Lesson plan

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A lesson plan is a teacher's detailed

description of the course of instruction or
"learning trajectory" for a lesson. A daily
lesson plan is developed by a teacher to
guide class learning. Details will vary
depending on the preference of the
teacher, subject being covered, and the
needs of the students. There may be
requirements mandated by the school
system regarding the plan.[1] A lesson plan
is the teacher's guide for running a
particular lesson, and it includes the goal
(what the students are supposed to learn),
how the goal will be reached (the method,
procedure) and a way of measuring how
well the goal was reached (test,
worksheet, homework etc.).[2]

Main classes of symbiotic

relationships
The "Triple A" model for planning arranges a lesson in
a sequence of activating learning, acquiring new
learning, and applying the learning

While there are many formats for a lesson

plan, most lesson plans contain some or
all of these elements, typically in this
order:

Title of the lesson

Time required to complete the lesson
List of required materials
List of objectives, which may be
behavioral objectives (what the student
can do at lesson completion) or
knowledge objectives (what the student
knows at lesson completion)
The set (or lead-in, or bridge-in) that
focuses students on the lesson's skills
or concepts—these include showing
pictures or models, asking leading
questions, or reviewing previous lessons
An instructional component that
describes the sequence of events that
make up the lesson, including the
teacher's instructional input and, where
appropriate, guided practice by students
to consolidate new skills and ideas
Independent practice that allows
students to extend skills or knowledge
on their own
A summary, where the teacher wraps up
the discussion and answers questions
An evaluation component, a test for
mastery of the instructed skills or
concepts—such as a set of questions to
answer or a set of instructions to follow
 A risk assessment where the lesson's
risks and the steps taken to minimize
them are documented
An analysis component the teacher uses
to reflect on the lesson itself—such as
what worked and what needs improving
A continuity component reviews and
reflects on content from the previous
lesson[3]

Herbartian approach: Fredrick

Herbart (1776-1841)
…

According to Herbart, there are eight

lesson plan phases that are designed to
provide "many opportunities for teachers
to recognize and correct students'
misconceptions while extending
understanding for future lessons." These
phases are: Introduction, Foundation, Brain
Activation, Body of New Information,
Clarification, Practice and Review,
Independent Practice, and Closure.[4]

1. Preparation/Instruction: It pertains to
preparing and motivating children to
the lesson content by linking it to the
previous knowledge of the student,
by arousing curiosity of the children
and by making an appeal to their
senses. This prepares the child's
mind to receive new knowledge. "To
know where the pupils are and where
they should try to be are the two
essentials of good teaching."
Lessons may be started in the
following manner: a. Two or three
interesting but relevant questions b.
Showing a picture/s, a chart or a
model c. A situation Statement of
Aim: Announcement of the focus of
the lesson in a clear, concise
statement such as "Today, we shall
study the..."
2. Presentation/Development: The
actual lesson commences here. This
step should involve a good deal of
activity on the part of the students.
The teacher will take the aid of
various devices, e.g., questions,
illustrations, explanation, expositions,
demonstration and sensory aids, etc.
Information and knowledge can be
given, explained, revealed or
suggested. The following principles
should be kept in mind. a. Principle of
selection and division: This subject
matter should be divided into
different sections. The teacher
should also decide as to how much
he is to tell and how much the pupils
are to find out for themselves. b.
Principle of successive sequence:
The teacher should ensure that the
succeeding as well as preceding
knowledge is clear to the students. c.
Principle of absorption and
integration: In the end separation of
the parts must be followed by their
combination to promote
understanding of the whole.
3. Association comparison: It is always
desirable that new ideas or
knowledge be associated to daily life
situations by citing suitable examples
and by drawing comparisons with the
related concepts. This step is
important when we are establishing
principles or generalizing definitions.
4. Generalizing: This concept is
concerned with the systematizing of
the knowledge learned. Comparison
and contrast lead to generalization.
An effort should be made to ensure
that students draw the conclusions
 themselves. It should result in
students' own thinking, reflection and
experience.
5. Application: It requires a good deal of
mental activity to think and apply the
principles learned to new situations.
Knowledge, when it is put to use and
verified, becomes clear and a part of
the student's mental make-up.
. Recapitulation: Last step of the
lesson plan, the teacher tries to
ascertain whether the students have
understood or grasped the subject
matter or not. This is used for
 assessing/evaluating the
effectiveness of the lesson by asking
students questions on the contents
of the lesson or by giving short
objectives to test the student's level
of understanding; for example, to
label different parts on a diagram,
etc.

Lesson plans and unit plans …

A well-developed lesson plan reflects the

interests and needs of students. It
incorporates best practices for the
educational field. The lesson plan
correlates with the teacher's philosophy of
education, which is what the teacher feels
is the purpose of educating the students.[5]

Secondary English program lesson plans,

for example, usually center around four
topics. They are literary theme, elements
of language and composition, literary
history, and literary genre. A broad,
thematic lesson plan is preferable,
because it allows a teacher to create
various research, writing, speaking, and
reading assignments. It helps an instructor
teach different literature genres and
incorporate videotapes, films, and
television programs. Also, it facilitates
teaching literature and English together.[5]
Similarly, history lesson plans focus on
content (historical accuracy and
background information), analytic thinking,
scaffolding, and the practicality of lesson
structure and meeting of educational
goals.[6] School requirements and a
teacher's personal tastes, in that order,
determine the exact requirements for a
lesson plan.

Unit plans follow much the same format as

a lesson plan, but cover an entire unit of
work, which may span several days or
weeks. Modern constructivist teaching
styles may not require individual lesson
plans. The unit plan may include specific
objectives and timelines, but lesson plans
can be more fluid as they adapt to student
needs and learning styles.

Unit Planning is the proper selection of

learning activities which presents a
complete picture. Unit planning is a
systematic arrangement of subject matter.
"A unit plan is one which involves a series
of learning experiences that are linked to
achieve the aims composed by
methodology and contents," (Samford). "A
unit is an organization of various activities,
experiences and types of learning around
a central problem or purpose developed
cooperatively by a group of pupils under a
teacher leadership involving planning,
execution of plans and evaluation of
results," (Dictionary of Education).

Criteria of a Unit Plan

1. Needs, capabilities, interest of the

learner should be considered.
2. Prepared on the sound psychological
knowledge of the learner.
3. Provide a new learning experience;
systematic but flexible.
 4. Sustain the attention of the learner til
the end.
5. Related to social and physical
environment of the learner.
. Development of learner's personality.

It is important to note that lesson planning

is a thinking process, not the filling in of a
lesson plan template. A lesson plan is
envisaged as a blue print, guide map for
action, a comprehensive chart of
classroom teaching-learning activities, an
elastic but systematic approach for the
teaching of concepts, skills and attitudes.
The first thing for setting a lesson plan is
to create an objective, that is, a statement
of purpose for the whole lesson. An
objective statement itself should answer
what students will be able to do by the end
of the lesson. The objective drives the
whole lesson plan; it is the reason the
lesson plan exists. The teacher should
ensure that lesson plan goals are
compatible with the developmental level of
the students. The teacher ensures as well
that their student achievement
expectations are reasonable.[5]
Delivery of Lesson Plans …

The following guidelines were set by

Canadian Council on Learning to enhance
the effectiveness of the teaching process:

At the start of teaching, provide the

students with an overall picture of the
material to be presented. When
presenting material, use as many visual
aids as possible and a variety of familiar
examples. Organize the material so that
it is presented in a logical manner and in
meaningful units. Try to use terms and
concepts that are already familiar to the
students.
Maximize the similarity between the
learning situation and the assessment
situation and provide adequate training
practice. Give students the chance to
use their new skills immediately on their
return home through assignments.
Communicate the message about the
importance of the lesson, increase their
motivation level, and control sidelining
behaviors by planning rewards for
students who successfully complete
and integrate the new content. To
sustain learning performance, the
assessments must be fair and
attainable.
Motivation affects teaching outcomes
independently of any increase in
cognitive ability. Learning motivation is
affected by individual characteristics
like conscientiousness and by the
learning climate. Therefore, it is
important to try to provide as much
realistic assignments as possible.
Students learn best at their own pace
and when correct responses are
immediately reinforced, perhaps with a
quick “Well done.” For many Generation
Z students, the use of technology can
motivate learning. Simulations, games,
virtual worlds, and online networking are
already revolutionizing how students
learn and how learning experiences are
designed and delivered. Learners who
are immersed in deep experiential
learning in highly visual and interactive
environments become intellectually
engaged in the experience.
Research shows that it is important to
create a perceived need for learning
(Why should I learn, the realistic
relatable objective) in the minds of
students. Then only students can
perceive the transferred "how and what
to learn" part from the educator. Also,
provide ample information that will help
to set the students' expectations about
the events and consequences of actions
that are likely to occur in the learning
environment. For example, students
learning to become adept on differential
equations may face stressful situations,
high loads of study, and a difficult
environment. Studies suggest that the
negative impact of such conditions can
 be reduced by letting students know
ahead of time what might occur and
equipping them with skills to manage.
Lesson plans and classroom
management …

Creating a reliable lesson plan is an

important part of classroom management.
Doing so requires the ability to incorporate
effective strategies into the classroom, the
students and overall environment. There
are many different types of lesson plans
and ways of creating them. Teachers can
encourage critical thinking in a group
setting by creating plans that include the
students participating collectively. Visual
strategies are another component tied into
lesson plans that help with classroom
management. These visual strategies help
a wide variety of students to increase their
learning structure and possibly their
overall comprehension of the material or
what is in the lesson plan itself. These
strategies also give students with
disabilities the option to learn in a possible
more efficient way. Teachers need to
realize the wide range of strategies that
can be used to maintain classroom
management and students. They should
find the best strategies to incorporate in
their lesson planning for their specific
grade, student type, teaching style, etc.
and utilize them to their advantage. The
classroom tends to flow better when the
teacher has a proper lesson planned, as it
provides structure for the students. Being
able to utilize class time efficiently comes
with creating lesson plans at their core.[7]

Assignments …

Assignments are either in-class or take-

home tasks to be completed for the next
class period.[8] These tasks are important
because they help ensure that the
instruction provides the students with a
goal, the power to get there, and the
interest to be engaged in rigorous
academic contexts as they acquire
content and skills necessary to be able to
participate in academic coursework.[9]

Experts cite that, in order to be effective

and achieve objectives, the development
of these assignment tasks must take into
consideration the perceptions of the
students because they are different from
those of the teacher's.[10] This challenge
can be addressed by providing examples
instead of abstract concepts or
instructions. Another strategy involves the
development of tasks that are specifically
related to the learners' needs, interests,
and age ranges.[10] There are also experts
who cite the importance of teaching
learners about assignment planning.[11]
This is said to facilitate the students'
engagement and interest in their
assignment. Some strategies include
brainstorming about the assignment
process and the creation of a learning
environment wherein students feel
engaged and willing to reflect on their prior
learning and to discuss specific or new
topics.[11]

There are several assignment types so the

instructor must decide whether class
assignments are whole-class, small
groups, workshops, independent work,
peer learning, or contractual:

Whole-class—the teacher lectures to the

class as a whole and has the class
collectively participate in classroom
discussions.
Small groups—students work on
assignments in groups of three or four.
Workshops—students perform various
tasks simultaneously. Workshop
activities must be tailored to the lesson
plan.
Independent work—students complete
assignments individually.
Peer learning—students work together,
face to face, so they can learn from one
another.
Contractual work—teacher and student
establish an agreement that the student
must perform a certain amount of work
by a deadline.[5]
These assignment categories (e.g. peer
learning, independent, small groups) can
also be used to guide the instructor’s
choice of assessment measures that can
provide information about student and
class comprehension of the material. As
discussed by Biggs (1999), there are
additional questions an instructor can
consider when choosing which type of
assignment would provide the most
benefit to students. These include:

What level of learning do the students

need to attain before choosing
assignments with varying difficulty
levels?
What is the amount of time the
instructor wants the students to use to
complete the assignment?
How much time and effort does the
instructor have to provide student
grading and feedback?
What is the purpose of the assignment?
(e.g. to track student learning; to provide
students with time to practice concepts;
to practice incidental skills such as
group process or independent research)
 How does the assignment fit with the
rest of the lesson plan? Does the
assignment test content knowledge or
does it require application in a new
context?[12]
Does the lesson plan fit a particular
framework? For example, a Common
Core Lesson Plan .

See also
Curriculum
Syllabus
Bloom's Taxonomy
Instructional Materials
 No Child Left Behind

References
1. O'Bannon, B. (2008). "What is a Lesson
Plan?" . Innovative Technology Center
* The University of Tennessee.
Archived from the original on July 29,
2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
2. "What Is A Lesson Plan?" . English
Club. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
3. "Writing Lesson Plans Archived
2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine."
Huntington University: a Christian
college ranked among America's best
colleges. 15 Mar. 2009.
4. Cunningham, Gini. "Lesson Plans and
Unit Plans: The Basis for Instruction" .
ASCD. Retrieved 2018-02-15.
5. Mitchell, Diana, and Stephen Tchudi,
"Exploring and Teaching the English
Language Arts" (4th Ed.). Boston, MA:
Allyn & Bacon, 1999.
 . Lesson Plan Reviews Introduction .
Teachinghistory.org. Accessed 15
June 2011.
7. Nagro, Sarah A.; Fraser, Dawn W.;
Hooks, Sara D. (2019). "Lesson
Planning With Engagement in Mind:
Proactive Classroom Management
Strategies for Curriculum Instruction".
Intervention in School and Clinic. 54
(3): 131–140.
doi:10.1177/1053451218767905 .
 . Moore, Kenneth (2014). Effective
Instructional Strategies: From Theory
to Practice. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE
Publications. p. 218.
ISBN 9781483306582.
9. Dougherty, Eleanor (2012).
Assignments Matter: How to
Transform Urban Schools Through
Fearless Leadership. Alexandria, VA:
ASCD. p. 9. ISBN 9781416614401.
10. Uhlenwinkel, Anke (2012). Teaching
about the religious values of
Europeans: critical reflections from the
second student exchange of the EVE-
project. Berlin: Universitatsverlag
Potsdam. p. 103.
ISBN 9783869561752.
11. Herring, James (2011). Improving
Students' Web Use and Information
Literacy: A Guide for Teachers and
Teacher Librarians. London: Facet
Publishing. p. 8.
ISBN 9781856047432.
12. Biggs, J. (1999) Teaching Learning at
University (pp. 165-203). Buckingham,
UK: SRHE and Open University Press.

Further reading
Ahrenfelt, Johannes, and Neal Watkin.
100 Ideas for Essential Teaching Skills
(Continuum One Hundred). New York:
Continuum, 2006.
Carey, Lou; Dick, Walter (1978), The
Systematic Design of Instruction. (1st
ed.), Glenview: Scott, Foresman,
ISBN 978-0-673-15122-3
Gagne, Robert; Briggs, Leslie (1974),
Principles of instructional design (1st
ed.), New York: Holt, Rinehart and
Winston,
hdl:2027/mdp.39015004151000 ,
ISBN 978-0-03-008171-2
Mccrea, Peps (2015), Lean Lesson
Planning: A practical approach to doing
less and achieving more in the
classroom , Brighton: Teacherly.co
External link in |title= (help)
Serdyukov, Peter, and Ryan, Mark.
Writing Effective Lesson Plans: The 5-
Star Approach. Boston: Allyn & Bacon,
2008.
Salsbury, Denise E., and Melinda
Schoenfeldt. Lesson Planning: A
Research-Based Model for K-12
Classrooms. Alexandria, VA: Prentice
Hall, 2008.
Skowron, Janice. Powerful Lesson
Planning: Every Teachers Guide to
Effective Instruction. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin Press, 2006.
Thompson, Julia G. First Year Teacher's
Survival Guide: Ready-To-Use Strategies,
Tools & Activities For Meeting The
Challenges Of Each School Day (J-B
Ed:Survival Guides). San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2007.
Tileston, Donna E. Walker. What Every
Teacher Should Know About Instructional
Planning Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Press, 2003.
Wolfe, Shoshana. Your Best Year Yet! A
Guide to Purposeful Planning and
Effective Classroom Organization
(Teaching Strategies). New York:
Teaching Strategies, 2006.
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