In many of the schools I work with, we look to establish a departmental lesson structure that all maths teachers will follow.
But wait…
Just before we dive in, let me pre-empt two objections you may have:
1. A lesson is not the correct unit of time to think about when planning!
This is true. However, it is a useful unit to start with. Over time, teachers can be encouraged to flex – rolling one lesson over into two, for example, if students need more time to consolidate. But I believe in the benefits of routines and structure, and with everything else in schools dictated to by the bell, I am happy to start thinking about planning in terms of individual lessons that form part of a logical sequence.
2. Not every lesson is suited to such a rigid structure!
Yep, fair point. But such lessons are the exceptions. If we instead start by assuming that all lessons can be made to fit this structure and only break it when necessary—perhaps students are going over an assessment, working on a project, or you want them to continue after the last lesson—then we have a structure that teachers can improve at, and that is ready to be adapted when needed.
The building blocks and their purpose
We will examine each lesson phase in depth throughout the rest of the section. Here, I want to outline each phase and its purpose so we can see the big picture.
- Do Now – to provide a spaced retrieval opportunity of content not related to the lesson to ensure students don’t forget the things they once knew
- Purpose – to ensure students see the point of what they are about to do
- Atomisation – to break down a new procedure into its smallest parts (atoms), assess those atoms students have met before and teach those atoms that are new
- I Do – to provide a clear, concise, teacher-led explanation of a procedure
- We Do – to gather data from every student to see if they have followed the procedure modelled in the I Do
- Consolidate – to provide students with an opportunity to build confidence and competence with the procedure
- Problem-solving – the purpose is to present students with non-routine applications of the procedure
How do these building blocks fit together in a lesson?
If one block is missing, it all falls down
Every one of these blocks is there for a reason. If you remove a block, you risk students learning.
- Without a spaced retrieval Do Now, students will forget things, and the lesson may not get off to an orderly start
- Without showing the students the purpose of what they are about to do, students may lose interest and wonder what the point is
- Without atomisation, a new procedure will be overwhelming
- Without a strong, teacher-led mode, students will struggle with the basics of the procedure
- Without a We Do that every student participates in, the teacher will have no idea who is following and who needs support
- With consolidation, students will not have the opportunity to automate the procedure
- Without problem-solving, students will never develop the necessary toolkit to be a successful mathematician
However, whilst there is a logical order to these blocks, there is no defined way they need to fit together. Here are three lesson structures I think can be effective:
Lesson Structure #1: Single flow
Here, the lesson flows from one phase to another, from the Do Now to Problem-Solving.
So, if the lesson is about adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators, the Atomisation phase would assess students’ knowledge of:
- Finding the lowest-common multiple
- Finding equivalent fractions
- Adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator
- Converting between mixed and improper fractions
The teacher would teach students the new Atom of deciding whether fractions are ready to be added or subtracted.
The teacher would model adding two fractions with different denominators during the I Do. The first We Do would assess the same skill. Then, through a series of carefully varied We Dos, the teacher would check students’ ability to transfer what they had learned to subtract fractions and carry out both operations with mixed number fractions.
Students would then practice consolidating all these ideas.
Lesson Structure #2: Three-phase blocks
We have several Blocks, each shaded in grey. In this structure, each Block consists of three phases. After each model and checking for understanding, the teacher guides students through a new aspect of the procedure. Once all of these have been modelled and assessed, students are given a practice activity to consolidate and method-select between all procedures, followed by a problem-solving activity to bring everything together.
Returning to our lesson on adding and subtracting fractions, the first “Block” would focus exclusively on adding proper fractions, and mixed numbers would be excluded from the Atomisation phase.
After a successful We Do pn adding fractions, the teacher would model subtracting fractions. At this stage, there are no new Atoms to teach or assess.
After a successful We Do on subtracting fractions, the teacher would assess students’ ability to convert from mixed-number fractions to improper fractions, as that skill is now needed for the third Block. The teacher would then model how to add or subtract fractions, check for understanding in the We Do, and give students a practice activity that includes all three skills.
Lesson Structure #3: Four-phase blocks
Here, we have four lesson phases per Block. After each We Do, students are given a short period of independent practice to consolidate the procedure covered in the I Do, and We Do before the teacher introduces the next idea. After several such blocks, students are given a problem-solving activity that brings everything together.
Thinking about our lesson on adding and subtracting fractions, the difference between Lesson Structure #2 and Lesson Structure #3 is the opportunity to consolidate after each We Do.
Which structure to choose?
The topic and the class will determine which structure to use.
As a general rule, the higher the class attains, the more likely you are to use Lesson Structure #1, and the more support the class needs, the more likely you are to choose Lesson Structure #3.
However, if the topic is particularly challenging, you may opt for Lesson Structure #3, regardless of the class.
How do I plan lessons using these structures?
It is impossible to predict how many Blocks you will complete in a lesson. But if you plan in blocks, you can be flexible. If students don’t pick things up as quickly as you anticipated, you can move one block to the next lesson, or if students are flying, you can move a Block from the next lesson into this one.
