How Do I Create a Lesson Sequence in Primary School?

Developing a lesson sequence allows teachers to set a clear plan of what children need to learn. It also reveals what resources they need and gives an indication of how long a lesson should take.

Each lesson should have an objective to move students closer to the end of the learning arc. It should also include a valuable homework task that consolidates on the learning from the previous lesson or prepares for the next one.

The learning arc

The learning arc is the end point your students will reach, and it can be a powerful tool to guide your planning. This will help you think about what they need to know to be able to progress towards the next stage of your sequence and it can also guide the way you present and scaffold your lessons.

You'll need to consider the time-frame for each learning arc, particularly when it is a deeper concept or challenging skill. Some might be quick to grasp but others can be more complicated. It is often not effective to go straight from presenting information (event 1) to expecting independent performance (event 5).

When you think about the aims and success criteria of your lesson, it's important that this doesn't confuse the learning arc. The aim is the end goal that you want children to achieve, and the success criteria are the learning strategies and evidence they need to be able to progress towards this goal.

The objectives

Lesson objectives are clear statements of what students will know and be able to do by the end of the lesson. They are written as SMART goals and should be time-based to align with the syllabus.

In the lesson procedure, teachers introduce new material to learners through a variety of methods including lecture, readings, activities, projects, multimedia and so on. They also help learners make sense of new information by connecting it to what they already know or have experienced. Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy as a guide helps with this process.

To evaluate how well students have achieved the lesson objectives, teachers use assessment methods that vary from lesson to lesson. These include oral, aural and written assessments such as quizzes, tests, projects, problem sets, and performances. They are often formative in nature and provide valuable feedback to inform future instruction. They are also used to help determine which standards will be taught in the next lesson.

The sequence

The next step in the process involves building out the individual lesson plans that teachers will teach. This includes the subject matter that is being covered, any sources or references that teachers will use and, for more detailed plans, a procedure component which outlines how children will be taught and assessed. The procedure component also contains success criteria, or how children will demonstrate their understanding of the aim.

For example, to teach sequencing of events, teachers can ask students to draw their own sequence on a sheet of paper, divide it into squares, and write each activity in order from start to finish. Alternatively, wordless books like Pancakes for Breakfast by Tomie dePaola or Mark Newgarden's stories about Bow-Wow are great for helping students to practice sequencing. Creating timelines is another way that students can practise sequencing concepts. This can help them understand time order, which is a key concept in science and social studies.