“I am not a teacher, but an awakener.” – Robert Frost. Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? There are of course others who believe this to be a lifetime worth of lessons type of job. As teaching is never an easy job nor an easy task to begin with. Let alone making plans on how you go about teaching your students the daily things they must learn. It is also not the brightest idea to just “wing it” and see the outcome. For those who believe that teaching is the easiest way to get everything done, especially without the thought of a lesson plan, let me tell you this, it is simply like going to war without any idea of what you should do, and what you should say. This is the reason why there is a plan, a plan for everything. For teachers, this is what a lesson plan is for. Now, you may go around wondering how a lesson plan is made? Is it difficult or different? Is it necessary? How do I even begin writing a lesson plan? Confused? Curious? Interested? I suggest you scroll through and check out the examples along the way.
You may have seen this kind of thick or thin book-like feature your teachers would often be seen bringing around along with the stack of papers and other materials for class. It can also be mistaken as an academic book due to its colorful or plain looking front cover. For students, you may have seen your teacher bringing this with them wherever they may go, or may have been told to bring it to them while they were in the classroom. For those who are taking up the course as teachers, you may have been told to make this type of plan for either a day, a week, a month or even the whole school year which is possible really. But have you ever thought about what it really is? Have you any idea as to what it can really do or what its purpose would be? First of all, do you know what a lesson plan is? Whether you are a substitute teacher, an art teacher, a music teacher or even a preschool teacher, the one thing you all have in common is a lesson plan.
So what is a lesson plan? A lesson plan can either be a detailed, semi-detailed or a plan that is made by design. A road map for a teacher to know, see and understand where they are able to target the necessary things to be done, for the benefit of their students. An effective way to teach out a lesson, with appropriate teaching strategies that benefit students and their learning level and capacity. In addition to that, a lesson plan is also called a guide, a teaching guide on how to make the lesson fulfilling, entertaining and educational for the students. The teacher lists their goals for that specific topic and to write down the effective methods of delivering the topic to their students.
When writing your very own lesson plan, there are some things you have to know. There are 3 common types of lesson plans. Of course for some there are five types but the other two are not as common as the three. So these are the types of lesson plans that you need to know before you start making your own.
A daily lesson plan is a type of lesson plan that is done daily. From Monday till Friday, you must do a different type of lesson plan. Each with its different set of topics, subjects, methods, objectives, goals and assessment. Daily lesson plans focus on everyday topics that can be done in a single day. Moving on to the next, would be a different type of topic. Daily lesson plans usually work for university students or for those who may be tutoring students.
For a weekly lesson plan, the difference between the daily lesson plan and the weekly lesson plan is, for daily you must be very specific with how you plan on doing the subject or the topic to class. A weekly lesson plan however, focuses on what you plan to do for the entire week. You focus on the topic that could be set for that week alone. Weekly lesson plans usually work if your students are in elementary level or middle school level.
When writing a grade level lesson plan, the only difference this kind of lesson plan is to the rest is it is based loosely on the grade level of your student. For the daily and weekly lesson plan, it is usually a general type with no specific grade level. Which is usually used for university, tutoring or even for infants. A grade level lesson plan however, is a more specific type and should be based on the grade level of the class.
A semi-detailed lesson plan is a kind of lesson plan that is a mixture of general and specific. However, unlike the detailed lesson plan with all its specific goals, assessments and objectives, a semi-detailed lesson plan focuses mainly on the lesson and how it is being delivered. It also focuses on the general goals of the lesson and how students are going to be assessed throughout the class.
A detailed lesson plan focuses on making sure that everything is as specific as can be. This detailed lesson plan has a more lengthy and detailed objectives, purpose, topic to handle, the assessments to be done and the goals. Detailed lesson plans are mainly used when you plan to make every single detail perfect or to a tee. Detailed lesson plans are often used by teachers who plan out everything and how their lesson should go.
Now that we know what the types of lesson plans are, let’s proceed to how to write a lesson plan. Regardless of which type of lesson plan you may use, there are things to consider. Listed below are just a few tips on how to write a good lesson plan.
Another thing to remember when writing your lesson plan is to list down all your methods and strategies. As your methods and strategies are the basis and the guide to successfully reach your goal written down in your lesson plan. Remember, your methods and strategies must also fit the needs of your students. Avoid using strategies that would only hurt your students in the long run.
Writing down the title and the duration of the lesson is key and important. You must be able to fit everything you wrote down in your lesson plan. This is where time management comes to play. Some classes only last around 30 minutes while others last 60 minutes. Fit what you must do in your objectives, lesson proper and assessment in 60 minutes. This is especially true for a daily kind of lesson plan.
Another thing to remember when writing your lesson plan is to list down all your methods and strategies. As your methods and strategies are the basis and the guide to successfully reach your goal written down in your lesson plan. Remember, your methods and strategies must also fit the needs of your students. Avoid using strategies that would only hurt your students in the long run.
After every end of the lesson, set some assessment. These assessments can range from homework, seat work and even examinations. The purpose of the assessment is to see if your students have learned something today or have at least understood the topic you are teaching. Assessments can also help you in a way that they are able to show you where your students may need some improvement or if they are ready for the next topic to be discussed.
By the end of the day, no matter which lesson plan you use for your lessons or classes, you must always proofread your work. Check if you have written and placed all the necessary details that you need. Recheck everything to see if you have completed your objectives, your assessments and your lesson proper. Each information in your lesson plan works well when it is complete.
A lesson plan is a road map, a detailed or semi-detailed action plan for teachers. It is their guide to a good and proper lesson flow in class.
When writing, avoid using the pronoun I. As this lesson plan does not cater to your needs. Your lesson plan must cater to the needs of your students. You may use “the students will be able to”.
At least a minimum of three objectives and a maximum of five. Each objective must co-relate with one another, but must not mean the same thing.
The assessment is there to see and to check whether or not the students were able to follow or understand the lesson being taught to them.
The reason why it is important to proofread your lesson plan is to check if you have written out everything that is necessary. The second reason is, your superiors may want to read it first and see if you have completed the task of writing down your lesson plan in complete detail. Lastly, proofreading your lesson plan would only help you find any mistakes or anything you may have missed. Since if one information is missing in your lesson plan, it may not go smoothly. Your lesson plan does not need to be perfect, it just needs to be semi detailed or detailed and complete.
Being a teacher can be a difficult and demanding job as it is. But writing out detailed or semi structured lesson plans can also be a challenging thing, yet it goes with the job. However, on a positive note, when you are able to know which lesson plan you choose to do, figure out your objectives and lesson proper, everything follows from there. Good luck!