Elements of a Lesson Plan — Plus a Free Plan Sample
The elements of a lesson plan represent a teaching and learning approach. It guides the entire learning process while also ensuring the lesson plan is focused and structured to suit all of your students’ needs.
However, these elements may differ based on the educational context and the lesson’s specific goals.
In this article, we’ll look at nine key elements of a lesson plan and a conventional lesson plan example.
Elements of Lesson Plans
Several crucial elements are covered and included in a lesson plan. When drafting your lesson plan, keep these nine elements in mind.
1. Grade Level/Subject
The grade level and subject of the lesson you’re going to teach are some of the first sections of a lesson plan. This section reveals to anyone what you are going to teach and who your intended audience is.
2. Type of Lesson
This section briefly explains the type of lesson you’re going to be teaching. A lesson might cover a day, a week, or an entire unit, depending on the teacher’s preference or the rules of the school.
3. Duration of Lesson
A lesson plan’s duration, which is typically expressed in minutes, details how long the lesson will last. It might take the entirety of a typical class period if it’s a daily lesson plan.
The entire week that you spend with your students may be consumed by a weekly lesson plan. It could be 20 sessions of 50 minutes each if you’re teaching a unit.
4. Topic of Lesson
The topic of the lesson is the subject you’ll be concentrating on for the duration of the lesson. The topic section of a lesson plan is typically brief because you are only outlining the subject that will be the focus of the lesson.
Take the topic of “motion,” for instance, if you teach physics and concentrate on it for an entire unit. The topic for one week in a motion unit that you’re teaching might be “types of motion” if you’re planning weekly lesson plans instead.
5. Previous Knowledge
Previous knowledge refers to the knowledge a student has regarding a particular topic based on their previous experiences or learning activities acquired either in the classroom or elsewhere. For example, a graduate student who is studying medical physics has prior knowledge of physics.
6. Clear Objectives
The objective is a crucial part of the lesson plan because it states the goal that students might accomplish at the end of the lesson. Educators generally write objectives in student-friendly terms that children can understand. They write those objectives on the board and review them with the students at the beginning of the lesson.
7. Instructional Materials
This section lists any resources that the students and teacher might need to successfully finish the lesson. Typical materials include specific pages from textbooks, printouts, writing implements, multimedia materials, PowerPoint presentations, and paper.
Listing materials in your lesson plan allows you to better prepare for the needs of your classroom.
8. Direct Instruction
This section typically takes the most time to complete because it contains all the steps you plan to take during the lesson. Some teachers divide this section into timed sections, while others use more general terms.
You can refer to your administration’s policy for confirmation on completing the directions in your lesson plans.
9. Assessment
The end of each lesson usually has an assessment that evaluates the students’ overall understanding of the topic. The assessment can feature a few short questions or a more difficult evaluation, like a quiz. Teachers usually align the assessment with the lesson’s objective so that students know what they’re working toward throughout the lesson.
According to an article published on February 4, 2023, on Indeed, a resourceful educational website, “Measuring learning is an important part of assessing your performance as a teacher. Using assessments to measure learning can help you understand a student’s knowledge and adjust your approach to help them achieve learning goals.”
The elements of a lesson plan represent a teaching and learning approach. It guides the entire learning process while also ensuring the lesson plan is focused and structured to suit all of your students’ needs.
Example of a Lesson Plan
To assist you in creating your own lesson plan, here is an illustration of a daily plan with a topic in physics:
Grade level and subject
Grade ten Physics
Type of lesson
Daily lesson
Duration of Lesson
One 50-minute class period
Topic of Lesson
Linear Momentum, Impulse
Previous Knowledge
Students are proficient with the concepts and equations of basic kinematics and Newton’s Laws. Students also identify the factors involved in the impulse equation, Ft=Δmv.
Clear Objective
The instructor goes over every aspect of linear momentum and impulse. By the end of the lesson, students had demonstrated that they understood the concepts of momentum and impulse. Students researched and constructed the momentum equation. Students worked independently on related mathematical issues.
Instructional Materials
Students need the following materials for today’s lesson:
- Writing utensil
- Worksheet
- Workbook
Direction of Lesson
Here’s the minute-by-minute direction list for today’s 50-minute lesson:
- 6 minutes: In these six minutes, four minutes were allotted to examine the students’ previous knowledge of force and velocity. The students review their responses in the final two minutes of the lesson.
- 9 minutes: The teacher reviews the fundamental ideas of force and momentum change on the board, utilizing the review presentation.
- 10 minutes: The teacher and students work together to explore some practical aspects of force and momentum change.
- 8 minutes: The teacher and students also work together to solve two mathematical problems involving force and momentum change. Students write their answers on their worksheet.
- 12 minutes: Students work in small groups to complete worksheet numbers three and four. During the final four minutes of this period, the students review and discuss their answers with the teacher.
- 5 minutes: The final 5 minutes of class allow students to work on number five on their worksheets by themselves. This assesses their understanding of Impulse and Momentum.
Assessment
One mathematical question about force and momentum change is included in the assessment for this lesson to gauge how well students understand the lesson’s objective.
The assessment lasts for 5 minutes, and the teacher grades it after class to determine what proportion of students understood the material and which students might need additional instruction.
Takeaway
Having a lesson plan guides the entire teaching and learning process while ensuring you meet all of your students’ needs.
When drafting your lesson plan, keep in mind elements such as the grade level of the lesson, type of lesson, duration, topic, previous knowledge, objectives, instructional materials, direction of the lesson, and assessment.
In addition, adopting a lesson plan template makes the planning process quick and easy. Just fill out your information, and you’re ready to go.
