Teacher Discussion Forums

[Bethany.Blaine]

Is there a "right" way to create a lesson plan? It seems near impossible to draw out a lesson plan that is so detailed that anyone can teach the lesson or unit. It would be extremely helpful for new teachers to have a skeletal plan - one where they can get a feel for how a lesson plan should realistically look. Having an idea of what a lesson plan should be could help teachers feel less overwhelmed by the number of rules one has to follow and include in order to create the perfect lesson plan. I know there are numerous places on the internet that provide actual lessons plans but are there any recommended sites for helping to create lesson plans?

[Sally Olsen]

I typed in "Create a Lesson Plan" in Google and there is a page or more of ideas with templates. Usually you get lesson plans with a book series as well and if your students want a text book, that makes it easier as well. I always gave my students the teacher's manual and had groups presenting the extra ideas to the class. Even individual students enjoyed the teacher's manual and were motivated because I presumed they could understand and use the information. Often the exercises in the teacher's manual are more fun than the textbook.

[smantrach]

Lesson planning can be a very tedious task, yet rewarding at the end. It makes your teaching go smoothly and it is also there to guide you. Every morning, before I start teaching, I review my daily lesson, activities, goals and objectives for the day. I think that all teachers will agree that writing a lesson plan is challenging as we have to put all the detailed information on them. As for the skeleton plan, I think that the templates can be different based on what department you teach. In the early childhood department, we use a different template than the rest of the elementary teachers in my building. Yet, I know that they all have the same sections such as the sections where you put the standards, objectives, goals, morning message, small group, read aloud or guided reading, modification plans for children that have IEP’s and for the ELL students. You can always ask for a copy of a lesson plan from your colleagues or supervisor of a lesson, this way you know what template they use and how they fill it out. With practice you learn how to write a good lesson. You will know what activities worked or didn’t work in your classroom, if you want to make a lesson shorter or longer the next time. You always need to think of a back up activity plan in case what you planned is not a successful lesson. By that I mean, sometimes we plan lessons and once you start teaching them they are either not successful or too short or too long. You have to be very flexible when teaching a lesson and diversify your instruction for your diverse learners.

[MelissaQ]

Sally, what level are your students? I love the idea of giving them the choice of what to present from the teacher's manual. I can definitely see how that would make them more motivated! Do you ever incorporate realia, as in food items, cosmetics, household gadgets, tools, etc. into your lessons? I like this idea as it definitely adds some quality, real-world applications!

[lip420]

Yeah they say that. It may help you to have a more detailed plan in the beginning, but an outline is often enough.