Grade 3 · Math

Grade 3 math: unit fractions

The teacher asked

Write a 45-minute Grade 3 lesson introducing unit fractions, with a worksheet and an exit ticket. Standard: CCSS 3.NF.A.1. 24 students, two are newcomer English learners. We have fraction strips and mini whiteboards.

What’s inside

  • objectives with success criteria
  • a timed lesson plan (5 + 10 + 12 + 15 + 3 minutes) with a sandwich-sharing warm-up and a fraction-strip think-aloud
  • a hinge question
  • an 8-item worksheet with a challenge item and answer key
  • an exit ticket with what each wrong answer shows

Skills used

Excerpt (exit ticket response table, shortened)

AnswerWhat it showsNext step
6/1 on item 1Reverses numerator and denominatorReteach “the bottom number is how many equal parts” with folding
Read the full example on GitHub (opens GitHub)

Grade 8 · Science

Grade 8 science: chemical reactions

The teacher asked

Plan a 6-lesson Grade 8 unit on chemical reactions, 50-minute periods. Standard: NGSS MS-PS1-2. Then write a 10-question quiz with an answer key for after lesson 3, and a rubric for the lab report. We have a lab room with goggles. Mixed-ability class of 30.

What’s inside

  • a backward-design unit with enduring understandings, essential questions, likely misconceptions, and a lab-technician performance task
  • a lesson-by-lesson table
  • a quiz blueprint, a 10-item quiz, and a key with rationales
  • a lab report rubric
  • safety-sensitive steps flagged (for example, a burning splint is teacher-only demonstration, and the powder must be checked against the school’s chemical safety list)

Skills used

Excerpt (likely misconceptions)

“Any bubbles mean a chemical reaction (boiling water also bubbles).”

Read the full example on GitHub (opens GitHub)

Grade 11 · English

Grade 11 English: argument writing

The teacher asked

Grade 11 English, 55-minute period. Teach students to explain how evidence supports a claim in an argument paragraph. Standard: CCSS W.11-12.1. Then a rubric for the paragraph, feedback on one sample paragraph, supports for four English learners at intermediate proficiency and two students with extended time in their plans, and a short email to families about the argument unit.

What’s inside

  • a 55-minute lesson on claim, evidence, and reasoning
  • a 4-level rubric
  • feedback on an invented student paragraph (what works, next step, a question, and a suggested score for the teacher to confirm)
  • UDL changes, a support version, English learner supports, an extension, and an accommodations menu
  • a family email with placeholders to fill in

Skills used

Excerpt (family email, opening)

“Over the next three weeks, our class is learning to write arguments: taking a position and proving it with evidence.”

Read the full example on GitHub (opens GitHub)

Requests to try (from the project’s usage guide)

  • Write objectives for a two-week Grade 5 unit on the water cycle. Use DOK levels. Standards: NGSS 5-ESS2-1.

  • Plan a 50-minute Grade 9 algebra lesson on slope as rate of change. Then make an exit ticket.

  • Make a 12-question quiz on the causes of World War I for Grade 10, with an answer key. Mostly multiple choice, two short answers.

  • Build a 4-level rubric for a Grade 7 persuasive speech.

  • Here is a student paragraph and my rubric. Draft feedback: one strength, one next step, one question.

  • Adapt this worksheet for three students reading two grades below level and one newcomer English learner.

  • Write a short email to families about our next unit on fractions, with one thing they can do at home.