Making a Lesson PlanHow to make an effective lesson plan

What is a lesson plan? A lesson plan is an organized set of notes that

helps teachers to think through what they are going to teach and how they are going to teach it.

A lesson plan generally has these parts: Aims Stages Procedures Timing Materials Teaching Aids

AimsAims are what we want students to learn or

be able to do at the end of a lessonAims are generally written in one of two

ways:o The student will learn + aimo The student will be able to + aimFor example: o The students will learn how to use can and

can’t.o The students will be able to say what they can

do and can’t do.

StagesA stage is a section of a lesson.Lessons plans go through different stages. Some common

stages you will see in a lesson plan are: Warmer – An activity a teacher uses at the beginning of a

lesson to give the class more energy Lead-in – The activity or activities used to prepare students

for what they will learn or do. A lead-in often includes an introduction to the topic or task

Presentation – This is where new language is introduced Practice - When students practice the language; in a

controlled way or freer way Review – When the teacher goes over what has been

studied or practiced with the students Release – The last stage of the lesson when the teacher

assigns homework and tells the students goodbye.

ProceduresWithin each stage, there are procedures. Procedures are what the teacher and learners

will do at each stage. For example, in a lead-in stage, the procedures

might include: o Reading aims with studentso Introducing new grammarIn a practice stage, the procedures might

include: o Listening to a recordingo Repeating what the recording says

TimingTiming is – the likely time when stages in

a lesson or activities in a lesson take place.

When teachers plan a lesson, they need to think about how long each activity will take and write this on their lesson plan. For example:

o Introducing new grammar – 5 minuteso Listening to a recording – 2 minutesoRepeating what the recording says – 3

minutes

MaterialsMaterials are all the educational resources

the teacher uses to help improve the lesson. There are three kinds of materials that a

teacher can use: 1. Reference Materials – dictionaries, grammar

books, articles and magazines. 2. Textbook Materials – student’s book,

teacher’s book, activity book, workbook, worksheets, CDs and CD-ROM.

3. Supplementary Materials – websites, videos, computer programs and games.

Teaching AidsTeaching Aids are the resources and equipment

available to use in the classroom, as well as the resources the teacher bring into the classroom. These include:

blackboard/whiteboard overhead projector (OHP) CD player DVD player computer real objects flashcards pictures charts

Other parts that are includedBesides the parts already talked about, the

teacher should include: NameDateUnit lesson nameGradeName of textbookLesson language – The grammatical sentences or

dialogues that will be used.Lesson vocabulary – The new vocabulary that will

be introduced.Classroom language – The English that will be

used by the teacher and the students.

Questions to Ask OurselvesWhen we plan an individual lesson, we have to ask ourselves a number of questions: Will the topic be interesting and motivating for my

learners?Are the activities and lesson materials at the right

level for all the learners? Have I planned enough for the time available? Do I

need any extra material? Have I planned too much for the time available? Are

there any stages I can cut if necessary? Have I thought about how I want to start and end my

lesson? Does each step in the lesson help to achieve the

aim/s?