Watch: The Shift from Lesson Planning to Intellectual Preparation
Impact Florida's Professional Learning Cadre explored how to effectively implement High-Quality Instructional Materials in ELA, including the shift from lesson planning to intellectual preparation. This video explains why this shift is so important to support great teaching for all students.
Watch: One School's Journey with High-Quality Instructional Materials
During a Virtual Learning Walk, Impact Florida's Professional Learning Cadre learned from the experience of a school in Highlands County that had implemented high-quality instructional materials, CKLA, and collaborative planning through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). Their story offers lessons learned for schools and districts that are making the shift to intellectual preparation.
About the Intellectual Preparation Toolkit for ELA
Shifting from Lesson Planning to Intellectual Preparation: Internalizing High-Quality Instructional Materials to Help ALL Students Become Great Readers, Writers, and Speakers
High-quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) have been shown to dramatically improve student learning when implemented successfully, as one of the Five Conditions that Support Great Teaching. One of the keys to effective implementation of HQIM is supporting teachers to make the shift from lesson planning to intellectual preparation. To serve all students, instructors need opportunities to internalize the HQIM they will use to engage students.
The introduction of HQIM represents a shift in the role of the teacher: the work is no longer to find and piece together materials, but rather, to work through the texts, language demands, questions, and tasks of a lesson to uncover the highest leverage sequence and instructional moves. In this way, these materials free up teachers’ planning time to focus on their area of greatest expertise: the needs and strengths of their students. Where teachers previously had to create lessons, their work can instead center on lesson delivery.
This toolkit contains several resources for teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders to use to support teachers in the shift from lesson planning to intellectual preparation.
This toolkit was developed by TNTP for Impact Florida's Professional Learning Cadre for English Language Arts. Special thanks to our partners and cadre members who made this resource possible.
Unit Internalization Protocol
This template supports teachers through the intellectual preparation necessary to meaningfully lead students through an ELA unit. VIEW NOW
Lesson Internalization Protocol
This template supports teachers through the intellectual preparation necessary to meaningfully lead students through an ELA lesson - differentiating between planning for meaning- and skills-based competencies. VIEW NOW
Collaborative Planning Tool
This week-by-week guidance provides a simple template for collaborative planning - differentiating between planning for meaning- and skills-based competencies. VIEW NOW
Student Work Review Tool
This analysis tool supports teachers, coaches, and leaders in understanding how well both tasks and student work align to the rigor demanded by the standards. VIEW NOW
Further Reading and Additional Resources
- High Quality Instructional Materials Implementation Framework (https://lifteducationtn.com/)
- Curriculum Implementation Tool Example Grades K-5 (developed by TNTP in support of partner districts)
- Curriculum Implementation Tool Example Grade 6-12 (developed by TNTP in support of partner districts)
- Printable Instructional Practice Guides (https://achievethecore.org/)
- Qualitative Complex Rubrics: Informational Text and Literature (https://achievethecore.org/)
- Annotated Meaning-Based Example Lesson Plan (developed by TNTP in support of partner districts)
- Annotated Skills-Based Example Lesson Plan (developed by TNTP in support of partner districts)
Benchmark Advance K-5
- Benchmark Advance Lesson Preparation (developed by TNTP in support of partner districts)
Wonders K-5
- Wonders Lesson Preparation and Unit Preparation Guidance K-5 (both developed by TNTP in support of partner districts)
StudySync 6-12
- StudySync Lesson Preparation (developed by TNTP in support of partner districts)
- StudySync Unit Preparation Guidance (developed by TNTP in support of partner districts)
myPerspectives 9-12
- myPerspectives 9-12 Text Preparation and Unit Preparation (developed by TNTP in support of partner districts)