1.         Week 2 – Assignment       

Evaluating Effective Lessons

In the discussion forums this week, you learned about the important  role planning plays when it comes to creating lessons and activities  that align with a developmentally appropriate curriculum. “It is  important to remember that educational value comes from the goals an  activity addresses, the extent to which the components of the plan align  with those goals, and how well the plan can be individualized to meet  the needs of your particular children” (Kostelnik, Soderman, Whiren,  & Rupiper, 2015, p. 87). It is this combination that makes effective  lessons. In your assignment, you will apply the information you have  learned about planning for instruction by evaluating a lesson in order  to ensure that it is developmentally appropriate.

You will be using the Week Two Assignment Template to complete your assignment this week. Below you will find the directions needed for completing each step of the template.

Step 1: Choose one of the videos below to watch a  lesson being taught to a group of children. As you are watching the  video, record each of the parts of the lesson you see in the video on  the Lesson Plan Template section of the Week Two Assignment Template.  Use the Early Childhood and Child Development Lesson Plan Handbook  as a guide to help you determine where to place things within the  template. For example, if you observe the teacher activating the  children’s prior knowledge, you will record what the teacher does to  activate their prior knowledge in the introduction section of the lesson  plan template. If a section of the Lesson Plan Template is not observed  in the video, you will record Not Observed in that section on the Lesson Plan Template.

Step 2: Using the notes you recorded on the Lesson  Plan Template, evaluate the lesson plan using the Activity Plan  Self-Check section of the Week Two Assignment Template. For this  section, you will place an X on the line if the characteristic  was observed from the lesson you watched when completing the Lesson Plan  Template in Step 1. If the characteristic was not observed, you will  leave the line blank. Then, count up the number of Xs you have  on the Activity Plan Self-Check, and circle the corresponding level for  the lesson you observed on the Self-Check Scoring Key.

Step 3: Using the Lesson Plan Template, Activity  Plan Self-Check, the Early Childhood and Child Development Handbook,  your primary text, and at least two additional scholarly or credible  sources, address the following regarding the lesson you observed in the  Lesson Evaluation section of the Week Two Assignment Template:

• Describe the steps of intentional planning that were evident in the  lesson you observed and how the planning contributed to the success, or  lack of success, of the activity.
• Explain how the lesson was developmentally appropriate for the children in the group.
• Discuss how the lesson plan is or is not aligned from the objective all the way through the closing.  
• Justify the score that you gave the lesson you observed based on the  Activity Plan-Self Check. Make sure to cite specific evidence from the  video that supports your justification.
• Summarize how completing this evaluation activity will allow you to  develop more effective leaders when it comes to developing lesson plans  in your current or future work with children.

Research and Resource Expectations:
Source Requirement: 

• At least two scholarly peer-reviewed or credible sources.  Please use the MAECEL Source Guide if you need assistance with how to locate scholarly peer-reviewed or credible sources.

Writing and Formatting Expectations:

• Title Page: Must include a separate title page with the following: 
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Academic Voice: Academic voice is used (avoids casual language, limited use of “I”, it is declarative) as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Purpose and Organization: Demonstrates logical progression of ideas.
• Control of Syntax and Mechanics: Writing displays meticulous comprehension and organization of syntax and mechanics, such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• APA Formatting: Papers are formatted properly and all sources are cited and referenced in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Assignment Length: This assignment should be two to three double-spaced pages in length (not including title and reference pages).

Next Steps: Review and Submit the Assignment
Review  your assignment with the Grading Rubric to ensure you have achieved the  distinguished levels of performance for each criterion.  Next, submit  the assignment for evaluation no later than Day 7.

Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.