8.2 The BOPPPS Model of Lesson Planning

Many models exist for lesson planning. In the ISW, we often focus on the BOPPPS Model, which is particularly useful for topics that have measurable LOs and organized structures, often in the cognitive or psychomotor domains. For lessons with affective objectives Download affective objectives or expressive outcomes, we recommend using the CARD model.

A lesson designed based on this model consists of 6 elements as described in the video and the text below.

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Watch this brief video, BOPPPS Basics, introcuding the BOPPPS model, or read the text below.

The six components  of the BOPPPS model:

B: Bridge-in

Begins the learning cycle, gains learner attention, builds motivation, and explains why the lesson is important. Sometimes known as the "motivational statement" or "hook", the bridge-in helps the learners focus on what is about to happen in the lesson. Bridge-ins are usually short. Providing reasons for learning this topic; explaining why this topic is important and how it may be useful in other situations; describing how it is a transferable skill.

Some simple strategies include
  • Telling a story connected with the lesson topic
  • Referring to something in the learners' realm of experience
  • Posing a provocative question linked to a current topic or the learners' personal lives
  • Offering a startling statement or unusual fact
  • Linking current topic to material already studied or to future learning

O: Learning Objective or Outcome

Clarifies and specifies the learning intention: clarifies what the learner should know, think, value or do by the end of the lesson, under what conditions and how well. While a course may have a few broad general goals and a limited number of learning outcomes, individual lessons usually focus on one or more specific learning objectives to reach those goals or outcomes.

Generally, an objective is written as one sentence that includes
  • Who: intended learner, audience
  • Does what: behaviour/performance/task done as a result of instruction
  • Under what conditions: conditions/circumstances required/allowed for learners to meet the objective
  • How well: to what standard or criteria

P: Pre-assessment

Answers any of the following questions. "What does the learner already know about the subject of the lesson?"; "Are students prepared with the prerequisite knowledge and experience that are assumed in the lesson ahead?"; "Are the learners already motivated to engage in learning about the subject of the lesson?"

Examples of what pre-assessments can achieve
  • Reveal learners' interests
  • Identify learners who can be resources within the class
  • Allow learners to express their needs for review or clarification
  • Support connection and community between learners
  • Allow learners to self-evaluate their current knowledge and set learning goals
  • Focus attention and signal the purpose of the lesson
  • Help the instructor adjust the lesson for depth and pace to better fit a particular group of learners
  • Enable the instructor to respond to individual strengths and weaknesses

P: Participatory Learning

This is the body of the lesson, during which learners are involved as actively in the learning process as possible. There is an intentional sequence of activities or learning events that will help the learner achieve the specified objective or desired outcome. The lesson may include the use of media.

Some ways to encourage active participation include
  • Small group discussion around a specific question or problem arising from the course material
  • Pauses in lectures for individual student reflection through writing or discussion, question development or short application tasks like solving an equation or a small problem
  • Critical discussions of the main point of the lesson by the learners, for example perhaps through a think-pair-share strategy
  • Prediction or forecasting at the beginning of a concept or unit
  • Individual tasks/presentations
  • Students working on a problem followed by peer-evaluation
  • Role plays, case studies, scenarios, simulations
  • Posing a "thought" question, one that is not answered until later in the activity

P: Post-assessment

Formally or informally demonstrates if the learner has indeed learned and achieved the learning objective or outcome. The post-assessment answers two questions: What did the learners learn? Were the desired objectives accomplished?

Basic knowledge and thinking (knowledge recall and comprehension) can be assessed by
  • multiple choice
  • true/false
  • short written answer
  • short verbal answer (if testing through oral or interview format)
Higher level thinking (application, analysis, evaluation and creating) can be assessed by
  • problem solving tasks
  • essays, critiques
  • creating a novel theory or interpretation
  • analysis of a scenario
Skill (doing) can be assessed by
  • rating scales
  • products or examples of production using the skill(s)
  • performance or demonstration
Attitudes (values) can be assessed by
  • attitude scales
  • performance
  • essays
  • journals and other personal reflection pieces

S: Summary/Closure

Provides an opportunity for learners to reflect briefly and integrate the learning during the closing of the learning cycle.

The summary may include
  • content review: either instructor or learners briefly recap main points
  • group process: time for learners to discuss their group process
  • feedback
  • recognition and acknowledgment of effort and achievement
  • application, how to use this later; create a personal action plan; goal setting
  • individual voice, quick round-table for each person to have a "last word"

BOPPPS Lesson Planning Template

Download this sample lesson plan Download Download this sample lesson plan to help structure your first mini lesson. Note that the plan intentionally creates space for you to include what the learner is doing as well as what the instructor is doing.

As you complete this template, be specific about what learners are doing. For example, many past ISW participants consider short videos or instructor demonstrations to be active learning. When prompted to write down what learners are doing they realized that these types of props are in fact passive learning, similar to a lecture. If your lesson plan involves a lot of time of learners sitting and observing, add learning activities such as pauses for reflection, short discussions, individual writing.

You can find more information on BOPPPS and more lesson planning templates and sample lessons in part 2 of the ISW handbook. Links to an external site.