Writing a Lesson Plan (2024)

For this example, we have chosen to look specifically at English Language Arts.

First, you need to identify the standard. The standard is located at the top of the chart.

Looking at the sample lesson plan form included in the Appendix, the standard to be addressed in this lesson for Grade 5 would be included here:

Lesson Plan Form

Topic of lesson: Time Planned:

Standard Addressed: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it, cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Lesson objectives

After the standard is established, the direction of the lesson becomes clearer, but the focus needs to be narrowed. Standards are very broad ideas that encompass a multitude of concepts and skills to be mastered over time by the students. Our lesson plan now needs a very specific objective to be accomplished today (or maybe in a couple of lessons).

Lesson objectives are statements describing what students should know and BE ABLE TO DO at the end of the lesson. Most lesson plans should have one or two lesson objectives. Remember, you must write your lesson objectives based on either the Maryland Early Learning Standards or the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards unless your mentor teacher tells you otherwise. In most cases, you are choosing just a small part of the broad standard to focus on during your lesson.Many timesyou can use the verbiage from the standards list you chose. In our kindergarten example above, take a look at the kindergarten column on the standard chart we use used previously.

Maryland Early Learning Standards

We can refer to the Key Ideas and Details in the chart as our lesson objectiveWith prompting and support, students will identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.This is an objective which a teacher could easily use as a specific lesson objective. It is narrow enough and easily measured by the end of a class period. While every student may not master it in that time frame, it will give us data on which to plan future lessons. It will appear in our sample lesson plan here:

Lesson objective: Students will identify the main topic and retell key details of a text with prompting and support.

In our Grade 5 example, you can see that in the Grade 5 column, there are MANY skills listed in the column under the VERY broad standard. In this case, we will need to choose one small skill from the column to become our lesson objective.

Here is one small benchmark taken from the Grade 5 column that could be a lesson objective for today’s lesson.

It would appear on our lesson plan as this:

Lesson Objective: Students will determine main ideas of portions of the text

Writing your own lesson objectives

Lesson objectives must be measured to be sure they are met. This provides the teacher with the knowledge that each child has mastered the skill or concept taught and is ready to move on to the next objective. When you write lesson objectives, using verbs will ensure that you are establishing performance-based expectations for the students.

Here are a few examples of effective lesson objectives. Identify the verb in each lesson objective.

1. Students will sort coins into two groups: pennies and nickels
2. Students will label the parts of a pumpkin.
3. Students will identify the main character and the setting in the story, The Snowy Day.
4. Students will sequence the key details in the story, The Snowy Day.
5. Students will describe the difference between two farm animals.

Each of these verbs indicates an action that can be seen and measured. They are skills that students will be able to demonstrate to indicate mastery of the concept.

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a great tool to help teachers select words to use as they write effective lesson objectives.

The Appendix contains a listing of common verbs used in writing lesson objectives. They are organized in the same manner as the graphic with each hierarchy (difficulty of mastery) represented. Here are some additional resources on Bloom’s Taxonomy

https://learning.northeastern.edu/course-learning-outcomes/

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/blog-posts/meghan-everette/17-18/The-Hidden-Power-of-Learning-Objectives/

Writing the body of the lesson plan

The major parts of an effective lesson plan include the following elements:

Motivation (Introduction)

Development (Planned Procedure, Guided learning, Individual practice)

Closure/Assessment

Motivation

Once you have written the lesson objective, you are ready to plan the motivation. The purpose of the motivation portion of the lesson is to generate interest in the lesson topic. This is also a great opportunity to access the student’s prior knowledge about the subject or topic of the lesson. Usually, the motivation is a very short activity (2-3 minutes) for younger children and can be longer for older students depending on the topic and activity.

Here are some examples of motivation activities.

• Create a K-W-L- chart
• Sing a song related to the lesson topic
• Share a poem or finger play related to the lesson topic
• Bring in an interesting item for the students to examine which is related to the lesson topic
• Show an interesting picture to discuss which is related to the lesson topic
• Have a “grab bag” of items where students “guess” how the items are related to the lesson topic
• Show a short clip of a You tube video if appropriate to the lesson topic.

In our example kindergarten lesson plan, we have many options for motivation. Our lesson objective is related to text, so we’ll need to choose something to read. We’ll use If you Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff. This provides us with several ideas for motivation. We could have the children describe a moose or show them a video clip about a moose. We could ask the children about their favorite flavors of muffins or have them vote on their favorite of three predetermined choices. We could discuss other books they have read by Laura Numeroff. For our purposes, we will ask them to predict what they think will happen when you give a moose a muffin and write their responses. It will go into our lesson plan like this:

Motivation: The children will sit on the carpet. Teacher will show them the cover of the book, If you Give a Moose a Muffin, and ask:

Does anyone know the title of this book? (restate the title it is given correctly or give title if not)

Have any of you ever given a moose a muffin?

What do you think might happen if you gave a moose a muffin? (record answers on a flip chart, white board, etc. as given. Save for later)

Introduce the book. (4 minutes)

In our 5^th grade plan, our lesson is part of a science unit on sharks. Today’s lesson will be reading an article on shark teeth, so our motivation activity can help us determine what the students already know about shark teeth using a KWL chart, showing shark teeth or jaw, watching a short video about sharks, or recalling information from a previous lesson about sharks. For our lesson, we will have students work together to complete a KWL chart. It will go into our lesson plan like this:

Motivation: The teacher will introduce today’s topic and ask students to work in the table groups to complete a KWL chart on shark teeth. (5-7 minutes)

Untitled Photo taken by Multilingual Mania on June 10, 2011 from Flickr

Development/planned procedure

After the motivation activity, you are ready to plan the longest and most detailed portion of your lesson. The time frame for this portion of the lesson will depend on the age/grade level of the students. The range can be from 10 minutes (very young children) to 30 minutes (middle school/high school)

The development/planned procedure should contain a very detailed list of ALL the specific activities that will take place during the lesson.

You may begin this portion of the lesson with direct teaching. As the lesson progresses, you may incorporate guided learning, exploration, discovery, problem solving, and application.

The lesson should always have opportunities for students to “DO” something. Active learning should be built into EVERY lesson plan. Students can work in a small group, with a partner, or individually. Students should NOT be sitting still and listening to the teacher for the entire lesson.

The following chart and videos describe the “active learning” portion of the lesson and the language that is commonly used.

Here are two examples on the “I do, We do, You do” strategy. The first from Teach for Life is an explanation of the strategy while the second from Literacy Alive! takes place in a 4^th grade classroom.

I Do, You Do, We Do

I Do, You Do, We Do 2

In our kindergarten lesson, the activity would be the part of the lesson where the children become involved in the reading and work to identify the main topic and retell key details of a text with prompting and support (as stated in our lesson objective). Our choices of activities must point back to that lesson objective and flow in an organized manner following the I Do, You Do, We Do model. After reading the book to the children, we could have them complete an activity where they recall the details of what happened when the moose was given a muffin. They could work together to complete a sequencing activity based on the book. Or they could draw or write their own version of what might happen if they had given the moose a muffin at their house. For our lesson, we will complete a sequencing activity following the I do, we do, you do model. It will appear in our lesson plan form like this:

Activity: (15-20 minutes)

1. Teacher will introduce the book with the title, author, and illustrator.
2. Teacher will read the book prompting children to anticipate the next step of the moose’s adventures.
3. After reading, teacher and students will recall the places and objects the moose encountered throughout the book. A student will place the corresponding picture on the board as each is recalled.
4. Teacher will lead the students through arranging the pictures in correct order as theyappeared in the book (not every spot/item needs to be included- limit of 5-6)
5. Students will review the sequence with the teacher.
6. Teacher will introduce the cutting/sequencing activity.
7. Students will work to cut out pictures on a prepared handout and glue them in the appropriate place on a sequence chart to complete the circular story.

A similar strategy is effective when teaching students who are in elementary grades and older. This technique, called Guided Practice, provides the scaffolding students need to complete the task and meet the lesson objectives for the lesson. Monitoring and feedback from the teacher assists students who need more help and provides the teacher with data to assess student understanding of the objectives.

The graphic that follows shows the progression through the steps of guided practice and the gradual release of responsibility for learning from the teacher to the student.

Source: https://www.thinkport.org/grr/in-action.html

The following video from Getty Museum shows the progression from guided practice to independent practice in a secondary classroom.

I Do, You Do, We Do

In our 5^th grade lesson, our activity will be centered on reading a story about shark’s teeth, titled Terrifying Teeth. Our lesson plan will include the sequence of steps that will take the class through the reading and follow-up activities. In order to address the objective of determining main ideas of portions of the text, students could read silently and circle the main ideas as they read. A discussion of those main points could follow. Alternatively, the class could read out loud and each student indicate the main idea individually or along with the teacher as a group. This same activity could be done in small groups. Realistically, that choice will depend on the teacher’s understanding of the students’ ability to understand the information and identify main ideas based on previous performance. For our lesson plan, we will follow the guided practice model as explained here:

Activity: (20-30 minutes)

1. Teacher will introduce the reading, Terrifying Teeth, Scholastic Books, April 21, 2020.
2. Teacher will review the concept of main idea and have discuss the main idea of the article as evidenced by the title.
3. A student will volunteer to read the first paragraph.
4. Teacher will ask for volunteer to identify the main idea in that paragraph. Once identified, teacher will circle it on the projected copy. Students will do the same on theirs. Teacher will circulate to check for understanding.
5. Students will then silently read and continue to circle the main ideas.
6. After reading, students will work in groups to verify their main ideas with each other.

Individualized Instruction

Teachers also need to plan for individualized instruction. Each student in the classroom learns a little differently and those differences need to be taken into consideration when planning a lesson. If there are individual needs related to accommodations, assistance, grouping, modifications in materials or lesson objectives, etc. they should be noted in this section. For our kindergarten lesson, we might have a student who needs extra help with cutting in the form of special scissors or an aide to help with the processing of directions.

In our 5^th grade lesson, some students may require an additional adult to help with reading. These notations are especially important if someone other than the regular teacher is going to be working with the students for the lesson.

Materials

A list of needed materials should also be included in the lesson plan. Be sure to consider all required materials that the teacher will need and that the students will need. For example, if a teacher is reading a story as part of the motivation, list the title/author of the specific book. If the teacher will be modeling a skill using items, those items need to be listed in the materials section. If children will need scissors and glue sticks, these items should also be listed in the materials section of the lesson plan. Materials may also include a PowerPoint, websites, or special equipment. This section is very helpful if the lesson will be taught by someone else or again in the future.

For our lesson, we’ll list the materials needed in our lesson plan here:

Kindergarten

Materials:

• book- If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
• Pictures of key points of the book- muffin, jar of jam, sweater, needle and thread, sock puppet, paint and brush, sheet, ghost, bar of soap, blackberry bushes
• Sequencing worksheet
• Scissors
• Glue sticks
• Crayons

Fifth Grade

Materials:

• Terrifying Teeth, Scholastic, https://sn56.scholastic.com/pages/promotion/navigationlps/083120/terrifying-teeth.html
• Main idea graphic organizer

Closure

The purpose of the closure is to “wrap up” the lesson. This is a great opportunity to REVIEW key concepts, vocabulary, or skills that were presented in the lesson. This is also when several students can share the work they did during the lesson. The closure is also generally another short activity (3-4 minutes).

The following are some examples of closure activities:

• A short song, poem, or finger play related to the lesson topic.
• If a K-W-L chart was constructed at the beginning of the lesson, the L section (what did we learn) should be completed as part of the closure.
• Two or three students could demonstrate a skill that was covered in the lesson
• Teachers could ask “thumbs up, thumbs down” questions related to the content of the lesson OR related to the student’s level of comfort and /or level of understanding

Our kindergarten lesson’s closure can be a show and tell of completed charts and a review of the main points of the book, a discussion where the students recall the main ideas of the story or a vote for the favorite stop on the adventure. We are going to revisit our motivation activity as our closure for our lesson. It will appear on the lesson plan here:

Closure: Teacher will direct students’ attention to the list generated at the beginning of the lesson where children predicted the activities in the book. They will review each and give a thumbs up or thumbs down if that prediction was correct.

The 5^th grade closure can wrap up the lesson with a graphic organizer where they list the main ideas and later use it to add details given. They could list the main ideas on the board or they could clarify why some of the main ideas that were identified by students were incorrect. We will complete a graphic organizer. It will appear in our lesson plan like this:

Closure: Students will complete a main idea graphic organizer.

Assessment

Assessment is often incorporated into the closure portion of the lesson. Assessment is necessary to determine if the lesson objective was achieved by the learners. We call this type of assessment formative assessment.

The following chart lists some examples of formative assessment strategies.

https://www.slideserve.com/dysis/formative-assessments

In many cases, opportunities for assessments are woven into the lesson in several places. In our kindergarten lesson, there are a few opportunities for the teacher to assess the students’ understanding of the lesson objective. The students’ recall of the main points of the book can be seen in discussion and in the sequencing activity. The closure activity gives the teacher a chance to see each child’s retention of the major points of the book by giving a thumbs up or thumbs down. Remember our lesson objective- Students will identify the main topic and retell key details of a text with prompting and support. All activities should support this objective and be able to be measured through the assessment. Our lesson plan includes the assessment here:

Assessment:

• Responses in discussion (both large group and individual)
• Completing the sequencing graphic organizer

The 5^th grade activity allows the teacher to assess reading fluency and vocabulary understanding during the class. The two written activities allow for assessing each student’s ability to identify the main ideas in the reading (our primary objective). The assessment would appear in our lesson plan like this:

Assessment:

• Circling main ideas
• Completing the graphic organizer

Self-Evaluation

An important part of every lesson is the reflection that takes place after the lesson has been taught. This is a time to assess if it met your expectations, if the students were successful and if the activities in the lesson addressed the lesson objective. There is a section of the lesson plan where you can jot your thoughts about good points, parts that didn’t work and the changes needed. It’s always a good idea to do that soon after teaching the lesson so the thoughts aren’t forgotten with time.

The following is a partial list of questions to consider when evaluating a lesson.

A more complete list appears in the Appendix.

1. What went well in this lesson? Why?
2. What problems did I experience? Why?
3. Was it “student centered”? Should it have been?
4. Did the students meet the objective?
5. What could I have done differently?

Data Collected

This portion of the lesson plan is a place for any information that the teacher has observed which should be recorded. This could include evidence of understanding or that a child is struggling with the concepts or skills addressed in the lesson. In our kindergarten lesson, it could be names of children who struggled with the sequencing or who moved especially quickly through the activity. In our 5^th grade, the teacher may note vocabulary words to revisit or questions students had that may become a topic for another lesson.

untitled photo, licensed under Creative Commons CC-BYby Zack Hawkins taken December 13, 2007 from Flickr

Other considerations when lesson planning

Is my lesson plan developmentally appropriate?

Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is a fundamental concept in early childhood education. Essentially, a lesson plan must be age appropriate. This means that a lesson must be “challenging but achievable” for a particular age or grade level. It needs to be planned with the knowledge of developmental needs and abilities of the age or grade level. Each lesson plan must also be individually appropriate. This means that the lesson is flexible enough to meet a variety of student abilities, needs, and interests. Finally, each lesson plan must be culturally appropriate. This means that lessons can be adapted to reflect a child’s home culture.

Teachers and childcare professionals who successfully implement (DAP) in their learning environments create spaces for children to grow, learn, interact, play, and develop in educationally and culturally rich settings. Curricular decisions are based on proven principles of child development, as well as knowledge of effective early learning practices. Curriculum is designed with each child’s individual needs and interests in mind and is focused on helping all children successfully meet developmental goals within the school’s conceptual framework. Good curriculum allows for the flexibility needed to individualize the activities while still meeting mandated standards. (Hayden and Hutton, 2021)

For more information on integrating DAP in your classroom, refer to this publication:

https://most.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/404/student/

Does my lesson plan include differentiation?

Each student is a unique individual. We do not expect all students to learn the same way. Differentiating instruction means that we implement a variety of instructional strategies so that all students can be successful.

There are four ways to differentiate instruction.

1. Content of the lesson may need to be modified for some students. Some students may have a strong background in the lesson topic, while others may not.
2. Students generally have a preferred learning style. We can be intentional in creating activities for visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners.
3. Students need to be given options for demonstrating mastery of the lesson objective.
4. Students are more successful in a flexible learning environment. The environment should allow for individual workspaces, group workspaces, movement, and comfort.

Source: https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/examples-of-differentiated-instruction/

There are many ways to differentiate instruction. Watch this short conversation produced by Education Week between two educators who discuss several easy ways to implement this in your lesson. Differentiating Instruction

untitled photo, licensed under Creative Commons CC-BYby Miwako Nakamoto taken September 2, 2015 from Flickr

Does my lesson plan reflect principles of brain-based learning?

Brain based learning refers to teaching methods, lesson designs, and school programs that are based on the latest scientific research about how the brain learns, including such factors as cognitive development- how student learn differently as they grow and mature socially, emotionally, and cognitively. https://www.edglossary.org/brain-based-learning/

Here are some important principles of brain-based learning.

1. The brain works better when learners exercise more and eat healthier foods that energize them. In the classroom that might mean students taking standing and/or walking breaks instead of sitting for hours.
2. Teachers should be conscious that criticizing students can impair their thinking while praising them can have the opposite effect. Students need to experience success and positive feedback every day!
3. Brain-based experts believe that cooperative learning is the best way for students to learn. Student’s brains develop better with other student’s brains.
4. Students can improve their memory by teaching other students. Retention of information is better when you teach someone else the material. Vygotsky supports the idea of using “more skilled peers” to assist others in the learning environment.
5. Repetition improves learning. Students tend to retain information when they have immediate opportunities to practice what they have learned.
6. Listening to lectures is not an effective way for students to retain information. Piaget supports the concept of “active learning.”
7. Lesson content needs to be meaningful for the student. Students need to be excited and motivated to learn. Students need to have a personal connection to the lesson topic for them to retain the information.
8. Brain-based learning experts suggest that students should be given opportunities to summarize information either orally or in writing. Just repeating the information is not as effective as putting the information “in your own words”.
9. Brain-based learning experts promote the idea of using many different strategies in the classroom. MarileeSprengerrecommends storytelling, humor, games, analogy, metaphor, and movement.
10. Classroom environments need to be “stress-free.” High stress levels can cause chemical changes in the brain that impair its performance. Students who experience high levels of stress are not as successful as students who experience low levels of stress.

Source: https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/10-benefits-brain-based-learning-instruction

untitled photo, licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY

by ELTpics taken January 31, 2014 from Flickr

Does my lesson plan reflect principles of Universal Design for Learning?

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework for how to develop lesson plans based on three main principles:

Representation:UDL recommends offering information in more than one format. For example, textbooks are primarily visual. But providing text, audio, video and hands-on learning gives all kids a chance to access the material in whichever way is best suited to theirlearning strengths.

Action and expression:UDL suggest giving kids more than one way to interact with the material and to show what they have learned. For example, students might get to choose between taking a pencil-and-paper test, giving an oral presentation, or doing a group project.

Engagement:UDL encourages teachers to look for multiple ways to motivate students. Letting kids make choices and giving them assignments that feel relevant to their lives are some examples of how teachers can sustain students’ interest.

Source: https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/universal-design-for-learning/understanding-universal-design-for-learning

The following chart summarizes the difference between traditional classrooms and UDL classrooms

Source: https://www.understood.org/en/learning-thinking-differences/treatments-approaches/educational- strategies/the-difference-between-universal-design-for-learning-udl-and-traditional-education

For a better understanding of how to implement UDL concepts into your classroom, view this video produced by Understood.

UDL in the classroom

This chart adapted from Understood for All, Inc. is a convenient reference for planning. It can also be found here:

Getting Started with Universal Design for Learning

untitled photo, licensed under Creative Commons CC-BYby tamucc taken October 3, 2013 from Flickr

Getting started with Universal Design Learning (UDL)

Provide multiple means ofengagement

How can I engage all students in my class?

• In what ways do I give students choice and autonomy?

• How do I make learning relevant to students’ needs and wants?

• In what ways is my classroom accepting and supportive of all students?

Examples:

• Survey students about their interests, strengths, and needs. Incorporate the findings into lessons.

• Use choice menus for working toward goals.

• State learning goals clearly and in a way that feels relevant to students.

Provide multiple means ofrepresentation

How can I present information in ways that reach all learners?

• Have I considered options for how printed texts, pictures, and charts are displayed?

• What options do I provide for students who need support engaging with texts and/or with auditory learning?

Examples:

• Make it easy for students to adjust font sizes and background colors through technology.

• Provide options for engaging with texts, such as text-to-speech, audiobooks, or partner reading.

Provide multiple means ofactionand expression

How can I offer purposeful options for students to show what they know?

• When can I provide flexibility with timing and pacing?

• Have I considered methods aside from paper-and-pencil tasks for students to show what they know?

• Am I providing students access to assistive technology (AT)?

Examples:

• Provide calendars and checklists to help students track the subtasks for meeting a learning goal.

• Allow students to show what they know through a variety of formats, such as a poster presentation or a graphic organizer.

• Provide students with access to common AT, such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech.

Appendix and Other Useful Resources

1. General Education Lesson Plan Form
2. Post Teaching Reflection
3. Weekly Overview Planning Sheet
4. Bloom’s Taxonomy- Verb list
5. Kindergarten Sample Lesson Plan
6. Fifth Grade Sample Lesson Plan
7. Student lesson plan samples
   1. Early Childhood
   2. Special Education

Post-Teaching Reflection Questions

1. How well did I meet the lesson objectives? What evidence do I have to support my claim?

2. What did I do to actively engage the students? What evidence do I have that students were actively engaged?

3. Did I alter my goals, strategies, activities, student grouping and/or assessment as I taught the lesson? If so, what changes did I make and why?

4. Were my strategies and activities effective? What is my evidence?

5. Was my assessment effective and useful to my students and me? Describe an instance in which my feedback positively affected a student's learning.

6. To what extent did the classroom environment (procedures, encouraging appropriate behavior, use of time and space, respect and rapport) contribute to student learning? What is my evidence?

7. If I could teach this lesson again, what might I do differently? Why?

8. What do I need to read about more in the professional literature to support my development as a teacher?

9. Address any other relevant needs, concerns, creative ideas, etc. at the conclusion of your reflection.

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143106192@N03/43513784172/