First year teachers have a steep learning curve when it comes to writing effective lesson plans. What you may have thought would work for you may in fact keep you confused and wondering what you are supposed to be doing. Your method of lesson planning on the other hand, may take so much time, you are not getting enough rest. This simple guide will help you learn the essential things to remember when planning your lessons.
Lesson Objectives
Consider what you want to teach your students. Think to the end of the lesson and decide what you want your students to be able to do after you have taught the lesson, and how you will know whether they can do this. Is this new skill a review of a previously taught skill? Consider whether this lesson stands alone or is part of a larger unit plan.
Lesson Warm-Ups
In order to prepare your students for the lesson, consider reviewing prior knowledge related to the new skill. Think about how you can creatively introduce the new lesson, and still tie it to previous knowledge. You may need to also have a quick independent activity for the students to do while you set up for the new lesson, so consider your organization carefully.
Direct Instruction
Consider how you want to teach the new skill. Think about vocabulary that your students will understand, or that you will need to teach them before diving into the lesson. Make sure that you consider why this is important for the students to learn in order to motivate them. Decide on an engaging activity to keep the student's attention.
Guided and Independent Practice
How will you have your students practice the new skill you just taught? Think specifically about how you can help the students practice while reinforcing the important points. When possible, extend the new skill into an exciting new experience for the students. Think about ways for the students to demonstrate the new skill without your guidance. Are there any other lesson extensions that would be good to have the students learn?
Lesson Assessment and Closure
How will you know that your students learned what you taught them? Do you want them to learn the new skill perfectly or will you accept a lesser mastery of the skill? Think about how you will grade the students. Show the usefulness of the new skill to your students. What will they be able to do with it? Review any pertinent information before moving onto another lesson.
When organizing your lesson plans for the next week, think through each of these categories. When you do so, your lessons will be better planned, more interesting to your students and will result in greater student learning.
You may be interested in more lesson planning tips.
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