How to Create a Lesson Plan

No matter what content or subject you’re teaching, knowing how to create a lesson plan prepares you for class by providing a clear outline for the day. Your lesson plans don’t need to be complex or lengthy— they just need to contain elements about what you’re teaching, how you’re going to be teaching this material, and what goals and objectives you want your students to meet as part of the curriculum. Regardless of what your lesson plan looks like, each class you teach should build on the previous lesson and transition smoothly into the next. 

Advantages of writing a lesson plan

Every class has surprises, but with solid preparation, you'll be better equipped to adapt to the unexpected and confidently teach and respond to your students' needs. Here are some of the main benefits of making a lesson plan ahead of time:

• Inspire personal confidence: Having a good lesson plan helps you stay in control of the class and the lesson. When you are confident, you’ll find it easier to keep your students focused and on track.
• Evaluate your own lessons: Lesson plans give you a valuable framework for reflecting on your teaching, allowing you to assess your methods by comparing them to your original plan. This is a good way to make adjustments to your teaching style and techniques.
• Organize your materials: Lesson plans help you think in an organized manner, visualizing each step of the outline as you work from one concept to the next. It provides a structured roadmap, making it easier to manage your time and stay focused during class.
• Guide substitute teachers: With a lesson plan guide, substitute teachers will know exactly what your students are learning that day, making it easier for them to stay on track to meet any curriculum objectives that are set for your class.

How to make a lesson plan engaging

There are many guides on how to develop a lesson plan, which vary based on the type of lesson you're teaching and whether you plan to create a differentiated lesson plan.  However, there are some important components that go into building each one. 

You can break down the components that you can use in your lesson plan into:

• The students you have in your class. Think about their interests, experiences, and times that they seem most engaged in the classroom.
• The type of learning and goals you’re aiming for. As an exercise, fill in this blank: “By the end of today’s class, students will be able to ___.”
• The resources, materials, and teaching environment that are available to you, such as a dedicated room, field trip opportunities (including virtual field trips), or selected readings, videos, and other media.

As you build a lesson it’s important to keep all your students in mind and ask the following essential questions before you begin:

• Who are your students? Writing an effective lesson plan starts with truly understanding your students. Taking the time to learn about their interests, abilities, how they work independently and in groups, any special needs that may require lesson tweaks, and their backgrounds helps you create lesson plans that are not only more engaging but also more responsive to each student's unique needs.
• What do your students already know? Knowing your students’ prior knowledge of a subject can help you plan lessons. If you’ve been building lesson plans to follow a curriculum, you’ll already know what you’ve presented to your students before, making it easier to maintain continuity and build on previous learning.
• What’s the best way to get them to learn? You should determine the best ways to get your students to learn. Connecting lessons to your students' interest and backgrounds will help make the materials more relevant and engaging. For example, you can incorporate real-world examples into math problems such as sport statistics or baking. Or you can select literature that aligns with themes they are already learning in their history or science classes. 

Steps to building a lesson plan

Once you’ve identified the components that need to go into teaching a class, you’re ready to use these steps on how to build a lesson plan: 

1. Identify the objectives

To build a lesson, you first need to identify the objective(s). What do you hope to accomplish by the end of the period? Are there specific things that your students should know or be able to do? You should make the goal specific. If you’re teaching younger students, a lesson objective may be that they’re able to identify animals that live in the rainforest after reading a chapter about animals in Brazil. For older students, this goal may involve learning about the rainforest's ecosystem or how rainforest animals have adapted to their environment. 

2. Determine the needs of your students

With this particular lesson, are you introducing new material or reviewing what you’ve already taught in a previous class? At the start of the class, be sure to let students know what to expect so they can stay focused on meeting your objectives. When reviewing material, some of your students may need more encouragement than others. Identifying these needs in your lesson plan will help you prepare.

3. Plan your resources and materials

Make a list of the resources and materials you’ll need to teach this lesson. Think about writing materials, paper, manipulatives, art supplies, and anything else that students may need to complete the lesson. Don’t forget to include technology resources in your plan when appropriate, like computers, apps, or educational websites.

4. Engage your students

As you prepare a lesson plan, you need to find ways to get your students interested in what this lesson is all about. Give them an outline of what you’re going to be presenting before going into the subject in more detail. For example, if you’re teaching students a formula, try deriving it from scratch to build their intuition for where it comes from. Or, if you’re discussing certain historical events, try to draw parallels between those and current events so students can relate to the material.

5. Instruct and present information

Once you’ve set the stage for what you’ll be teaching, it’s time to instruct and use whatever resources you’ve included in your lesson plan. You should aim to involve your students in the process whenever possible so they’re engaged. For example, you could plan for most of the lesson to take place in pairs or small groups, or when having whole-class instruction, look for ways to facilitate class-wide discourse and involve student volunteers. Tools like Classcraft can get real-time data on whole-class instruction and help teachers adjust their lesson plans on the spot, ensuring that all students stay on track. 

6. Allow time for student practice

After teaching new material, you should leave time for students to practice. Practice helps reinforce what they have learned, building confidence as they learn to identify patterns, correct mistakes, and deepen their problem solving skills. There are three practice methods that are a good way to reinforce what you’ve just taught:

• Guided practice: With guided practice, teachers provide structured support and feedback, leading students through tasks, often with scaffolding, and gradually letting them handle more on their own as they get better at the task.
• Collaborative practice: With partners or in a group, the collaborative practice is all about students talking with their peers as they explore new concepts. You should walk around your class and offer additional instruction or help when needed.
• Independent practice: After the collaborative practice, it’s time for students to practice what they’ve learned on their own. You can adapt independent practice according to the material presented, such as using worksheets or having students write a short essay.

7. Ending the lesson

You can finish the lesson with a quick wrap-up, where you do a brief overview of what the class learned. Ask students to identify the key ideas as a refresher, and leave them with a preview of the next lesson so they know what to expect.

8. Evaluate the lesson

Did you achieve your learning objectives? You can provide students with the opportunity to show they know the material by using a short quiz or formative assessment. Depending on the results, your next lesson plan may include a review of information before moving on to new material.

Creating a lesson plan is a thoughtful process that involves understanding your students, setting clear objectives and designing engaging activities. It ensures that each lesson builds upon the last while encouraging growth and learning in your students. 

This article was adapted from a blog post initially developed by the education technology company Classcraft, which was acquired by HMH in 2023. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.

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