The first ten minutes of each lesson are dedicated to helping students establish focus and set the tone for the session. Upon entering the art room, students immediately begin working in their visual journals before transitioning to new content. This practice promotes consistency and encourages students to develop productive habits by using their visual journals effectively. It also fosters greater attention to the presentation and organization of their work.

Additionally, this routine acts as a transitional period, allowing students to settle down after their previous class, refocus their minds, and ease into the creative mindset required for art-making. This approach has been shown to improve discipline and classroom behavior while enhancing students' attention, engagement, and overall efficiency in the art room. By establishing these routines, we create a structured and productive environment that supports consistent artistic practices and effective use of technology.

Connections to PPE: Engagement and Progress

Throughout the Lesson

Apple Classroom plays a key role in maintaining an efficient and focused learning environment during lessons. This powerful tool allows teachers to monitor students' use of technology, ensuring they stay on task, utilize reliable resources, and remain engaged with the lesson. By streamlining classroom management, Apple Classroom minimizes distractions and frees up valuable instructional time, enabling teachers to focus more on teaching and less on managing disruptions.

Connections to PPE: Engagement and Purpose

End of Class

At the conclusion of each session, students participate in clean-up routines, organize their materials, and complete an exit ticket. The exit ticket typically prompts them to reflect on their next idea for their work or ask any remaining questions. This structured wrap-up allows students to consolidate their learning, clarify uncertainties, and prepare for future tasks.

Connections to PPE: Progress and Purpose

1. Start of Lesson

   • ✅ Greet students with energy and positivity.

   • ✅ Ensure students are in proper PE attire and ready to participate.

   • ✅ Confirm all equipment is set up and accessible.

   • ✅ Communicate the lesson’s objective or focus (e.g., "Today, we’ll practice teamwork through a soccer activity").

   • ✅ Begin with a warm-up activity (e.g., light jogging, dynamic stretches).

2. Skill Introduction/Development

   • ✅ Clearly explain and demonstrate the skill or technique.

   • ✅ Break down the skill into simple, actionable steps if needed.

   • ✅ Allow students to ask questions or clarify understanding before starting.

3. Skill Practice

   • ✅ Organize students for individual, partner, or group drills.

   • ✅ Monitor students, providing feedback and encouragement.

   • ✅ Adjust the difficulty level if needed to match student abilities.

4. Game or Application

   • ✅ Set up a game or activity that applies the skill being taught.

   • ✅ Emphasize teamwork, communication, and sportsmanship.

   • ✅ Observe and guide students, offering tips or corrections when necessary.

5. Cool Down and Reflection

   • ✅ Lead students in a cool-down routine (light stretches, breathing exercises).

   • ✅ Recap the skills or activities covered during the lesson.

   • ✅ Encourage students to share reflections (e.g., "What did you enjoy? What was challenging?").

6. End of Lesson

   • ✅ Ensure all equipment is put away properly.

   • ✅ Reinforce positive behavior or teamwork observed during the lesson.

   • ✅ Dismiss students with a positive and encouraging message.

• Review

  • Quick check/discussion of warm-up question.

  • Address common misconceptions from recent homework.

• Learning Objectives

  • The teacher explicitly states the learning objective of today’s class (e.g., “By the end of today, you should be able to factorize quadratics with complex roots.”).

2. Main Instructional Activities (20–30 mins)

• Concept Introduction

  • The teacher provides a clear explanation, guided discovery session, and mini-lecture.

  • Use of visuals, manipulatives, GeoGebra, or graphing technology where appropriate.

• Collaborative Exploration

  • Students work in pairs/groups on a short, challenging task to practice applying the new concept.

  • The teacher circulates, questions, and provides support.

3. Student Practice (15–20 mins)

• Independent Practice

  • Students attempt problems individually (scaffolded tasks → more open-ended).

  • Use “low-floor, high-ceiling” problems so all students can start, but stretch their thinking.

• Formative Assessment

  • The teacher checks student work, asks probing questions, uses mini whiteboards, or administers quick polls/quizzes.

4. Closure (5 mins)

• Summary

  • Students articulate main takeaways: definitions, processes, strategies.

• Exit Ticket

  • One short problem or reflection question submitted before leaving.

• Homework

  • Assigned with a clear purpose (practice, extension, preparation for next lesson).

  • Instructions clarified (due date, submission format).

5. Weekly / Monthly Routines

• Weekly

  • Short quizzes or reflection activities to consolidate learning.

  • Opportunities for peer feedback or error analysis of problem sets.

• Monthly

  • Cumulative summative assessments

a. Topic checklist to access preacquired knowledge. Corresponds with purpose and progress: helps teacher to shape lessons and LG accordingly

1. b. Clearly set learning goals and deep thinking questions shown in the beginning and end of class. Students have a better understanding of lesson goals and why is this important by solving practice questions (purpose)

2. Exit/entrance tickets

   Short quiz (Kahoot/other apps can be used for engagement) to access topic knowledge

3. During the lesson:

   a. Peer teaching, group work, whiteboard activities. Increases understanding, collaboration, engagement. 

   b. Lab skills (building independency with varying amount of guidance and increasing creativity)

4. After the lesson: Whole cohort Teams to access extension articles and activities, all teachers' resources to increase progress and understanding

(b) One or more of the 6 key concepts for the new syllabus should be linked to in each lesson, bearing in mind a 'lesson' may take place over more than one period (no more than every 2nd class period before linking to the concept)

(b) Some individual work, possibly but not always necessarily focused around exam skills/questions in each class period

(c) At least one element/instance of pairwork and/or groupwork in each class period

(d) A wrap-up linking to real-life and lesson objectives, and/or external assessment objectives in each class period

(e) Each lesson should include development of two or more IB/school ATLs

(f) At the beginning, middle and end of each major unit, students should rank confidence on each topic, to facilitate self-reflection and help guide teachers for revision

• Entry & Settling: Enter the classroom quietly. 

• Equipment Check: Ensure you have your book, pen, and the relevant textbook or source material on your desk.

• Learning Objective: Listen for and note the lesson's key question or learning goal.

2. Discussion & Debate Protocol

• Respectful Dialogue: Listen actively when others are speaking. Build upon others' ideas, don't just state your own.

• Evidence-Based Responses: Support your opinions with facts, quotes, or examples from the source material ("According to the text...").

• "I Build On/Challenge...": Use structured sentence starters to frame contributions (e.g., "I build on [Name]'s point by adding...", "I challenge that view because the evidence shows...").

3. Source Analysis Procedure

• Observe: First, note the basic details (author, date, type of source).

• Contextualize: What was happening at the time this was created? What is the author's purpose or perspective?

• Analyze: What message or argument is being presented? What techniques are used (e.g., language, imagery)?

• Evaluate: How useful and reliable is this source for a historian/geographer?

4. Submission of Work

• Formatting: Use a standard header (Full Name, Class, Date). Write titles clearly.

• Digital Submissions: File names must follow the order. e.g. LastName_AssignmentName_Class.pdf

• Deadlines: Work is due at the start of the lesson on the specified date. Know the school's policy on late submissions.

5. End of Lesson & Transition

• Note Homework: Clearly write down the task and deadline in your planner. Ensure you have all necessary materials.

• Tidy Workspace: Return any borrowed resources. Dispose of litter. Push in your chair.

• Dismissal: The teacher dismisses the class, not the bell. Leave the room in an orderly manner.

• Use a short prompt, image, graph, or question linked to the topic.

• Students make quick responses (prediction, explanation, or connection).

• Can be a brief quiz, drawing, or observation–inference–question task.

• Sets focus and activates prior knowledge.

2. Whiteboard Activity
Purpose: Encourage collaboration and visible thinking.

• Groups work on a structured task at the board.

• Examples: label diagrams, link ideas, interpret data, or compare examples.

• Rotate task types to build different skills.

• Teacher circulates to question reasoning and check understanding.

3. Application Activity
Purpose: Apply knowledge to real or conceptual contexts.

• Present a scenario requiring use of content to answer a “why” or “how” question.

• Examples: explain an adaptation, predict an outcome, or justify a process.

• Students use evidence to support reasoning.

• Can be done individually or in groups.

4. Deductive Reasoning Activity
Purpose: Build logical and inferential thinking.

• Give clues, partial data, or an unfamiliar example.

• Students work out how something functions or predict results.

• Reveal new information gradually to refine thinking.

• Examples: enzyme action, food webs, or unknown structures.

5. Random Questioning
Purpose: Ensure fairness and engagement.

• Use name sticks to randomly select students.

• Ask for answers, reasoning, or follow-up responses.

• Promotes attentiveness and accountability.

• Encourage justification: “Why do you think that?”

1. Enter, sit, materials ready (device, notebook, pen)

2. Retrieval question displayed on the board linked to prior learning

3. Silent thinking time (1 to 2 minutes to ensure all students engage)

4. Pair-share or cold call discussion to check understanding

Purpose: activates prior knowledge, strengthens memory, and sets an academic tone immediately

Example:

• Identify one determinant of demand and apply it to EVs in a specific country

• State one macroeconomic objective and explain a recent real-world example

Core learning routine
Explain, apply, evaluate

Each lesson is structured to move beyond surface understanding toward exam-level thinking:

1. Concept
   Introduce key theory clearly, including definitions and well-labelled diagrams

2. Application
   Connect theory to a real-world example such as a country, firm, or policy

3. Analysis
   Develop chains of reasoning that show how and why changes occur (step-by-step logic)

4. Evaluation
   Consider different perspectives using key concepts such as efficiency, equity, sustainability, and government intervention

Sentence starter:

• This leads to, which results in, therefore, suggesting that

Purpose: ensures students consistently practise the full skill set required for IB responses

Written response routine
Structure drives marks

Students follow a clear structure when answering extended questions:

1. Define key terms accurately and concisely

2. Explain relevant theory using diagrams where appropriate

3. Apply the theory to a specific, well-chosen real-world example

4. Develop analysis through clear, logical chains of reasoning

5. Evaluate by considering short-run versus long-run effects, different stakeholders, and limitations

Purpose: builds exam-ready responses and avoids common weaknesses such as listing points without development

Starter activities

Direct instruction - teacher talk. Usually front-loaded in the lesson.

Application task - some kind of practice, usually writing

Retrieval - questioning that recalls prior learning

Verbal/discussion based checks for understanding - much more prevalent than written checks for understanding

Content driven - texts are important and teachers of year groups are currently aligned on text choices

Assessment focused lesson planning

This may seem like a waste of class time, but the focus is on DOING philosophy, not learning it. The students need to be able to look at issues from a variety of perspectives, not just their own. They need to argue multiple sides to an issue, often playing devil's advocate. This activity helps them do this with any content area we study. A good conversation is priceless, so if it is going well, I allow it to take more time. I am often nudging the conversation to keep it on track or to prompt them to think more deeply. If it fizzles, we move on.

Besides 5MOP, we do a small amount of lecture, either from myself of from student presentations, and then we do a lot of discussion about the concepts. I try to steer the students to how they would show multiple sides to the argument, which is what they need to do in all the assessments. So, while we are learning material, we are also practicing arguing which helps with written assessments.

The students seem to enjoy the class :)

• Bag Drop: Upon entering the lab corridor, all students must place their bags in the designated cupboards outside the lab. Only notebooks, stationery, and calculators etc should be brought to the desk.

• Seating & Workspace: Before any practical work, students must ensure chairs are tucked under the desks to create clear walkways and prevent tripping.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): For any practical session, students must have their lab coat, gloves, and goggles on before entering the lab or immediately upon instruction. The expectation is clear: No PPE, no practical.

  2. Lesson structure principles:

     -Begin a lesson with a short review of previous learning.

     •  Present new material in small steps with student practice after each step.

     •  Limit the amount of material students receive at one time.

     •  Give clear and detailed instructions and explanations.

     •  Ask a large number of questions and check for understanding.

     •  Provide a high level of active practice for all students.

     •  Guide students as they begin to practice.

     •  Think aloud and model steps.

     •  Provide models of worked-out problems.

     •  Ask students to explain what they have learned.

     •  check the responses of all students.

     •  Provide systematic feedback and corrections.

     •  Reteach material when necessary.

     •  Prepare students for independent practice.

     •  Monitor students when they begin independent practice