I have thought of lesson planning and why it appears so difficult for so many teachers.  Aside from the obvious indications that, well, many teachers were never actually taught how to write a lesson plan, only to read and interpret them from a textbook “Teacher’s Edition,” the task can seem ominous.  I believe a logical reference to the burden of lesson planning lies within the military use of the “operations order.”  The operations order goes by several names and acronyms, i.e., operations plan, OPLAN, OPORD, five paragraph field order, etc.  It’s function is to identify an objective and explain how to accomplish it.  Consisting of five standard paragraphs it includes instructions for executing the mission.

1. Situation
2. Mission
3. Execution
4. Support
5. Command & Control

The lesson plan is a miniature operations order.  It tells us what we want to do, how we want to do it, what resources we need to make it happen, and how much time we have to do it in.  The lesson plan gives us our objective and tells us why we are doing what’s in store.  We receive the intent of the activities, why they’re important, and, if conducted correctly, what we get out of them.  They tell us what questions to ask, when to ask them, and what you hope to gain from the answers.  They tell us how to determine whether or not we’ve been successful when it’s over.  We should look at a lesson plan like it’s an operations order.  Do a good job on this and just about everything else falls into place.

An operations order consists of five paragraphs.  Thus, unlike a lesson plan, it has a universal standard format.  The concept, when applied to a military maneuver, can encompass thousands of soldiers in a large scale mission or it can focus on a squad of eight scouts on a reconnaissance task.  For a teacher, the concept can direct the activities of 28 children in such a way that what we want them to learn becomes a deliberate venture focused on engaging students in discovery and leaving them eager for more.  An OPLAN is an amazing instrument, as is the much maligned lesson plan.

With an OPLAN the first paragraph tells us the situation.  With a quality standards-based lesson plan (SBLP) the situation refers to, first and foremost, the benchmark standard we’re going to teach.  But there’s more to it than that, of course.  The situation includes what pre-requisite skills might be needed to really learn the lesson before us.  What scaffolding skills, indirect supporting skills and knowledge, or less complex sub-tasks are involved in fully realizing the CRS, CCSS, or non-core state standard skill we are dealing with?  What is the current skill level of the students relative to the benchmark standard in question?  What supports are available such as specialized services, paraprofessional assistance, IT enhancements, etc.?  And what are the conditions under which the instruction is to take place?

Next comes the mission: who, what, when, where.  In essence, what are we trying to do?  The first paragraph, the situation, tells us why it’s important.  The first thought in preparing a SBLP ought to be the summative assessment.  Referring to the Task (benchmark standard), Condition (how to assess proficiency), Standard (assessment criteria) of the benchmark standard, we either know or can determine the problem-solving skill in question and how it is to be assessed.  Specifically, we know what we want the students to be able to do and under what conditions they will demonstrate proficiency.  This tells us where we focus our attention, where the weak spots might be (re: students), and what the metrics for success look like.  The mission is your objective.  It is short and to the point.

With paragraph three we think about what, exactly, are we going to do to get the students to proficiency and beyond.  The OPLAN will refer to this as the concept of operations.  In education we think of this much like our “learning activities.”  This is how we get from Point A (where student skill levels are now) to Point B (where we want their skill levels to be).  Whether we focus on DBQ’s (DBA, DBI, etc.), group discussions, transferring variables within or without context, or whatever, this is the method of instruction.  It will tell us what the engagement activities consist of.  It will also tell us how we plan to use the supports available.  The concept of operations will be the most deliberate and expansive of paragraphs and may involve scripting.  Like a screenplay to a movie director or like a recipe to a chef, paragraph three tells us “how.”

Paragraph three also includes our coordination/collaboration.  The indispensible coordinating instructions keep us both humble and cohesive.  For a traditionalist teacher whose professional requirements consist of a room, a class roster and a textbook, coordinating instructions are unnecessary.  For the rest of us, the instructional scheme includes other players.  We must continuously be conscious of relevance and alignment.  For an example, what has your grade level team determined to be the focus for your year group?  Are there cross-curricular projects which must be considered?  How does the benchmark skill track with regards to vertical alignment within the department?  Are specific grouping requirements in order?  Are there specific district or school directives to integrate into the lesson?  In short, we must deliberately consider the many variables of our students, our fellow teachers, and the system in which we practice.

Now for paragraph four, this is where the administrative and logistical aspects of the operation (or lesson) come into play.   In a lesson plan this will take into account various external requirements to support the lesson.  Do you change rooms?  Is there need for special supports for diverse learner populations or MTSS/RtI Level 2 and 3 students?  What about student seating?  Does the school or district require specific resources for a particular lesson?  Are certain resources restricted or unavailable which must be supplanted?  Who takes attendance?  A variety of administrative/logistical issues may be routine, but they must be considered even if they are merely referenced in the SBLP.

Paragraph five of an OPLAN refers to command and signal.  Unless your lesson includes a field trip or other out-of-classroom experience, this part of the OPLAN/SBLP is cursory.  However, if an out-of-classroom experience is part of the objective, even if it’s just a trip to the school library or media center (and even for just a few students), this paragraph may be most important.  A substitute or “cover” teacher will undoubtedly find this information handy in case of crisis or just a matter of quandary.  Basically, it includes who does what to whom and how to get ahold of them.

So, there it is.  What goes into a standards-based lesson plan is pretty cut and dried.  It is ostensibly no different from an OPLAN.  Unfortunately for those of us short on time, it includes a whole lot of information we may not have consciously thought about previously.  But for the children to get the most out of any lesson, there must be thoughtful preparation on the part of the teacher.  And I will grant you that a good many teachers are on top of the situation.  But it should be obvious by now that “Review Chapter 16,” as Day 4 of your Week 27 Lesson Plan just won’t pass muster anymore.