Lesson Planning Tips

1. bin-20.blogspot .com http://bin-20.blogspot.com/2011/09/week-3-lesson-planning.html
Week 4: Lesson Planning
TeachingEnglish
Lesson plans
Why should I write a plan?
You may f ind that during your time as an assistant you are called upon to not only assist the teacher but to
actually teach the English lesson yourself . If this is the case the best option is to be prepared. Once you have
prepared your lesson you will f eel much more conf ident walking into the classroom and you will soon be able to
relax into your new role.
Ten points to consider when writing the plan
1. What is the main topic of the lesson? - If the activities in the lesson have a logical link then the learners will
be able to f ollow you and the lesson, more easily.
2. How can I arouse their interest? - Begin the lesson by involving the children straight away. Show them a
picture, photo or object to capture their attention and indicate which topic the lesson is based on.
3. How can I challenge them? - Every learner, whatever their age or level needs to be challenged. If there's no
challenge then there's no learning. If there's no learning, there's no motivation. Think about what they already

2. know and make sure your lesson isn't just teaching them the same thing.
4. How much should I review what they've already done? - Having said you should challenge them, you can and
should review previous words and work in general. Teaching a word one lesson doesn't mean that all the
learners have actually learnt it f or the next. Incorporate previously taught language in new situations to give the
learners more practice.
5. What are the objectives of the lesson? - It's vital to always think about 'why' they are doing an activity, game
or song. Everything on your plan should be educational. If you don't know what an activity is teaching the
learners then take it of f your plan.
6. What vocabulary do I want to teach them? - If you prepare bef orehand exactly what words you are going to
concentrate on and how you are going to present them you will be better equipped to explain them clearly to
the children.
7. How can I explain the activities? - You should prepare, at least mentally, how you are going to explain each
activity. Explanations should be short, clear and visual. Don't f orget to demonstrate and check their
understanding by getting one or two of them to demonstrate f or you. Also decide how you are going to write
on the board. You can draw a diagram on your plan to remind you so that it's clearer f or the learners.
8. How much detail do I need on my plan? - If you're working f rom a book then don't f orget page numbers. As a
guideline, imagine that someone else has to cover your class. They should be able to read your plan and teach
your lesson.
9. What order should I teach the activities? - As a very general rule you can start with an introduction to the
lesson, introduce the new language, give the children some controlled practice and move onto f reer practice.
Finally review what they've done and get f eedback f rom the children themselves about what they did.
10. What problems might I have? - If you're not sure if an activity will work; if you think it's too hard or too long
then take time bef ore the lesson, at the planning stage, to think about how to resolve any problems that could
arise. Problems could be activity related or time-table related, student related or even teacher-related. Taking
those extra minutes when planning to think about possible solutions could avoid you having a disastrous
lesson.
Extra tips
Ø Have a lesson plan template that you can just f ill in and print of f .
Ø Have your plan to hand at all times during the lesson.
Ø Tick the activities that worked well as you do them.
Ø Make any extra comments at the end of the lesson about what worked and what didn't to help you plan your
next lesson.
Ø Plan a series of lessons that are linked to the same theme to have coherence to your lessons.
Ø Have extra activities ready just in case they f inish early. This can be f or both mid-lesson f or quick f inishers
or at the end of the lesson if your plan is shorter than you imagined.
Ø Remember to allow time f or preparation, action and reviewing.
Ø An example of controlled practice is when you provide sentences with missing words. The learners need to
f ill in the gap to talk to their partner and in this way everyone produces similar language. Freer practice is when
you set up the situation, f or example meeting someone new, and you let the children decide on their own role-
play language using what they know and what they have recently learnt. You will probably do more 'f reer
practice' with older primary learners than the younger ones who have limited language at their disposal.

3. Check-list of what to include
Ø Materials
Ø Objectives
Ø Procedures
Ø Estimated time f or each activity
Ø Explanations
Ø Board work
Ø Page numbers (if working f rom a text book)
Ø Extra activities
Ø Follow-on activities
Ø Lesson evaluation – what you would do dif f erently next time or what went well
Example lesson plan template
Group:CM2
Date: DD/MM/YY
Lesson: 4
Topic: My Favourite Food
Objectives
1. By the end of the lesson learners will be able to say
what their f avourite f ood is.
2. Learners will be introduced to nouns; 'lettuce, cucumber,
…
3. Learners will review verbs 'eat', 'like'…
Materials
1. A3 paper (1 per table)
2. Flashcards
3. Three tennis balls
4. Plastic f ood
Procedures Time
Introduction Place a piece of plastic f ood on each table bef ore the lesson. Brainstorm names of
f ood f rom each table. Get other tables to help if need be. Introduce new words using
plastic f ood.
Stage 1
I like
I don't like
Activity 1 5-10
mins
Activity 2
Stage 2 Activity 1

4. Asking
Questions
Activity2
Stage 3
My f avourite
f ood is .....
Activity 1
Activity 2
Extra
activities
Follow -
up/homework
Lesson
evaluation
Taken f rom http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk f or educational purposes.