To lesson plan does not have to be a document that describes each and every possible classroom scenario, it should provide you with a general outline of your  goals, learning objectives, and approaches. When writing the lesson plan remember it is a general map that will guide the flow of your lesson. They are not created to be followed to the exact word but instead build to allow a flow of instructions that is clears and targeted just like a road map of what students need to learn and how it will be done effectively during the class time. Before you plan your lesson, you will first need to:​

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Outline learning objectives

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Start by answering the following questions:

• What is the topic of the lesson?

• What do I want for students to learn?

• What concepts do I want students to understand and be able to do?​​

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After drafting the above as yourself the following questions:

• What are the most important concepts, ideas, or skills I want students to be able to grasp and apply?

• Why are they important?

• If I ran out of time, which ones I can't skip?

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The objective in a lesson plan states what a student will be able to do after the lesson. For objective to be effective they needs to be :

• Clear in order to effect the performance expected from the child as a result of the lesson plan.

• Specific, and most importantly, observable and measurable.

• Focused on student behaviors, not what the teacher is doing during the lesson.

• Targeted to answer, “What do you want your students to be able to do as a result of the lesson?”

• Tailored to meet the needs of the children involved. 

• Focuses on student performance, is observable, and contains criteria for measuring success.

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​Develop the introduction

 

Now that you have your learning objectives design the  activities you will use to get students to understand and apply what they have learned. Remember to always  start with a question or activity that helps you know the students’ base knowledge of the subject. This  information can help shape your introduction, learning activities, etc.  When you have an idea of the students’ familiarity with the topic, you will also have a sense of what to focus on.

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Develop a creative engaging and interesting introduction that would stimulate and grasp students attention and encourage thinking, you can do so by answering the following: 

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• How will I check whether students know anything about the topic or have any preconceived notions about it?

• What are some commonly held ideas that students might be familiar with ?

• What will I do to introduce the topic?

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Plan the specific learning activities (the main body of the lesson)

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 These questions would help you design the learning activities you will use:

• What will I do to explain the topic? Always try to Prepare several different ways of explaining the material (real-life examples, analogies, visuals, etc.

• What will I do to illustrate the topic in a different way? Always try to use real-life examples, analogies, or situations that can help students understand the topic.

• How can I engage students in the topic? Always consider the different learning styles of students.

• What will students need to do to help them understand the topic better?

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Plan to check for understanding

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 Think about specific questions and strategies to check for understanding. Give chance for students to express their learning in different ways, orally, writing, drawing, acting. You can plan how to check on understanding by answering:

• What questions will I ask students to check for understanding?

• What will I have students do to demonstrate their understanding?

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Develop a conclusion and a preview

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Go over the material covered in class by  finishing the following sentences:

 

• Today we talked about….

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Create a realistic timeline

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• Estimate how much time each of the activities will take, then plan some extra time for each

• When you prepare your lesson plan, next to each activity indicate how much time you expect it will take

• Plan a few minutes at the end of class to answer any remaining questions and to sum up key points

• Plan an extra activity or discussion question in case you have time left

• Be flexible – be ready to adjust your lesson plan to students’ needs and focus on what seems to be more productive rather than sticking to your original plan

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important notes to keep in mind as you are setting the time line for the class:

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• Narrow down your list to the two or three key concepts, ideas, or skills you want students to learn.

• Keep in mind you often need to adjust your lesson plan during class depending on what the students need.

• Having additional examples or alternative activities will also allow you to be flexible.

• A realistic timeline will reflect your flexibility and readiness to adapt to the specific classroom environment.

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Introducing the lesson plan

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Letting your students know what they will be learning and doing and exploring at the begging of the day  will increase their engagement and help them stay on track. You can share your lesson plan in different approaches.

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Reflecting on the lesson plan

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There are many elements circumstances and  that might effect the flow of the lesson plan, for this always take a few minutes after each class to reflect on what worked well and why, and what you could have done differently. Identifying successful and less successful activities as well as go over the time line. Take student feedback, peer observation to make sure you have enough data that would support those adjustments.