Lesson planning template
Planning an impactful class session requires preparation. While the specifics may vary based on your unique teaching style, every class has typical stages that necessitate careful planning.
Further explanation of the lesson plan template
The above lesson plan template provides prompts for you as you develop your lesson.
| Course & Date | For your reference about this lesson and its sequence in the course. |
| Course Objective/ Big Picture | What is the overall topic of the lesson and to which learning outcome(s) does this lesson relate? How does this lesson help your students achieve the overall course goals and objectives? |
| Learning/module outcome(s) | What will students have learned by the end of this lesson or module? Will they be able to do something, understand a concept, talk about an issue, write an assignment...? |
| Instructional Phase(s) | Which instructional phase(s) will be addressed in this lesson? In any given module or unit, a basic instructional model follows a sequence of 4 phases: Introduction, Presentation, Practice and Application. Depending on which phase of instruction your lesson falls into, the way you structure your lesson will vary. However, you may be using other instructional design models such as Experiential Learning, the 5E Model, etc. In this case, note the relevant phase(s) according to the model you are following. |
| What students already know | Identify learners’ pre-existing knowledge. Are there things that they need to know before continuing? If so, how will you fill the gaps? Anticipate disparity among your learners, and divise strategies to cope with this. If you have already begun the module, what readings, work, etc. have students done to prepare for today’s lesson. |
| Formative Assessment & Feedback | What kind of informal feedback will you get from and give to students about their learning? How will you know if students are “getting” it? How will you check this, and at what point(s) in the lesson? Examples include: group tasks, clicker questions, minute papers, etc. |
| Anouncements | A place for you to write any announcements you want to make in class. |
| Introduction/ Warm up | How will you “warm up” students’ brains? Before you dive in, it’s good to provide a brief warm-up question or activity to give students the opportunity to access what they already know about the topic. |
Time Lesson Activity S-T Focus Notes
|
The columns in this section of the lesson plan relate to each learning activity you plan in your lesson. Learning activites might include: mini lecture, discussion, or other activities. Each learning activity should be on a separate line and indicate the following: Time: At what time in the lesson should this activity start? This will help you keep track of time during the lesson. Lesson Activity: Give a brief description of the activity, e.g. Groups complete defining feautres matrix S-T Focus: Is this a student- or teacher-focused activity? Student-focused activities promote active and engaged learning. You want to aim for a student-focused activity approximately every 20 minutes when possible. Notes: What do you need to remember as you implement this activity? What materials or equipment do you need? What needs to be prepared in advance? |
| Closing Activity | How will you wrap up the lesson? Emphasize the key points and make links to previous and future lessons. Suggsted activity: Ask students to do a minute paper to find out what their biggest takeaways and questions were. |
| Homework | What homework or preparation wills students need to do for next class? |
| Notes | What follow-up do you need to do after this lesson? What do you need to remember for next class? |