Writing Lesson Plans for Teachers
Strategies, Tips, and Lesson Plan Templates for Teaching
© Muxin Li
Nov 1, 2009
Lesson planning is a crucial skill for all teachers, but before creating lessons, teachers ought to consider many factors, such as what concepts they need to teach or what ways can they engage their students. Using the following lesson planning strategies and resources can help teachers develop engaging and instructive classes.
Brainstorming Strategies for Lesson Planning
Before planning out daily lesson plans, first decide on what the class expectations are. What are the goals for this course? Math teachers may want their students to excel at state standardized tests by the end of three months, and can look up the concepts that will be tested. Teachers can use student assessment to create lesson objectives. Then decide on how students will be evaluated, using participation and scores on tests, projects, or presentations.
After deciding on the course goals, it is time to break them into smaller goals. What important topics need to be taught? How many days should be assigned per topic? Arrange these topics into a class timeline for the entire course, giving considerations for any major holidays, project presentations or exam dates, and school breaks. Creating an outline of the major topics in the course will help in preparing lesson plans for each week.
A weekly lesson plan should be concerned with the course objectives for that week. Some topics may be more in-depth than others and will require more days to explain than others. There may be exams or presentations during a certain week, so some lessons may need to be pushed back to the following week.
After planning out the week, begin planning each lesson with the day’s objectives in mind. What goals are being accomplished for that day? What ideas or topics are being covered? Outline these ideas, and then create a simple presentation out of it. Teachers can create notes for themselves or keep a copy of their presentation to reference during class. Using effective PowerPoint presentations can be a great teaching tool, but they shouldn’t replace instruction.
Using Class Activities in Lessons
Decide on a short, five-minute warm-up activity to use at the beginning of each class. Beginning class with a consistent warm-up activity will prepare students for the lesson and can help them develop a valuable skill throughout the course. For instance, start a chemistry class with blank periodic tables that students have only five minutes to complete. By the end of the course, students will become more adept at identifying and grouping elements by symbols.
After giving the lesson, try to follow it with a class activity or exercise. Class activities should be both enjoyable and challenging for students, and helps them learn the new concept by exercising their understanding of it. During the activity, the teacher can address any concerns or questions their students might have. Teachers should prepare for class activities ahead of time and bring any necessary materials or instructions to class.
At the end of class, always have a wrap up activity. This can be a short, five minute exercise in the day’s lesson, a discussion on the topics covered, or any short activity. Having a wrap up activity will give students a simple and memorable summary of the lesson. Also remember that class time is limited. Allotting a certain amount of time for each portion of the lesson can help teachers avoid overrunning class time.
Lesson Plan Resources
There are many lesson plan templates which teachers can use to develop their lesson plans. The Lesson Plans Page is a great website which categorizes sample lesson plans according to subject and grade level. Using templates can be a great help to new teachers, but veteran teachers may want to adjust templates to suit their needs. Making effective lesson plans can help both students and teachers to reach their curriculum goals.
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