Please help! - How do I create a lesson plan?

[palenque]

I'm teaching ESL at a community center and am wondering - What is the best way to structure a lesson plan? What categories should I include (e.g. objectives...)? And, what are the best steps to take.

My work doesn't require me to create lesson plans, if you were in my situation, would you create them? If so, how detailed??

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!

[Lorikeet]

I'm teaching ESL at a community center and am wondering - What is the best way to structure a lesson plan? What categories should I include (e.g. objectives...)? And, what are the best steps to take.

My work doesn't require me to create lesson plans, if you were in my situation, would you create them? If so, how detailed??

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!!!

I teach ESL in a non-credit community college, and we are not required to have lesson plans. I do, however, plan my lessons. If you are making plans to assist yourself, why do you have to structure it for someone else? Do whatever will assist you in making your plan. You can be as general or as specific as you want. You can decide in what order you will present material, and make sure you have different kinds of activities, depending on what kind of things you like to teach. For me, I try to have some time every day for the students to practice speaking together, as well as some listening practice, some grammar activities, etc. What kinds of things do you do in your classes?

[Sally Olsen]

You might want to start a journal as well and type out what happened in the lesson and where you might want to change it if you taught the course again and what you think the students are missing, how they changed the lessons and what they suggested to enhance the lesson or what would inspire you to add to the lesson.

I would include as much writing as possible in a lesson as I think students learn a lot when they have to put it down on paper or on the computer.

It is really interesting to read over your journals at the end of a week or the end of a semester. You often see patterns developing that you didn't know were there and you often see things that are bothering the students that you didn't realize you were noticing. Any reflection helps you grow.

I usually make myself a small list of materials that I need for the lesson just to make sure I don't forget something that would make the lesson go smoothly. I used to write it on my arm in ink but some students seem to get very upset at this so I stared using post it notes to stick inside my backpack or pocket.

I like to keep a notebook beside my bed because I often wake up at night with ideas that I then forget in the light of day. I like post it notes or cards because you can arranged them in different ways and they inspire new lessons or ideas.

I try to use one colour for things that I notice that particularly help the students so I can pass on those ideas to teachers who ask me what works well with Japanese, Mongolian, or Greenlandic students. There are ways to explain that work much better in a certain culture.

Try to keep in mind that your experiences will be valuable for the next teacher and leave a plan for them just in case they are new and floundering. They always like to know where the posterboard is kept or so and so doesn't want to talk about his father, etc. or the best place in town to get cheap paper. I always wrote a teacher's manual when I left for the next teacher telling them about holidays, parties, cultural tips, where all the materials were hidden, things to bring and so on because I was teaching in new places and different countries.

Here is a template for a lesson plan
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/ ... 01033.aspx

[teacherjuli]

great suggestions

[Ingilizcepratik]

hi there ,

i have some lesson plans and ideas here :

http://www.teslcafe.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=17

good luck