On the left you will find my self-designed lesson plan. My goal is to keep the lesson template as simple as possible so as not to overwhelm students during a class period. Math classes at Simon's Rock are generally 55 minutes. You cannot have cohesive coverage for this time length, i.e. if a lesson is too long, you will have to split between two days. I do not like to split a single lesson between two classes because then the lesson feels disjoint and students lose what they learned in the previous class. Thus, a second class requires much review. On the other hand, squeezing a significant lesson into one day feels fast. A nice balance needs to be achieved, and this is what I attempt via the lesson template below.
Lesson Plan Template
Class Name: Lesson Name:
Time Duration: Date:
Learning Objectives: Resources Needed:
Knowledge
Skills
Attitudes
Lesson Structure:
Pre-Lesson: Take Attendance. Students have warm-up problem/quiz while you take attendance.
Students Absent:
Warm-Up/Quiz Problem:
Starter:
Questions on homework and/or quiz. Motivate the lesson with warm-up or example.
Meat:
Concept 1 -
We do
We do
You do
Concept 2 -
We do
We do
You do
Closer:
Activity; homework; where we’re headed next.
Activity (more problems, group work, Q&A, case study):
Homework Assignment:
The next lesson is
Connection:
Teacher Comments/Concerns:
The beginning of the lesson plan is not only for me. I like to inform students of the time, date, and lesson name to focus their attention on the current class. When you remind students that class is now beginning, they mostly settle down. When you remind students what day it is, they begin to recall what the last day was and what the next day is. When you give the current lecture a name, students in my class will be able to recall what they learned on the last day of class and what they will learn on the next day of class (I have lessons mapped out by name). I find this is important for people who like to be prepared and organized. Students who do not need this as much will not pay as much attention to this portion of the lesson.
Additionally, we have learning objectives. I state these at the beginning of each new lesson. I attempt to have at least one objective for a student's knowledge by the end of lecture. This puts into perspective what they should expect themselves to know. I attempt to have at least one objective that lists a concrete skill they will have by end of lecture. This gives students something they can put into practice. The final learning objective is meant to be a daily objective involving positive education. I have yet to use this objective, but do plan to do so in the future as a way to implement my lessons from the IPEN festival.
After stating objectives, I will frequently have a warm-up problem. These problems are meant to be short (3 - 5 minutes) refreshers of previous material that is necessary for the current lesson. I will walk around the room in order to determine what students recall and what they do not. After 5 minutes has passed, I will either ask for a solution or have a student present their solution to the class. When I do not have a warm-up problem, I will have a motivating example that the class and I will do together. This problem is meant to be used throughout the lesson.
Once the students have warmed up for approximately 10 minutes, we begin our lesson. I prefer to break the remaining 45 minutes into two 20 minute mini concepts needed for the day's main concept and 5 minutes for conclusive discussion/activity and a description of what they need to do for the remainder of the week. The 20 minute mini lesson is broken into 5 minutes to discuss the concept, 10 minutes for an example(s) we do together, and 5 minutes for the students to do a problem on their own. This breakdown can obviously change depending on the lesson and the population of students.
At the end of each lesson, I make note of the progress we made so I know where to pick up in the next class. In addition, I determine whether a warm-up problem is needed next class in order to further discuss the day's lesson. Furthermore, I will make note what in the lesson worked and what did not, e.g. I may have tried something new like an activity or a self-made problem. Then I can modify the lesson accordingly for the next time I teach it.
I find that this outline helps to slow down the teaching of a larger concept. However, if I get through the single lesson quickly, I will give the students more practice problems. In this way, I have attempted to find a balance for a well-timed lesson.