Day 2: Four-Year Course Plan Draft

Daily Learning Contract

• Topic: Course Planning
• Objective: Students will use current Irving ISD course descriptions to draft a four-year sequence, explain one prerequisite chain, and identify questions that require counselor confirmation.
• TEKS: d(8)(B), d(3)(A)
• Demonstration of Learning: Counseling-Ready Four-Year Course Plan Draft in Canvas annotation or the three-page paper route.

Lesson Overview

Warm-Up (5 min)

WARM-UP: What can go wrong if a student chooses a Grade 11 course without checking the Grade 9 and Grade 10 prerequisites?

Collect two responses. Keep the focus on sequence, access, and alternatives rather than blaming a student for a schedule the student does not control.

Activity 1: Model a Source-Checked Sequence (10 min)

Sources: Irving ISD 2026-2027 course descriptions and FYF pp. 294-296, "Rung 7: High School Plan"

Project one fictional student's draft. Show how to:

1. search the current coursebook by course title;
2. record the grade level and prerequisite;
3. place the course in a possible year;
4. label a campus, application, transportation, or capacity question for verification; and
5. add a backup that supports the same career goal.

Use the finished model embedded in the Student Guide: Grade 9 English I → Grade 10 English II (prerequisite: English I) → Grade 11 English III - Dual Credit (prerequisite: English II). The student marks dual-credit readiness, campus availability, and counselor placement VERIFY and keeps source-checked English III as the backup. This is a model of source and sequence handling, not a universal English plan.

Chunking: Model Grade 9 first, then the later prerequisite chain, then the backup. After each chunk, ask students which source field proves the entry. If students answer with "I heard" or "the workbook says," return to the current coursebook and access-date field.

Do not provide a completed universal four-year schedule. Core-course placement, endorsement choices, advanced academics, campus access, and student needs vary.

Activity 2: Build the Four-Year Draft (25 min)

Students use the Canvas annotation by default. The three-page paper or enlarged packet captures the same evidence when that route is assigned. Students do not complete both.

Required evidence:

• a current career direction and possible pathway;
• a source and access date;
• possible courses for Grades 9-12;
• at least one prerequisite chain;
• one item clearly marked for counselor verification;
• one backup course or pathway that protects the same goal; and
• two counseling questions.

Students do not invent a course to fill a blank. A labeled question is stronger evidence than a made-up answer.

Canvas students submit the annotation so it is available on Day 5. Paper students place the draft in the CCR Week 2 folder. Students do not complete both routes.

Active Monitoring: Walk three laps. Lap 1 checks current titles and source dates. Lap 2 checks one prerequisite chain. Lap 3 checks verification labels, backup, and counseling questions. If three or more students use the same unsupported course name, pause and model the search once for the whole class.

Activity 3: Evidence Audit (5 min)

Students exchange only the course-plan pages, not private profile evidence. Each reviewer marks:

• one entry supported by a current source;
• one sequence or prerequisite that is clear; and
• one item that still needs counselor verification.

A student who is absent, working privately, or unable to exchange papers uses the same checklist as a self-audit.

Exit Ticket (5 min)

EXIT TICKET (Mini-Case) · Printable PDF:

Alex found a course that fits a career goal, but some details are missing.

1. If the current coursebook lists the course and Alex meets the prerequisite, what should Alex record next?
2. If the grade level or campus is unclear, what should Alex write instead of guessing?
3. If the course is unavailable, what kind of backup would protect the same goal?

(d(8)(B), d(3)(A))

Differentiation

• Support: Provide a model with fictional course names, highlight the source/date and prerequisite fields, and complete one Grade 9 row together. Use the three-page paper route when a larger writing surface is needed.
• Extension: Compare two possible sequences and explain which one leaves more options open.
• ELL: Use the labels course, grade level, prerequisite, campus, verify, and backup. Allow speech-to-text for the prerequisite explanation and counseling questions.