Lesson Plans

Project Parameters

Participants develop at least 5 sequential lesson plans that adhere to principles of backward design and clearly encourage classroom participation, as well as demonstrate opportunities for technology integration.  

What are Lesson Plans?

Lesson plans are a form of short-term planning that serves as a detailed guide for teachers to know what will be taught, how it will be taught, and ways that student learning will be assessed. While lesson planning can have a range of formats, all lesson plans serve as a "roadmap" of what a teacher needs to cover and how it will be done effectively so students learn what they need to within the scope of a class period. 

What are the parts of lesson plan, then? Well, there are numerous different types of lesson plans, and each varies a little on the format (i.e., the 5E Instructional Model, the Direct Instruction Model, the Literacy First Instructional Model, etc.). However, most lesson plans have the same basic elements—they’re just found in different places of the document. The list below is not exhaustive, but does outline some typical components located in lesson plans.

• State or National Standards: Descriptions of specific knowledge and skills that every student should know, broken down by discipline, grade levels, and topic.

• Lesson Objectives: Student-centered statements that focus on the daily instructional outcomes.

• Topical Essential Question: Questions that focus on the specific content or topic of that day’s lesson.

• Materials: Physical resources, handouts, digital tools, etc. necessary for teachers and students during the lesson.

• Vocabulary: Tier 2 and Tier 3 words that are prominent in the day’s lesson (can be new or review)

• Lesson Sequence and Pacing: The order in which the lesson occurs (beginning, middle, and end) as well as the length of each lesson part.

  • Including: Entry point, activities, and wrap-up

• Assessment: Can be formative or summative ways of evaluating if the students understood the concept during the lesson.

• Concepts/Practices: These vary by school, but could include skills outside your discipline that are being emphasized in a lesson, such as WICOR approaches, team-building exercises, digital citizenship competencies, etc.

• Extensions and Support + Accommodations and Modifications: Considerations for how teachers will differentiate a lesson (not only keeping in mind students on IEPs for exceptionalities, 504 plans, second language learners, etc., but also ways to scaffold the lesson if students seem to be struggling in the moment or ways to extend their learning if they “get it” quickly).

Lickteig, A. (2023). Types of planning. In  A. Lickteig (Ed.), Effective teaching in the secondary classroom. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/effective_teaching_in_the_secondary_classroom/types_of_planning

Lesson Plan Examples

Lesson Title: "H is for Henna | ABC's of AAPIs"

Lesson URL: https://ktwu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/henna-lesson-plan/abc-appis/ 

Lesson Title: "S is for Shoes Off in the House | ABC's of AAPIs"

Lesson URL: https://ktwu.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/shoes-off-lesson-plan/abc-appis/