How to Develop an Effective Lesson Plan: Everything You Should Know

While you cannot control everything that happens in the school day, a solid lesson plan provides teachers with a clear path for instruction and increases student achievement. Lesson plans can include a single activity or span a whole unit- teachers can determine what is best for their students.

Steps for Making an Effective Lesson Plan

Lesson plans are classroom blueprints that teachers use to increase student engagement and achievement. While they do not have to be lengthy or complicated, the following components are crucial when crafting effective lesson plans.

1. Determine the Learning Outcome

Begin with the end in mind. The learning outcome, sometimes called a learning target or objective, communicates what students should know and be able to do by the end of the lesson.  Further, all resources, tasks, and activities should be aligned to the learning outcome. These objectives should be attainable, measurable, and clearly articulated from the course standards.

Effective educators communicate the learning outcome to learners at the beginning of the lesson using student-friendly language.  It is beneficial to create a routine in which students internalize the learning outcome and set a specific goal for the lesson. This practice involves the learner in the process and encourages them to be active participants in their learning.

2. Differentiation and Resources

As teachers develop lesson plans, incorporating the unique characteristics, experiences, and learning styles of their students is essential. Crafting learning tasks and curating resources that build on student strengths and background knowledge increases engagement and achievement by allowing learners to make connections and understand the relevance of the content.

Learning tasks and materials should be challenging, yet comprehensible. This means differentiating the varying levels of understanding for all students. Hence, a diverse approach that uses traditional and technological activities that includes group and individual tasks. This ensures well-rounded instruction and prepares students for situations beyond the classroom.

3. Sequencing Lessons

Here are some things to consider when preparing the sequence of your lessons:

• Begin the lesson with a 'hook' to get students’ attention. Some examples are videos, ice breakers, or an interesting review of previously learned material.
• Plan student-centered tasks in which learners are actively engaged in the lesson.
• Speak clearly and concisely as well as include gestures, visuals, and examples.  This will improve comprehension for visual and tactile learners as well as English language learners.
• Incorporate formative assessments throughout the lesson to diagnose student attainment of the learning outcomes and drive instruction.
• Use modeling and multiple examples.
• Ask open-ended questions as well as allow time for students to ask questions.  This improves understanding and increases student agency in the learning process.
• Scaffold the content. A gradual release approach keeps students interested without overloading them too quickly.

4. Create a Realistic Timeline

Limit your lesson to the most important concepts or ideas of a specific standard or standards as a long list of learning objectives is unrealistic.  Utilizing the information below will create a lesson plan with realistic and attainable outcomes.

• Realistically estimate how long each activity will take. It’s important to understand that lessons don't always go as planned.
• Incorporate a review of material learned in previous lessons to activate prior knowledge that will be important in this lesson.
• Plan an extra activity or discussion question in case your students finish something early or if you have time left over.
• Be adaptable. Instead of adhering to the initial strategy, be willing to change any lesson plan to meet the needs of your students and concentrate on what appears to be more effective in terms of student engagement and comprehension.

5. Lesson Closure

Every lesson plan should include time for proper closure.  This is a great time for students to reflect on what they learned and allows the teacher to determine the best plan moving forward. Below are some options for an effective lesson conclusion:

• Use the sentence starter "Today we discussed" and have students write or discuss the end of the sentence.
• Ask students to help summarize the essential elements as part of their participation.
• Provide an exit ticket in which students explain what they learned or ask a question for the next lesson.

Keep in mind that your students have unique needs and learning styles. At times students require additional resources or support to truly achieve the determined learning outcomes. Finally, lesson plans are not only for the classroom teacher and students, they should be adaptable so that a substitute teacher can follow them in case you are absent.

Final Thoughts

Lesson plans that accommodate student interests and learning styles make a difference in student achievement and engagement. When crafting a lesson plan, avoid overloading the lesson with too much content.  Consider that a lesson plan can be extended beyond one day, if necessary.

Empower and encourage student feedback on lessons, activities, and assignments throughout the year. Track the components that elicited the strongest feedback to repeat or replace as necessary.  By establishing strong routines and facilitating relevant learning tasks, a lesson plan is a powerful tool for keeping students engaged in the classroom.