CPT Lesson Planning & Curriculum Design 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When designing a tutoring lesson plan, what should a tutor establish FIRST?
- Choose the teaching materials
- Identify clear, measurable learning objectives (Correct answer)
- Determine the session length
- Select practice problems
Correct answer: Identify clear, measurable learning objectives
Learning objectives define what the student will be able to do by the end of the session, guiding all subsequent planning decisions.
Question 2: Which planning framework uses the sequence of Desired Results, Assessment Evidence, and Learning Plan?
- Hunter's Direct Instruction Model
- Bloom's Taxonomy
- Understanding by Design (UbD) (Correct answer)
- The ADDIE Model
Correct answer: Understanding by Design (UbD)
Understanding by Design (UbD), developed by Wiggins and McTighe, begins with the end in mind by identifying desired results before planning instruction.
Question 3: A tutor is working with a student struggling in algebra. Which approach best aligns lesson content to the student's current skill level?
- Use the standard grade-level curriculum without modification
- Conduct a prerequisite skills assessment and scaffold instruction from gaps (Correct answer)
- Focus only on the most recent classroom topics
- Assign the same problems the teacher assigned
Correct answer: Conduct a prerequisite skills assessment and scaffold instruction from gaps
Identifying prerequisite skill gaps allows the tutor to scaffold instruction from the student's actual starting point rather than assumed grade level.
Question 4: In lesson planning terminology, what is a 'scaffolded' curriculum approach?
- Teaching multiple subjects in a single session
- Breaking complex skills into smaller, sequenced steps that build on each other (Correct answer)
- Covering the same content repeatedly until mastered
- Allowing the student to choose the lesson topics
Correct answer: Breaking complex skills into smaller, sequenced steps that build on each other
Scaffolding involves structuring content into progressively complex steps so students build understanding incrementally, with support removed as competence increases.
Question 5: Which element distinguishes a tutoring curriculum from a general school curriculum?
- It always covers fewer topics
- It is fully individualized to one student's assessed needs and goals (Correct answer)
- It must be approved by the student's school
- It follows a standardized national syllabus
Correct answer: It is fully individualized to one student's assessed needs and goals
A tutoring curriculum is uniquely tailored to the individual student's assessed strengths, weaknesses, and personal learning goals, unlike standardized school curricula.
Question 6: A tutor writes: 'By the end of this session, the student will be able to solve two-step linear equations with 80% accuracy.' This is an example of a:
- Broad instructional goal
- SMART learning objective (Correct answer)
- Diagnostic assessment criterion
- Curriculum standard
Correct answer: SMART learning objective
This statement is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound — the hallmarks of a SMART learning objective.
Question 7: When sequencing lesson content over multiple sessions, which principle should guide the order of topics?
- Alphabetical order of topics
- Moving from concrete concepts to abstract ones, and from simple to complex (Correct answer)
- Covering the hardest topics first to get them out of the way
- Following the order of the textbook table of contents exactly
Correct answer: Moving from concrete concepts to abstract ones, and from simple to complex
Cognitive learning theory supports moving from concrete, simple concepts to abstract, complex ones so students build solid foundational understanding before tackling advanced material.
CPT Lesson Planning & Curriculum Design 1
When designing a tutoring lesson plan, what should a tutor establish FIRST?