A Guide on How to Properly Write a Lesson Plan

Have you ever sat at your desk late at night and stared at a blank lesson plan template that is due for your 8am Education practicum with no idea how to even begin? If you relate to this experience you are probably a first semester Elementary Education student struggling with writing your first lesson plans for your very first practicum experience. You probably have felt the pressure to create a lesson that will keep the attention of the twenty first graders in your practicum while still strongly communicating the content and learning strategies.

Maybe you are terrified of being in charge of a class all by yourself, even if your professor is there to guide you. Well put aside your fears and pick up your reading glasses. Although no step by step strategy will apply to every specific lesson you will teach during your career, following this simple guideline will enable you to write a clear and engaging lesson plan that will enhance your students’ comprehension of your chosen teaching topic.

When starting any project, the first step to take is to gather your materials. Before collecting the physical items for your lesson plan you will need to reference some less tangible materials. The first is the assignment rubric given to you by your professor. This will allow you to know exactly what the professor expects of you when presenting your lesson and the subject your particular lesson should be focusing on. For this particular guideline, I will be using a third grade science lesson on the phases of the moon as an example, but the concepts can be applied to lessons on all topics.

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Secondly, you will need to look up the state and federal standards that your students are expected to meet when learning the particular subject you are teaching. For example, I would look up the state standard for third grade science lunar unit to find what information the state expects the students to know about the moon by the end of the unit. This will help you evaluate the progress and understanding of the students on the subject before and after the lesson. Because you will be working with young children, the next item you will need is an attention-grabbing object or prop related to the subject that will draw in the students and gain their interest in the lesson you are about to present.

A prop that would work well for my lunar phases lesson example would be a three-dimensional moon model that would capture the interest and wonderment of the students. Next, you will need to decide how you will present the instructional information to the class. Some teachers find the classroom blackboard suitable, but new technologies allow teachers to create fun and interactive PowerPoint’s to present their information. If you decide to use a PowerPoint, you will need to create it on a computer and have a projector set up in the classroom that is compatible with said computer. The school normally provides these materials. Next you will need to decide what type of guided and individual practice activities you will assign to your students to reinforce the your instruction.

The materials you choose depend completely on the subject of the lesson and the specific activity you select, but anything creative, hands-on and collaborative is preferable. For our lunar phases lesson example, you could provide chalk for the students to draw the moon phases on the classroom’s whiteboard. For an individual practice activity, you could provide clay for the students to mold the lunar phases. Clay, chalk or other craft materials do not have to be expensive. In fact, I have found that the Dollar Store is a teacher’s best friend when finding these classroom activity materials for young students. Finally, you will need a blank template to organize the many aspects of your lesson plan. Most teachers choose to use templates that are created in Microsoft Word on their personal computers, but a blank piece of can serve just as well if it visually aids the teacher paper.

The first step of writing a proper lesson plan is to choose the specific subject and information you will be presenting to your students. To do this you will need to consult your curriculum map and your state and federal standards. Using our third grade science lunar phases example, your curriculum map would tell you exactly that the phases of the moon is the science subject your students should be learning at this particular time of the year. Your state and federal standards will tell you exactly how well the students must understand the subject before you can move on. For example, they must be able to describe in detail the at least 7/8 phases of the moon correctly.

The second step you will need is to create a stimulating set. A set simply is an introduction or “hook” to grab the attention of the students and prepare them for the information they are about to receive. For this you will want to use the attention-grabbing object you selected while gathering your materials. Some great examples are interesting videos about the subject, or puppets who “help” the class with the lesson. The three- dimensional moon model mentioned in the materials list would work very well for a science lesson because it would interest the students without distracting them from the content of the lesson.

The third step in planning an effective lesson plan is writing a clear, engaging and differentiated instructional script. This will map out exactly what you will say to the students to help them understand the information you are presenting to them. Your script should match the PowerPoint you create and any instruction that is written on the classroom chalkboard. This script should be written as part of the template you will be using to organize your lesson. Be sure to include opportunities for audience participation in the lesson such as time for the students to ask questions. Also, make all information that you present age-appropriate according to your class.

Next you will need to plan your guided and individual practice activities. The guided practice activity will take place during the instructional time of the lesson and will be done by the students but lead by you. A quality example of a guided practice for a science lesson would be having each student draw a phase of the moon with chalk board as you lead them in a discussion of each phase. The individual practice activity will take place after the instructional time and will be done by the students on their own. An example of an individual practice activity that would work well for the moon’s phases lesson would be to give each student clay to mold the visible shape of the moon in each of its phases. Observe the progress and comprehension of your students as they work individually.

Finally, you will need to create the closure of your lesson. To do this, you will want to verbally reiterate the main points of the topic, and assign homework to reinforce the information for the students later in the day. An example of a homework assignment that would work well for the science lesson would be to have each student draw the phases of the moon and label their drawings with the correct name of each phase. This step will conclude your lesson plan. You will now be able to successfully present the topic to your students in an understandable way.

Now that you have read this guideline you will be able to create a strong lesson plans for many subjects that are engaging and yet comprehensive for your students. You can go forward into the rest of the practicums you will be assigned with confidence in your ability to present many topics to students in ways that will facilitate understanding. After finishing your education, this guideline will be a practical framework for many lessons that you will plan as a full time elementary school teacher.