The procedure is the body of your lesson plan, the ways in which you'll share information with students

and the methods you'll use to help them assume a measure of mastery of that material. The three stages
(a motivational opening, the development of the lesson, and the closing), although instructional in nature,
can also involve some formal or informal assessment periodically. Periodic assessment throughout a
lesson will alert you to any misconceptions or misunderstandings students may have long before they
reach the conclusion of the lesson (when it may be too late).

Let's take a look at the three major stages of this section of effective lesson planning.

Motivational Opening

This stage of a lesson is critical! It's how you stimulate students' interest in a topic or subject. It may
involve asking students a thought-provoking question such as, “How would you like to sleep for four
months every year?” or “Did you know we can measure any tree on the playground without climbing it?”
Other attention-gaining devises can include models, maps, globes, a piece of apparatus, or a
demonstration. It is important that each and every lesson include some method to stimulate the students'
interests.

Here are some other methods to consider for this all-important first stage:

 Tapping background knowledge.Students bring a certain amount of background knowledge or

prior experiences to any lesson. Use this opportunity to find out what students know before
beginning any lesson.
 Self-questioning.I've found that when students of any age are provided opportunities to
generate their own questions about a topic, they will be motivated to seek the answers to those
questions.
 Predicting.Predictions are educated guesses about what might or might not happen. Predictions
are valuable for providing students with some self-initiated directions for a lesson.
 Brainstorming. Brainstorming allows students to share much of their prior knowledge in a
supportive arena. Encourage students to brainstorm for everything they may know about a topic.
Remember that the emphasis in brainstorming is on gathering a quantity of ideas, regardless of
their quality.
 Reading aloud.Read a book, a piece of children's or adolescent literature, or other written
resource to students to pique their interest and stimulate their curiosity.
 Establishing relationships.It's valuable for you to demonstrate how a lesson is related to other
lessons. Students must understand that no single lesson exists apart from other lessons, but has
a relationship with other previously presented material.
 Organizing graphically.Use graphic organizers charts, graphs, or outlines of the essential
information in a lesson) to provide students with a pictorial representation of the major points in a
lesson and how those points are related to each other.
 Stating the lesson objectives.Often students perceive a lesson as something a teacher
concocts on the spot. Unfortunately, that perception sends a signal that lessons are not designed
with students' needs and interests in mind. It's vital, therefore, to let your students know exactly
what they will be taught and what you plan to have them learn. When students are aware of the
objectives,they will be able to understand the direction and scope of a lesson and work with you
in achieving those learning experiences.

Secondary Thoughts

 Don't make the mistake of assuming what students know. Take the time to assess their
background knowledge, and you'll be rewarded with more successful lessons. For example, just
because students studied American history in elementary school, had a basic history course
in middle school, and are now in your high school history class, don't assume they know all there
 is to know about American history. Take the time to find out. Bottom line: Always know what your
students know!

Development of the Lesson

This is the heart of any lesson—that portion where you teach and where students learn. This is where
students obtain valuable information, manipulate data, and engage in active discovery through total
involvement. Include some of the following elements in this stage:

 Lesson methodologies.Not only is it important to give some thought as to what you're going to teach, it is
equally significant that you consider the methods of presentation as well. I'm sure you've been in a class
where the only method of instruction was dry, stale lectures. You undoubtedly found the class boring and
wearying. The same fate awaits your students if you provide them with an overabundance of one type of
teaching methodology to the exclusion of others. (These are addressed inLesson Methodologies)
 Problem-solving.As I discuss inanother article, problem-solving is an inherent part of any lesson. Providing
students with the opportunities to solve their own problems in their own way is a valuable motivational
technique.
 Creative thinking.Learning is much more than the memorization of facts. Any lesson must allow students
opportunities to manipulate data in new and unusual ways.
 Hands-on activities.It's critical that students have sufficient opportunities to create products based on what
they learn. These might include but are not limited to posters, dioramas,charts, graphs, mobiles,
notebooks,portfolios, and models.
 Student engagement.Successful lessons include several ways in which students can practice the desired
behavior(s). Here are just a few suggestions:
o Students critique the directions or set up for a presentation or demonstration.
o Students verbalize the steps they're taking during the completion of an activity.
o Students manipulate objects or devices and verbalize their feelings about their actions.
o Students work in small groups to share information learned and how it relates to prior knowledge.
o Students graph or illustrate significant points on the chalkboard for class critique.

It's Elementary
Consider both short-term as well as long-term projects in which students can participate according to their interest
and ability levels. You might want to include a variety of activities within a lesson as well as some activities that can
extend over longer periods of time.

Closure

Effective public speakers always follow three essential rules of a good presentation:

1. Tell the audience what you're going to tell them.

2. Tell them.
3. Tell them what you've told them.

Those same rules are important in the well-designed lesson, too. It's essential that you incorporate some
sort of closure into the lesson. This might mean a few minutes at the end of the lesson during which you
or your students summarize some of the significant points, an activity in which students share perceptions
with each other, or a time during which students recall their positive or negative perceptions of a lesson.

Here are some closure suggestions:

  Teacher summary.Be sure to summarize the important points or critical elements of a lesson for students.
Discuss what you taught and what they learned. This might be the most valuable 3 to 5 minutes of any
lesson.
 Student summary.Provide opportunities for students to summarize a lesson as well. Inviting them to put a
lesson into their own words can be helpful to you in determining how well they learned the material.
 Lesson product.Invite students to incorporate the major elements of a lesson into a final product. As
described earlier, this product may take the form of a poster, brochure, model, or portfolio.

Expert Opinion
Whenever possible, use a cliffhanger at the end of a lesson. This can be an unanswered question you write on the
board, an unfinished project, or an enticing bit of information (“Tomorrow I'll bring in a creature with eight eyes. You
won't want to miss it!”)

Self-Evaluation

As you write lessons, include a brief section at the end that allows you to self-evaluate. This will be
important when and if you decide to teach the lesson again. It will also provide you with some important
insights relative to your perceived level of success.

You might consider some of these self-evaluative questions:

 “How was my pacing?”

 “Did students understand the content?”
 “Did students understand the important concepts?”
 “Did I use my time appropriately?”
 “What changes should I make the next time I teach this lesson?”
 “Were students engaged and involved?”
 “What new activities or procedures could I include?”
 “Did I present the lesson well?
School: _____________________________ Instructor: ___________________
Address: ____________________________ Office Phone: _________________

Course Number
Course Name
LESSON PLAN FOR CONTENT GOAL:
Name of Content Goal (from course syllabus)

INSTRUCTIONAL TOPIC:
-active orientated main topic (establishes where the learner is going)

PREREQUISITES(S):
-Prerequisite needed to be met by student before attending this lesson

INTEREST APPROACH (time: ___ minutes):

- captures the learner's interest and attention
- difference between good and excellent instruction
- answers: "Why is it important that we (insert content goal stmnt)?

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE:
-- addresses where the learners are going and how the learners
will know they are there (extracted from the syllabus)

PREASSESSMENT PREREQUISITE PRE-TEST (time:__minutes): are prerequisites met?

STARTING POINT PRE-TEST (time: ___ minutes):

-- where are the students now? (not always required)

EXEMPTION TEST (time:__minutes): can student skip this lesson because of

knowledge possessed now? (not always required)

LEARNING EXPERIENCES (make sure all instruction time is on task):

SUBGOAL TOPIC: (subgoal for the content goal)
DOMAIN: 1 of 3 choices LEVEL: 1 of 3 choices
THEORY OF LEARNING: 1 of 5 choices
METHOD OF DELIVERY: 1 of 4 choices (time: ___ minutes)
INSTRUCTOR PRACTICES: 1 or more of several choices
1. first instructor practice after edit
2. second instructor practice after edit
3. and more, if needed
ASSIGNMENTS: 1 of several choices (time: ___ minutes)

POST-TEST (time: ___ minutes):

- choose from a list of options for type of test you want to give
- lets you choose how many of each type of questions to ask

REFERENCES AND RESOURCES:

- identify any reference, special equipment, or supplies needed

NOTES: - any information you wish to save regarding the general

administration of the lesson plan (optional)

DATE: enter the date on w/c you developed, revised or want to deliver the
lesson (optional)
INSTRUCTOR DATE

COURSE TITLE LESSON NUMBER

UNIT SPECIFIC TOPIC

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL (outcome that students should be able to demonstrate upon completion of the entire
unit)

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE (use an action verb in a description of a measurable outcome)

RATIONALE (brief justification -- why you feel the students need to learn this topic)

LESSON CONTENT (what is to be taught)

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES

a. Focusing event (something to get the students' attention)

b. Teaching procedures (methods you will use)
c. Formative check (progress checks throughout the lesson)
d. Student Participation (how you will get the students to
participate)
e. Closure (how you will end the lesson)

EVALUATION PROCEDURES (how you will measure outcomes to determine if the material has been learned)

MATERIALS AND AIDS (what you will need in order to teach this lesson)