Whether you’re a new teacher or a veteran and no matter the content you teach, you NEED a lesson plan! Having and using a lesson plan template keeps you focused and gives you a clear, organized outline for your day. Don’t worry! I’m not referring to the elaborate lesson plan templates from college or your days of student teaching. (Collective sighs of relief resound!)
Lesson Plan Templates don’t have to be complicated to be an effective teaching strategy!
As a new teacher (or even a well-seasoned veteran), creating an effective lesson plan can be overwhelming if you don’t know what to include or if you don’t have the right TEMPLATE. That’s why I’m outlining the essential elements of an effective lesson plan for you and introducing you to my editable Lesson Plan Template. If you want to save time, reduce your stress, and become a more effective, confident teacher, then keep reading!
Why do you need a plan?
Kids are unpredictable, especially in upper elementary and middle school. My advice to new teachers (or really all teachers) is to prepare for the unexpected! The more prepared you are, the easier it will be when something unexpected inevitably happens. Furthermore, lesson planning can build confidence, provide opportunities for evaluation, and keep you organized.
What should your Lesson Plan include?
In addition to the following essential elements, my lesson plan template includes all the basic details such as Lesson Title, Unit Focus, Subject, Dates, Grade Level, and Lesson Duration. Get your copy of the Lesson Plan Template HERE.
Content Standards
First, what standards are you covering in this lesson? Second, how does your lesson connect to previous lessons? In order to consider the big picture and full year, you may also use a curriculum map to guide your planning. Your school district likely has a curriculum map for each grade and content area that you can use as a guide.
Learning Objectives and Goals
Basically, what do you want your students to know and be able to do? Your objective for a lesson should align with the content standard, and it should be simple, student-friendly, and attainable. For example, if you teach upper elementary social studies, a lesson objective might be “I can explain the four core beliefs of Hinduism.”
Essential Questions
First, your essential question(s) should be interesting and relatable to your students. Furthermore, it should prompt in-depth debate and conversation. Lastly, it should promote learning and connect to real-world experiences.
Materials required
Make a list of the resources and materials you need to teach this lesson. Additionally, you should include technology resources such as laptops, learning tools, apps, or educational websites in this section of the lesson plan template.
Vocabulary
What key vocabulary will you need to pre-teach or review? How do you plan to teach the key vocabulary?
Differentiation
One size does not fit all in teaching! What is the plan when a student doesn’t master the objective? How will you challenge and extend learning for students who demonstrate mastery? Grouping. These are all things to consider when planning for differentiation.
Activity description
What does this lesson look like in action? For example, you might use the I do, we do, you do format in an activity description on the lesson plan template.
Reflection and Assessment
Finally, how will you assess student learning and mastery? How will you know if your lesson was effective?
Why use a template?
Remember, I told you that lesson plans don’t have to be complicated to be effective, right? However, this does not mean they don’t need to be organized. The best way to organize your planning is to use a lesson plan template.
You can check out my editable Lesson Plan Template HERE.
This Lesson Plan Template prompts you to include all of the essential elements that shape an effective lesson. They work for any subject and include a daily and weekly format option. They are also really pretty, which never hurts! Once you fill in the template the first time, you can use it as an example for future lessons. This makes it quick and easy to plan ahead!
To summarize, you NEED a plan! Lesson plans don’t have to be complicated to be an effective teaching strategy! In short, with a good template, you can save yourself time and stress and become a more effective teacher! Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran, you set yourself up for success with lesson plans.
Get your copy of the Lesson Plan Template HERE.
For more planning resources and lesson plan examples, check out the following posts:
- DIGITAL TEACHER PLANNER FREE DIGITAL PLANNER STICKERS
- 3 TIPS FOR ENGAGING ANCIENT HISTORY LESSON PLANS
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