UNIT II

INSTRUCTIONAL
PLANNING

In this unit, you will learn about how to plan, develop, and execute lessons in
mathematics for the primary grades. You will go over the learning cycle, the things to consider
in lesson planning, and the different instructional planning models.

Lesson 4
The teaching cycle

Objective
Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the instructional planning cycle.

Introduction
The work of a teacher does not start and end in teacher per se. the teaching process
is not linear activity that starts with planning and ends with testing. Instead, it is a cycle of
repeating stages until the students acquire an understanding of the targeted concepts and
skills. You may think of the teaching cycle as a spring – you go through the same process over
and over again, but each time with a more informed objective and a better understanding of
what is means to learn and teach mathematics.

Think
There are many models of the teaching cycle that various educators have developed
through out of the years. However, all models boil down to six common stages: (1) identify
objectives, (2) plan instruction, (3) implement plan, (4) check for understanding, (5) reflect on
teaching, and (6) assess learning and reflect on results. The cycle that involves these stages is
illustrated on the next page.

15
The Teaching Cycle

Study the figure. What do you observe? Do you now get the idea of the teaching process
as a cycle? The following describes each stage of the learning cycle.
1. Identify objectives
What knowledge and/or skills do the students need to learn? You must be guided by
the content standards, performance standards, and the learning competencies that ae
found in the curriculum guide.

2. Plan instruction
What strategies must be implemented for the students to achieve the objectives
targeted in the previous stage? In planning instruction, it is important that you have
mastered the content of the lesson that you are about to teach. It is also beneficial to be
familiar with your students – what they know, how they learn, etc. You will learn more
about instructional planning in the next chapter.

3. Implement plan
This is the stage where you conduct the learning activities that you have prepared
during the planning stage. A word of advice: even though you have carefully and
delicately planned for the lesson, you must be flexible with the possible changes that you
need to accommodate. How will you know whether change is needed? Read on to the
next stage.

16
4. Check for understanding
Teaching is about helping students learn. During the implementation of the lesson
plan, you must every now and then check whether the students have understood what
you have covered so far. Facial reactions and verbal cues help in assessing whether or not
the students can move on to another concept or skill. If not, you might need to give a
more elaborate explanation, more examples, or whatever you think is needed based on
the students’ reactions. This stage also makes use of formative assessments that you will
learn about in Chapter 17.
5. Reflect on teaching
You must evaluate teaching period that you finished. Were the objectives
achieved? Were the implemented strategies effective? How can instruction be
improved? Your answers to the last two questions will give you insight on how to improve
instruction the next time you teach the same lesson. However, if your answer in the first
question is no, i.e., the objectives were not met, then you need to plan again. What do
you need to do differently in order to achieve the objectives?
6. Assess learning and reflect on the results
This stage gives you a concrete measure of what the students have learned. In
math, this is usually through a paper-and-pen examination. However, some authentic
assessments may also be implemented as you will learn in the later chapters of this book.
Take note that this stage does not end in assessing learning. You need to reflect on the
results. What can you learn about student learning and teaching practice based on the
results?
After assessment and reflection, you will once again identify the next learning goals
and so the cycle continues.

Experience
The following is a narrative of how a teacher might experience the teaching cycle.
1. Identify objectives
Teacher Gina identified “multiplication of whole numbers up to two digits” as the
goal of her next lesson.

2. Plan instruction
Teacher Gina thought it is best to apply a constructivist approach to help her
students learn techniques in multiplying whole numbers. She planned a lesson that
incorporates the problem-solving strategy.

17
3. Implementing plan

The class went on smoothly. The activities that Teacher Gina prepared were
successfully done by her students.

4. Check on understanding
To make sure that her students understood the lesson, Teacher Gina gave a three-
item exercise as an exit pass.
5. Reflect on teaching

Based on the exit pass, Teacher Gina found out that many of the students have
difficulty multiplying numbers that involve the digit 8. So, she decided to do a find-your-
error activity the next-day for the students to realize their mistakes. She also planned to
give a short drill on skip counting by 8.

6. Assess learning and reflect on the results

Teacher Gina, later on, give a multiplication quiz. Ninety percent of the students
passed. She planned to give remedial exercises to those who failed. This teaching cycle
taught Teacher Gina that the students can discover concepts on their own. However, they
must still be guided by a teacher because misconceptions may arise.

Assess
Answer the following questions to verbalize your understanding of the teaching cycle.
1. In which stage/s of the teaching cycle are the students involved? Explain.

2. Which stage/s of the teaching cycle requires the teacher to reflect about teaching and
learning? Explain.

18
Challenge
The next question will challenge your reasoning skill.
What do you think is the most important stage of the learning cycle? Why do you think so?

Harness
Aside from classroom observations, many things can be learned from conversations
with other teachers in the field. The following activity will require you to interview math
teachers and summarize what you learn from them in a diagram. This activity will be part of
the learning portfolio that you will compile at the end of this module.
1. Interview two mathematics teacher. Ask them about the stages of the teaching cycle
that they follow. Then, create a diagram illustrating their common answers.

2. How is the diagram you created in #1 similar or different from the cycle that was
presented in this lesson?

19
Summary
Teaching involves a repetitive cycle of defining objectives, planning and implementing
instruction, assessing learning, and reflecting on teaching and learning. Each part of the cycle
provides a better understanding of what it means to teach and learn mathematics and so
should result in better instruction in the next repetition of the cycle.

20
Lesson 5
Things to Consider in Planning
Instruction in Mathematics in the
Intermediate Grades

Objective
Demonstrate understanding and appreciation of the things to consider in planning
instruction for mathematics in the intermediate grades.

Introduction
In education, planning refers to the designing and preparation of learning activities for
the students. In lesson planning, teachers thoughtfully contemplate about the lesson
objectives, the activities that will meet these objectives, the sequence of those activities, the
materials needed, how long each activity might take, how the class would be managed during
those activities, and the evaluation method to assess how far the objectives were met. This
lesson enumerates the things to consider in planning instruction for mathematics in the
intermediate grades.

Think
There are five important elements in lesson planning that you need to consider – the
content, objectives, students, learning environment, and availability of resources.
1. Content
Research the subject matter that you will be teaching. You should consult the
curriculum and teaching guides published by DepEd. Aside from books, you can also visit
websites that will give you information relevant to your subject area. You should master
the contents of your lesson before you teach it. Remember, you cannot give what you do
not have. Moreover, you would not want to teach wrong content to the students. It is
easier to learn than to unlearn; it is difficult to take back wrong contents that have already
been taught. You have a big responsibility as a teacher – master your content!

2. Objectives
Before you begin planning, you need to know what specific knowledge and skills you
want your students to develop during the lesson or unit. Teachers often focus too much
on knowledge and forget about developing skills, which in the long term are more
important than knowing mere facts. So, in planning your instruction, always consider both
knowledge and skills.

21
3. Students
Get to know your students – where they come from, what their interests are, what
they already know, their learning style, attention span, special needs, etc. these will all
help you determine your students’ needs. Remember that you need to prepare your
lessons with all your students in mind and that your main goal should be to meet their
needs and offer them enabling environments to learn their preferred way. Knowing your
students will also help you build rapport with them, which is important if you want your
students to be freely sharing their ideas with you and their classmates.
Another important consideration that needs serious attention in teaching, especially
mathematics, is the students’ mind-set. You may have all things considered – lesson
mastery, focused objectives, and comprehensive understanding of students – but still find
that the lesson is not coming through the students. This may be because the students have
closed their doors toward math. Many school children have come to believe that math is
difficult, and they can never be good at it. This is called a fixed mind-set. Students with a
fixed mind-set believe that their math skills cannot be improved, which results is
underperformance in the subject. Reasons for a fixed mind-set include influence from
adults who dislike math, previous unpleasant experience in math class, and others. Your
goal as a teacher is to develop students with a growth mind-set. Students with a growth
mind-set believe that they can be better at math. They know that their efforts are not
wasted and that they can learn even in their failures. Many studies gave those who have a
fixed mind-set. So, in planning your lesson, you must consider how to encourage a growth
mind-set in class.
4. Learning environment
Aside from the physical environment where the learning takes place, it is also
important to consider the social and emotional learning environment of the class. You
need to make sure that you promote a positive environment where the students are
motivated and are supportive of each other’s growth. The students must feel safe to
express their thinking without fear of being embarrassed because of mistakes or different
views. Most importantly, you must create an atmosphere where the students are open to
learning through the activities you prepared and interactions with their classmates.
5. Availability of resources
Take into consideration the instrumental materials that you will be needing before
you write your lesson plan. Is a blackboard available? If not, can you improvise? Are there
specific manipulatives that you need? Where can you get them? Can you make them
instead? Do you need technology resources? Have you checked whether your devices are
compatible with what is available in school? These are some of the questions that you can
reflect on.

22
Experience
The next activity will delve into the experiences of math teachers and will give you
insights on effective lesson planning.

Interview three experienced intermediate grades (Grades 4, 5, or 6) mathematics

Assess
Answer the following questions to verbalize your understanding of the things to
consider when planning instruction in mathematics.
1. In addition to what has been discussed, explain why the content, objectives, students,
learning environment, and availability of resources are the essential considerations in
planning a lesson.

23
2. Sketch an infographic about the difference between growth mind-set and fixed mind-set.

Challenge
The following questions will challenge your reasoning and critical-thinking skills. It will
also initiate a reflection on the kind of mathematical mind-set you had as a student.
1. Why is it important to be in consultation with the curriculum guide when planning
instruction?

2. Why do you think having a fixed mind-set is a setback in learning? Can you think of
specific examples when you were a student and tended to have fixed mind pattern?

24
Harness
You will come face-to-face with an actual lesson plan in the following activity. This
aims to give you an initial exposure to the components of a lesson (which will be discussed in
the next chapter) while focusing on how the content, objectives, students, learning
environment, and availability of resources were given attention to in the plan. This activity
will be part of the learning portfolio that you will compile at the end of this module.
Borrow a lesson plan from an intermediate grade mathematics teacher. Give specific
examples from his/her lesson plan wherein you saw the conscious consideration for the
content, objectives, students, learning environment, and availability of resources.

Content

Objectives

Students

Learning
Environment

Availability of
Resources

25
Summary
Before writing a lesson, teachers are expected to thoughtfully contemplate on the
objectives, review the content and get to know the learners. Doing these will help them plan
a relevant and effective lesson for the learners.

26
Lesson 6
Instructional Planning Model

Objective
Demonstrate understanding and appreciation of the most commonly used
instructional planning models in the Philippines.

Introduction
Now that you have learned the things to consider when planning instruction, you are
ready to create one yourself. Teachers usually plan lessons following a specific model. In this
lesson, you will learn about the two most commonly used instructional planning models in
the Philippines and their common features.

Think
There are many instructional planning models that mathematics educators have
constructed but the two most widely used in the Philippines are the ADIDAS and the 5 Es
model.
ADIDAS stands for Activity, Discussion, Input, Deepening, Activity, and Summary.
Activity. The lesson begins with an activity that will later facilitate a meaningful
discussion about the topic of the session. In other words, the activity introduces the topic to
the students. This activity must be motivating and engaging to catch the attention of the
students.

Discussion. The lesson proceeds with the processing of the activity. In this part, the
students, as facilitated by the teacher, talk about their experiences during the activity. Here,
the questioning skill of the teacher is important because he/she must be able to direct the
discussion toward the targeted lesson.
Input. In a traditional classroom, the input is where the teacher lectures. However, in
a constructivist classroom, this the part where the students would share the concepts that
they learned based on the activity and the discussion. Nevertheless, no matter which learning
theory is applied in the lesson, this is the part where the concepts are clearly established.
Deepening. Here, the teacher asks questions that will engage the students to critical
and creative thinking. Nonroutine mathematical problems or real-life word problems may be
given. The purpose is to give the students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of
the concepts that they just learned.

27
Activity. In mathematics, this the part where the students verify what they have just
learned by solving mathematical problems. Depending on the need, the students may be
engaged in guided practice and/or individual practice. Sometimes, the teacher facilitates
games in this part of the lesson.
Synthesis. The last part of the ADIDAS model is the Synthesis. Here, the students are
given the opportunity to express what they have learned by verbally giving a summary of what
transpired in class and what they have learned. The students may also be given a short
assessment to give the teacher feedback on what they have learned.
Another commonly used instructional planning model in our country is the 5 Es. The 5
Es are Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.
Engage, this part activates the students’ prior knowledge and engages them with new
concepts by doing short activities. The aim of this part is to arouse the students’ curiosity.
Explore. Here, the students explain what they have experienced in Explore. The role
of the teacher is to facilitate the discussion that should lead to the students seeing patterns
that will help them describe the new concept in their own words.
Elaborate. The elaborate part of the lesson allows the students to expand their
understanding of the concepts by applying the concept that they have learned to solve
mathematical problems.
Evaluate. The las part of the 5 Es Model, Evaluate, lets the teacher and the students
evaluate their learning. Though giving short exercises are usually the mode of evaluation, the
teacher can be creative by implementing other evaluation activities.

Experience
Aside from the components of whatever instructional planning model, an instructional
plan also reflects basic information about the lesson like prerequisite knowledge and skills,
time allotment, materials needed, etc. Below is sample template of a lesson plan.

Topic: ______________________________________________________
Subject: _______________________
Grade Level: ___________________
Duration: ______________________

Objectives
At the end of the session, the students will be able to:
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________

28
Prerequisite Concepts/Skills:
• ___________________________________________________________________
• ___________________________________________________________________
• ___________________________________________________________________
New Concepts/Skills
1. ___________________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________________
Materials:
• ___________________________________________________________________
• ___________________________________________________________________
• ___________________________________________________________________
References:
• ___________________________________________________________________
• ___________________________________________________________________
• ___________________________________________________________________

Activity Duration (number of Teacher’s Role Students’ Role

Assess
Answer the following questions to verbalize your understanding of instructional
planning models commonly used in math.
1. Did you notice any similarity between ADIDAS and the 5 Es Model? Match the
components of the two models to summarize the similarities that you saw.

29
Activity • • Engage
Discussion • • Explore
Input • • Explain
Deepening • • Elaborate
Activity • • Evaluate
Synthesis •

2. Explain the matching you did in #1

Challenge
Even though ADIDAS and 5 Es are commonly used, they also receive criticisms such as
not being applicable to some topics in math. The following questions will challenge your
reasoning skills regarding this issue of applicability of instructional planning models.
1. Do you think the ADIDAS or the 5 Es Model is applicable to planning any lesson in
mathematics? Explain your thought.

2. What if in the school where you will be employed, a different instructional planning
model is used. Do you think you will have a hard time adjusting? Explain.

Harness
In this activity, you will be asked to refer to the lesson plan you previously studied in
Chapter 5. This time, focus your analysis on the different components of the lesson plan in
30
relation to the ADIDAS and 5 Es Model. This activity will be part of the learning portfolio that
you will compile at the end of this module.
Refer to the lesson plan you collected in the previous chapter and do the following:
1. Extract parts of her lesson plan that exhibits the components of:

a. ADIDAS

Activity

Discussion

Input

Deepening

Activity

Synthesis

31
b. 5 Es

Engage

Explore

Explain

Elaborate

Evaluate

2. Are there components of the ADIDAS/5 Es Model that were not reflected in the lesson
plan? If you are to fill in these missing parts, what would you write?

Summary
ADIDAS and 5Es Model are just two of the many instructional planning models applied
in math. All models usually boil down to common components such as activities, discussion,
and evaluations.

32