← Teacher Center · For teachers
Teacher CenterLesson and unit planning
Plan from the end goal, write objectives students can check, and teach in small steps with checks along the way. Templates save on this device and print.
General information, not legal advice. Your district's evaluation plan, its Code of Conduct and your union contract decide the details for you. When something matters for your job, ask your building union representative and your district (principal, human resources or the special education / ENL office). Facts here were checked Nov 7, 2026 from the official sources listed at the bottom.
1. Backward design: plan from the end
- Stage 1: GoalWhich NYS standards? What should students understand and be able to do at the end of the unit? Write 1-3 "big ideas" and the exact standard codes (NYS Next Generation Math, for example NY-6.RP.3).
- Stage 2: EvidenceBefore planning activities, write the unit test or performance task and the success criteria. If grade 6 Math or ELA, include questions in the style of the NYS test (never copy real items).
- Stage 3: Learning planNow plan lessons that build each skill the evidence needs, in order, with retrieval of earlier skills built in.
Backward design is the planning idea popularized as "Understanding by Design" (Wiggins and McTighe). The steps above are a short summary in our own words.
2. Objectives and success criteria that work
Formula: Students will verb you can see + content + how they show it. Then turn it into 2-4 "I can" success criteria students can check themselves.
| Weak | Strong objective | Success criteria (student words) |
|---|---|---|
| Students will learn about ratios. | Students will use a ratio table to find equivalent ratios and solve a recipe problem, shown on an exit ticket. (NY-6.RP.3) | I can fill in a ratio table. · I can explain why both numbers are multiplied by the same number. · I can use the table to answer a real question. |
| Students will read chapter 3. | Students will identify the central idea of a passage and cite two pieces of evidence that support it, in a written paragraph. (NY-6R2) | I can state the central idea in one sentence. · I can quote two details that prove it. · I can explain how each detail supports it. |
| Students will do the volcano lab. | Students will build a model that explains how energy from Earth's interior moves rock, and use it to answer a question. (MS-ESS2-1) | I can draw and label my model. · I can say what causes the motion. · I can use the model to predict. |
Check exact standard codes in the NYSED standards documents before you post them. Verbs to use: explain, compare, solve, justify, model, cite, classify, predict, create, revise. Verbs to avoid as objectives: learn, understand, know, do, watch.
3. The lesson shape: I do, We do, You do
| Part | Time (45-min period) | Teacher does | Students do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening / do-now | 5 min | Retrieval questions from yesterday and last week | Answer from memory, then check |
| I do (model) | 8-12 min | Think aloud with a worked example; one step at a time | Watch, note the steps, answer quick questions |
| We do (guided) | 10 min | Students try with prompts; check every student's answer | Try problems on whiteboards or with a partner |
| You do (independent) | 12-15 min | Circulate; small group for students who need more; extension for others | Practice alone; self-check against success criteria |
| Closure + exit ticket | 5 min | Students summarize; collect exit ticket | Answer 2-3 questions tied to the objective |
This shape follows research summaries on explicit instruction: small steps, models, guided practice, frequent checks and a high success rate before independent work (Rosenshine, 2012).
4. Checks for understanding (and what to do next)
| Check | How | If most students have it | If many don't |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mini whiteboards | Everyone writes, shows on "3-2-1-show" | Move on; pull a small group for the few who missed | Reteach with a new example or a model |
| Hinge question | One multiple-choice question; each wrong answer shows a specific mistake | Go to independent practice | Group students by the wrong answer they picked |
| Turn and talk + cold call | Partners explain; you call on pairs at random | Push for a deeper "why" | Give a sentence frame and model one answer |
| Finger vote / cards (A-D) | Everyone shows an answer at once | Next step | Ask two students with different answers to explain |
| Exit ticket | 2-3 questions at the end | Plan the next lesson | Start tomorrow with a short reteach and retrieval |
5. Differentiation and UDL
Differentiation means changing the path, not the goal. You can change content (how material is presented), process (how students work), or product (how they show learning), based on readiness, interest or language. Keep the same objective and the same standard for everyone; IEP accommodations and ENL supports are required, not optional.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) plans for differences from the start instead of fixing later. CAST's UDL Guidelines organize it into three principles: multiple means of engagement (why students learn), representation (what they learn, in more than one form) and action and expression (how they show it). CAST UDL Guidelines (checked Nov 7, 2026).
| UDL principle | Quick ideas for a grade 6 lesson |
|---|---|
| Engagement | Real-life hook; choice of two practice sets; clear goal and progress ("Goal: 100%"); safe to try with "Not yet" feedback |
| Representation | Say it, show it, model it: words + picture + 3D model; key-word list with Spanish; Listen button; captions on video |
| Action and expression | Answer by writing, drawing, speaking or building; calculators or manipulatives when allowed; sentence frames; extra time if the IEP says so |
6. Printable templates
Template 1 · Daily lesson plan
One page per lesson.
Template 2 · Unit plan (backward design)
Fill in before the first lesson of the unit.
Template 3 · Exit ticket
Three questions: one basic, one apply, one explain.
Sources
- NYSED: NYS Next Generation Mathematics Learning Standards (checked Nov 7, 2026)
- NYSED: Next Generation Learning Standards roadmap and implementation timeline (checked Nov 7, 2026)
- Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of Instruction. American Educator, Spring 2012 (AFT, PDF) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
- CAST: Universal Design for Learning Guidelines (checked Nov 7, 2026)
- IES What Works Clearinghouse Practice Guide: Organizing Instruction and Study to Improve Student Learning (Pashler et al., 2007, PDF) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
Teacher Center · written for New York State teachers · last checked Nov 7, 2026. Robert Frost Middle School and Deer Park UFSD do not publish every local procedure online, so always confirm local steps with your building.