How to create a lesson plan

A lesson plan is a guide of what students will learn, how they will learn it and how you will assess their learning. 

WHY YOU SHOULD CREATE A LESSON PLAN 

Not only does a lesson plan help you to manage your time when it comes to teaching, but it also helps you stay on track and ensures learning outcomes are met. 

A lesson plan is useful, it will outline your lesson and give it some structure. Having a lesson plan helps you be better prepared overall and will provide a better learning experience for your students. 

If you do not prepare a lesson plan in advance, when it comes time for you to teach, you run the risk of diverging off the topic, and you are more likely to miss key information. Also, without a lesson plan, you are also less likely to use the best method for assessment. All of this can be avoided by using a lesson plan, this will provide your learners with the best learning experience. 

A lesson plan is especially useful if you know you are going to be teaching the same lesson again in the future. Because your lesson plan will already have the lesson structured and planned, it will make it very easy for you to teach the lesson again. 

You can also change, update or edit your lesson plan to suit the needs of your learners or to improve your style of teaching. 

If you teach multiple subjects or courses then using a lesson plan is crucial to keep you organised. 

WHAT A LESSON PLAN INCLUDES 

A basic lesson plan includes 

• Subject / Lesson Topic – The name / title of the subject / topic

• Duration – The total duration of the lesson

• Amount of learners – The amount of learners in the lesson 

• Location – Physical address / Online classroom link 

• Lesson plan – Breakdown of the lesson content, including a breakdown of time for each step/ activity. 

• Materials needed – Any materials needed to support and assist learning. 

• Method of assessment – The methods you will use to assess your students’ learning to ensure learning outcomes are met.

• Learning Outcomes – What the student is expected to learn.

• Additional information – Here you can include extra work in case the lesson is finished faster than anticipated so your learners have something to do. It is also good to have back up alternate worksheets / activities for your learners, in the event that the actual planned lesson does not go to plan due to external circumstances such as lack of wifi connectivity etc. 

WHEN TO USE A LESSON PLAN

Creating an online course. 

If you are creating an online course, a lesson plan can be used as a guide and a structure that you can use to create the course content. 

Online live training

Use a lesson plan to structure the lesson to ensure your online learners are receiving the best possible value. 

Face to face training 

A lesson plan when doing any type of teaching or training face to face is crucial to keep you focused and on track.

DOWNLOAD A LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

There are various lesson plan templates available online. You can also create your own. 

A lesson plan is a document usually in the layout of a form, the lesson plan includes spaces for you to fill out that will help you guide your lesson from start to finish. 

Download a free lesson plan template here.