A lesson plan is a daily plan usually written as an outline or detailed statement by the teacher for the purpose of teaching students, sharing with colleagues and following up the particular lesson/s in her/his classroom.
SMART Lesson Plans
The success of the lesson will depend to a great extent on how EFFECTIVE the lesson is planned. The teacher through using the SMART abbreviation given below can plan and write lesson plans that are effective.
S = Specific:
The aims and procedures in the lesson plans should be specific and to the point using action verbs (e.g. List, add. Subtract, write, etc) to describe teacher and student activities/ roles during the lesson.
M = Measurable:
It should be possible to easily evaluate the student activity / roles during or after the lesson. If this is difficult or impossible the lesson plan is not measurable. A = Achievable:
The aims of the lesson should be fulfilled within the time given for the lesson (e.g. An aim that requires students to answer ten broad questions in 40 minutes cannot be completed or achieved).
R = Realistic
The topic/ content of the lesson should be within the learning ability of the students. A topic in the lesson plan that is too heard for the students to understand is not realistic and cannot produce a successful lesson.
T = Time bound
The lesson plan should be completed within the time limit and include specific times given in the margins for each teacher and student activity.
Importance of lesson planning for the teacher
Importance’s of lesson planning are as follows – I. Increase knowledge: The necessity and craving of preparing a lesson note bound the teacher to learn her/his subject. S/he has to study the “text”, Teachers’ Guide, and other reference books like dictionary. II. It reminds forgotten points: A lesson plan help the memory of the teacher during the execution of the lesson. III. It saves time: The teacher can finish her/ his lesson in time if s/he gives the class according to a well-organized lesson plan. IV. Selection of teaching aids: It helps the teacher to select suitable teaching aids for the desired effect of the lesson. V. System: A lesson note helps the teacher to organize his class, maintain the order in which s/he will follow the language activities like the skill learning of the lesson. VI. Aims and Objectives: Lesson plan helps to fulfill the aim and objectives of the lesson as well as the aim and objectives of education of a country.
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Components of a lesson Plan Lesson Information: Basic information directly related to the lesson in the form of a list about the class, level, topic, day, date, number of students, the duration of the lesson and the name of the teacher. Objectives: This is a brief sentence that uses specific words to describe what and how the students will learn as a result of the teacher teaching the lesson. e.g. by the end of the lesson the students will be able to: * Design an advertisement for a science exhibition. * Identify specific phrases from a reading passage. Objectives are divided into the following: Knowledge: Concepts, definitions, facts, names, dates and figures Skills: Academic skills: Location, reading, comparing, measuring, classifying, observing, analyzing, evaluating, drawing, writing etc Social skills: Listening actively, take turns, use quiet voices Attitudes: Tolerance, Respect, Empathy, Appreciation, Caring, Cooperation Procedure: This is a brief description of the different stages of a lesson plan of how the particular lesson will be taught the role of the teacher and the students, the specific teaching and learning methods to be used based on the objectives. The procedure is divided into the following stages: Introduction: This is the introduction; which usually consists of an icebreaker or motivational activity to create student enthusiasm and interest in the topic. Developmental stage: This is the major part of the lesson, which builds upon the initiatory stage and usually contains most of the student learning activity and takes the most time. Conclusion: This is the final part of the lesson, which usually has some type of conclusion in the form of Teacher summery and feedback.
Time frame: The lesson Plan must include the specific time for each teaching and learning activity. Teaching aids: This is a list of ready made and teacher's made materials for teaching the lesson e.g. * Blackboard, Chalk, Textbook and Handouts Assessment: A listing of different ways describing how and the tools the teacher will use to collect information in order to check student understanding about the lesson e.g. * The teacher will check the written work of the students * The teacher will use a checklist ---------