Multiple
choice (as needed) and students will direct the thinking out loud for this
question. A student will be asked to volunteer if he/she wants to come up and
show (using the modeled steps from before) how he/she would solve this
multiple choice problem. The student would do this by showing his/her thinking
by writing on the board and justifying marks. If no one volunteers, the instructor
is to stay up in front of the class and ask for students to raise their hand when
they think of a good next step in the solving process and to justify their answer.
15. The Instructor will move onto the next slide and show the students how to make
a quick outline for short answers and essays by identifying strengths and
weaknesses in provided material.
16. The Instructor will move onto the next slide that contains a sample
argumentative short answer question. Remind students to be specific and to use
themes while looking for answers.
17. Students will work in groups to answer the questions. Half of the class will be
pro the author and half of the class will be against (5 min.)
18. During this time the Instructor should walk around the class and observe
conversations that are taking place and provide clarification if necessary. The
instructor should be looking for students expressing their thinking out loud, and
justification of their answers. Mentioning of themes, identifying the bias of the
author, and any information regarding a comparison to any other river
civilization should be watched for.
19. After 5 minutes the instructor will ask who would like to share their pieces (This
is the second area where synthesis and comprehension will be observed).
20. After sharing is finished instructor should ask for any more questions regarding
the material.
c) Technology as a Tool for Effective Teaching & Learning

The Prezi is brightly colored and moves around so that students attention
can be kept for a sustained period of time. The second source of
technology is a YouTube video that goes over what stress really is by
identifying stress as a physical response. The video also stresses the idea
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of breathing through stress. A computer and a projector will be used to

make this visible to all students.
An interactive Prezi is being during the lesson as well as active note
taking and group work. Prezi is being used because of its interesting
layout as well as the animated transitions. Both the layout and the
transitions help keep students engaged and I have found that students
with ADHD often have an easier time paying attention to a Prezi over a
PowerPoint.

d) ClosureStudents Summarizing and Synthesizing Their Learning

The closure for this lesson will be assessed verbally during the Q&A and
through sharing of ideas after the writing prompt. How is everyone feeling
about the test? Thumbs up, down or sideways will be asked. After this lesson
do you feel like you are better able to handle stress? Thumbs up, down or
sideways. Do you feel more comfortable with finding the most right answer
when doing multiple choice? same thumb assessment here. The culmination of
this lesson will not be observable until the test day. The instructor will see how
test scores compare to prior quiz scores of each student, the results of which
should be made apparent to the students. Also, the evidence of less stress during
the test should be noted by the instructor. After this lesson, students should gain
an understanding for what stress is and how to cope with it. Students will also be
able to look at a multiple choice question and break it down to find the best
answer. The final benefit of this lesson is the students will gain the ability to
write an effective argumentative short answer. All of this will help not only in
this class but in other classes as well as the AP test at the end of the year.
Throughout all sections students will be able to synthesis the thematic
information that we have studied so far in the class; State Building (SB),
Economics (ECO), Environment (ENV), Culture (CUL), and Social (SOC).
Through this thematic lens, students will begin to see the culmination of all they
have learned so far in the class and be able to put those lessons to good use on
the upcoming test.
4. REFERENCES & RESOURCES

https://prezi.com/-rinhstra7ha/test-preparation/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpQrMqDoqE
http://blog.prepscholar.com/ap-world-history-study-guide
Dr. Cotes. Test Prep Lecture. Biology Lab Class. OCC 2014.
AP World History Curriculum Framework 2016-2017. College Board. New
York, New York

5. PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY: Teacher Reflection

I think that this lesson went very well. The students were actively engaged
throughout the lesson and I feel as if they gained a good perspective on what was
coming up on the test and how they should be preparing themselves for it. The synthesis
of applying their themes to the questions went very well as well as the students starting
to grasp what and argumentative short-answer question should look like. This is in
general, but I would like to comment on a few of the notes that I received from this
lesson because they are good and got me thinking about improving this lesson and my
teaching style in the future.
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There was a moment when I needed to bring the classes attention back up to
the front of the room so I said. Back up front because this is what I have noticed to be
the most effective with this particular group of students. I could also have waited for
their attention and leverage my relationship with them, but I think that this method
should be used later in the year when the relationships we have built are stronger. I
could have also just started the lecture and made them feel as if they had to catch up. I
do not think this method would work for everyone, but I have an easy time projecting
because I am an actor and I am used to it.
The second note that I received was that I was seated in a chair for the fifth
hour lesson. This was because I stood to the side of the room in first and third hour and I
found that in the time it took me to cross to the computer the class got off topic and I
had to take extra time to get them reengaged in the lesson and I wanted to avoid that.
The original reason I crossed the room is because the position of my body by the
computer was blocking students view of the video so I wanted to get out of the way. By
the time fourth hour came around I decided to sit so I could easily get back into the
lesson as well as let the students behind me see the video.
There was one brave soul in the fourth hour class that came up to the front
of the room and annotated the multiple choice question for the rest of the class. He is
one of my 504 kids with ADHD and he did a wonderful job at showing his thinking and
really getting to the point of the exercise. With this one exception every other class did
not volunteer to get up and solve the second multiple choice question. I want to keep the
option open at this point in the year because we are still building our relationship as a
class. I do think that it is a good idea to start calling on people later on in the year
because at that point the relationships are set and I know what students I will be able to
push and those I cannot. This aspect of the class was as much about me as it was about
my students. Meaning, I need to take more time to observe what students I can push and
those I should stay away from pushing too hard.
I would also like to address the table that got off topic at the end of the
lecture, as I have given it a lot of thought. In the moment I let them go because I wanted
to choose my battles with them and another student just raised his hand. Later on in the
lesson they were still off and missed out on some key information that would help them
on the test. As I was standing in the front I regretted my choice to pick my battle with
them, but since that moment I have thought of a few different strategies that could help
me deal with a table that gets off topic. The first inclination I had was to ask, so hows
it coming over here? to the table. I also thought that maybe if I let it go in the
beginning when I got back up to the front of the class and started the share out I could
have pointed out that I hear a lot of conversation coming from that specific table and
say, I am really interested to hear what you came up with? I think that this would put
them on the spot as well as show them that I knew that they were off topic. I could have
also taped on the table to show that I knew what was going on. I do think that in the
future I would like to try and make sure that students stay on task a bit more because
after this lesson I will have to try harder to keep them there after they saw that they can
get away with it.