Creating the Perfect Lesson Plan: 10 Steps and 8 Essential Elements - Dare to Try (2023)

So let's start with the basic premise that there is no such thing as a perfect lesson plan or format. This is simply because there are a variety of different needs in terms of subjects, ages and skill levels. The best lessons are tailored to the needs of your students, so some simple lessons can be myopic. In fact, many of the best moments/lessons I've had in the classroom started with allowing students enough space and freedom to create independently and discuss information freely. This doesn't start with chaos, however, and to be successful requires a strong structure based on strong teaching ideas. And while I'm glad the New York City administration can't force teachers to use a specific template, there are certain elements that should be part of every teacher's lesson. So here are the ones I found most important.

Of course, many of the elements of a great lesson plan are interrelated and are central to its sequence. Other parts are modifications you can make to improve the effectiveness of a lesson. Some people include a script in their classes, but I don't like that as it can sound unnatural and lock the teacher into a structure that may not be appropriate for their students. There are many ways to structure the lessons, which is good as there are many different ways for students to learn something. I've tried correlating names/concepts to know if you followModell 5E, Direct Instruction, Mastery Learning Facilitative Teaching, Cooperative Learning, or something else entirely, you should be able to customize this to suit your needs.

1. Aims/goals:same as that ofIEPS-Student, the goals of the lesson plan should be S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time limited/tailored). Your goals should be clearly defined so that students understand what is expected of them. What should the students learn from the lesson? How is success? Focus on the specific behavior the student will demonstrate and the level of quality required. Use active words like explain, summarize, measure, or remember instead of vague words like study or learn. Also, try to get students with higher-order creative skills into Bloom's taxonomy by having them design, compose, or build something. It might be like how students can identify six characteristics of a mineral, but a higher order skill might be composing a personal narrative.
2. Aligned Patterns:Anycommon core,Next Generation,SOUGHT, or all of the above and more, standards are a crucial way to keep students learning as consistently as possible in the classroom. It's important to point this outStandardsbe attended by the class. Most schools now require a standard voucher for each lesson. Even if your school doesn't require you to write down what standards you meet, it's good practice to familiarize yourself with state and national standards. You will be surprised how manyStandardsYou are in some class. You can also see how a lesson fits into the scope and order of learning throughout the year.
3. Evaluations:Ultimately, assessments are a way to learn about your students' strengths and weaknesses, both academically and personally. For this reason there should be an assessment before each lesson to see what you need to teach and after to see how efficiently you have learned it. This can be done through surveys, worksheets, quizzes, writing, discussions, presentations, games, or hands-on activities and challenges. I find formative assessments more effective than summative during learning as they can give you an ongoing picture of how your students are performing. The data resulting from your assessments should influence your further teaching. Assessments should be linked to lesson goals. For more information, see10 keys to effective reviews.
4. Forward Looking Set (Engage):This is your hook on setting the stage to attract students. Some call this anticipation as it sets the tone for the lesson. It can even connect to your pre-assessment by noting what students know. This can be done in many ways with videos, strange pictures, interesting objects or an interesting question. You might be wondering, "Have you ever wanted to travel to another planet?" or perhaps get a piece of a meteorite for the students to hold. Whichever method you use, you should build on the student's prior knowledge and encourage questions. What do you know about our planet? How could the one we travel be any different? Establish life contexts and show the meaning and purpose of the lesson. They frame the lesson in the context of previous lessons and the nature of their lives.
5. Template (Explore):You keep the students engaged with the concept/lesson, but now give them some time to develop their own ideas through exploration. This is where it really begins to facilitate learning by discovering and demonstrating new skills, exploring key concepts and beginning investigation. You can ask research-oriented questions while students share their ideas and make predictions. You and/or the students can register any of your ideas.
6. Direct Lessons (Whole Group/Explain):You are now beginning to communicate new understandings. It can provide explanations, justifications, new vocabulary and definitions. You can wear accessories, have discussions or watch videos. The problem with direct teaching is not that it is inherently bad/restrictive, but that many teachers spend their entire class/lesson doing it. As a general rule of thumb, limit it to 15 minutes (5-10 is better). You should show it rather than tell it. Remember, just because you tell students something doesn't mean they're learning. Visual tools can help with understanding, so try to make it multimodal and bring all materials to motivate students and improve information retention. Are here8 visual toolsHelp.
7. Guided practice (expand/elaborate):The students should now guide each other. and apply what you have learned to a new situation. Having learned about one animal, they are now learning to classify several or even create their own. Many teachers use this time to fill out the worksheet or write in the table. Some consider task-based practice, but unless you have the tools and technology to provide reverse instruction, there will be little guidance. There are a number of other options where students can use this time to start creating drawings, diagrams, small models, or researching and writing together in a Google Doc. If necessary, place struggling students in a separate group for further guidance.
8. Independent practice (evaluating):Getting students to complete assignments and learning goals on their own should always be your ultimate goal. That doesn't mean you can't provide support, but it does confirm that you weren't fully prepared for this step. You may have to adapt and incorporate the instructionsframeworkto help students gain independence. Again, some teachers see this as handing in homework. It doesn't have to be, especially if you're unsure of your level of independence. It doesn't mean you're alone either. Independent practice can be a collaborative experience (regardless of the help of the teacher rather than classmates) where students complete asurvey project.
9. Conclusion and follow-up:Very few lessons will end well when you say I've accomplished everything I set out to do. When this happens, it probably means you've made a resolution to do too little. The bare minimum you need to do is review what they should have learned, make connections to future lessons, and see how well you have met the learning objectives. From independent practice, formal peer and teacher evaluations can occur when assessing students' knowledge. I explained how to do this in the Reviews section. Ultimately, you want to be clear about how far you've come and where you want to go.
10. Materials and equipment:Here you can remember and share with other teachers what you need for this lesson. This can be books, cardboard, aluminum foil and pens or digital resources such as laptops, websites and apps. It could also mean that if you find that the digital model is in one, you should seek an alternativeLightning based death spiral. It's the space where you need to make sure you have everything that isn't usually available in your classroom. It's like a cheat sheet and checklist to prepare for class.

While there are phases and phases that a lesson goes through, there are additional elements that great teachers always incorporate into their lessons.

1. Student choice:One of the best ways to make lessons engaging and meaningful is to give students options. Give them a voice in planning and how they would like to demonstrate mastery of a topic, especially during the independent practice portion. This could mean that some students make films, create presentations, or put on a play, while others write essays, create projects, or create a website. You can decide what level is enough, but give them the opportunity to feel empowered with personalized instruction.
2. Multicurriculares:The world and the professions of the future are not clearly divided into subjects, so why in the classroom? While the focus on a skill and our goals is important, there's no reason why a novel can't have scientific or historical implications, or why math can't be artistic. We must always strive for our lessons to unfoldcross-cutting skills(see 21st Century Skills below).
3. 21st Century Skills:Without going too deep into this element, 21st century learning skills are now just essential life skills for modern learners. We need to teach our students the 7Cs directly so they can communicate, collaborate, be creative, and think critically in whatever field of study they pursue. This also includes the integration of technology. Regardless of the impact, computers have become a critical part of our society, and they don't seem to be slowing down. Therefore, we must teach our students to use it properly and for the common good. can meandigital civicsor it may simply involve using a tool to facilitate collaboration or accessibility.
4. practical guide:Either as part of student selection or as a whole class exercise,practical learningIt's a more effective way to get students to retain information. It doesn't have to be a big company either. In math, it might just be using manipulatives or skittles to keep track of favorite colors. In the literacy area, you can have students use icons and character images to sketch a story on an interactive screen.
5. Multimodal:If you present the information only once and in only one format, it is almost certain that many students will not understand it. Therefore, in addition to direct lectures, you must also use visual aids in addition to practical learning tasks.
6. Multiple jobs:Never stay in one part of a class for too long, especially with younger students. It's an unrealistic expectation that a 7-year-old (or even a 37-year-old) can sit and work for 6 hours. Because of this, a good lesson should go through each step without spending too much time concentrating on any particular one (especially direct instructions). By doing this, you can also create opportunities in your class to find out what students are doing and where they might need help.
7. differentiation:Differentiation should not only take place in special education. All students learn in different ways and at different speeds. You should incorporate these settings into the structure of your lesson plan. as long as there isArguments about the value of differentiation, most of it stems from a misunderstanding of what it actually means. The learning styles of the students determine the structure of the lessons. It means trusting students to follow their learning path, and while it initially requires more work on the part of the teacher, it ultimately allows the teacher more freedom due to greater student autonomy. Sometimes the best way to determine how you can differentiate yourself in the future is to see where your current plan has failed and make adjustments to fill those learning gaps. Make your class accessible to all your students.
8. Development:For a lesson to remain valid, it must not stagnate. Even if you teach history, we regularly learn new information and new techniques for integration. Also, the needs of your students will change and your classes will need to change with them. So the class that was perfect today needs to be adjusted next year. For example, I found that I can now add the updateApplication Google Arts and Cultureas a tool in the example personal storytelling lesson below.

Here are some sample lessons/units I prepared for my STEM classroom. I'm showing the home page, but you go to the full multipagesort lessonmipersonal storytelling lessonsto see how I structured them. That doesn't mean you have to do it the same way. Your teaching needs may vary greatly, but this should give you an idea of ​​how I incorporate the points listed above into practice.

There are several places where you can find more sample lesson plans. Many educational technology companies, such asBrainPOP,herd, midiscovery pedagogyThey have sample classes that use their tools. You can also check out the following lessons, but I suggest that you fit your needs and use the items above.

• Training- K-5 literacy and math classes
• ANE–K-12 multi-subject classes
• LeerEscribirPiensa– K-12 literacy courses
• School- K-8 literacy courses
• master created–K-12 multi-subject classes
• Technology- K-12 multi-subject classes
• Teacher material from A to Z- K-12 multi-subject classes
• master created–K-12 multi-subject classes
• timetables- K-12 multi-subject classes

published bySean Arnold

I'm a Special Educator for the 75th Circuit of New York and a STEM Instructor.See all posts by Sean Arnold