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Importance of Lesson-Planning Essay Examples

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Time Management , Education , Time , Teaching , Learning , Students , Goals , Planning

Words: 2500

Published: 02/02/2020

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Introduction

A lesson plan is a framework for any lesson that a teacher has to compile before attending a class. The lesson plans are the products of a teacher’s thoughts about their classes including what goals they hope to achieve at the end of their classes and gives the different methods/ways of achieving the goals and most of the lesson plans are in written form (O'Bannon, 2008).

Importance of lesson planning

Lesson planning is of great significance to both the learner and the teacher in very many ways. The lesson plan acts as a guide to the teachers in order to efficiently teach the same subject and topic for a presentation. The plan therefore acts as a road map to the teaching process. It therefore keeps the teachers on track in order to accomplish the lesson objectives. In some other cases, through the use of the lesson plans, the teachers are able to achieve a logical content arrangement which in turn makes the lesson to be sequential thus improving the learning teaching process through logical impact of the instructions (O'Bannon, 2008). The lesson plan is significant for enabling the early preparation of teachers making a smooth running of the lesson, this happens when the lesson plan has been effectively organized. The early preparation of the teacher enhances effective content delivery and arrangement of all the required equipment and resources for facilitating the learning of that specific content. Some of the resources and equipment that would be organized prior to the lesson involve computers, projectors, availing hand outs and the preparation of the white writing boards and even the semblance of pens. The lesson planning process is important since it adequately provides an evaluation room and process for the teachers in their teachings and resource use. This is in line with the various components of lesson plans which include the objectives, the instructional activities and assessment/evaluation of the teaching process (Mitchell, Diana, & Stephen, 1999). A lesson plan is important in ensuring time management. Through the use of lesson plans, a teacher is able to be guided by the time limits that are provided against each and every activity that is to be carried out throughout the whole lesson, sticking to the provided time limits enable the students and teachers not to exceed the timeline thereby saving more time for other activities. Each time that has been allocated for each particular learning content is professionally utilized by the teacher thus enhancing a time balance during the teaching-learning process. Through the use of lesson plans, the teacher is able to realize the use of varied activities throughout the lesson. The lesson plan enlists the varied communication and instructional activities that a teacher should engage students in during the class time. Such learning activities include questions and answers, formation of groups for discussions, practicum, discussions, presentations and argumentative statements. Through this, the learners learning ability is boosted and thus learning becomes effective and efficient due to the application of a variety of practices within the single lesson framework. Lesson planning is important in the sense that the plans at times act as the memory banks for the teachers. Since the plans have kind of short notes written on them regarding the subject content to be taught, the teacher might refer to them at the time of memory lapse. This helps the teachers not to give irrelevant or rather suspicious instructions to the students. It therefore further act as a memory defense and a point of reference for the teachers while teaching. Lesson planning is a professional requirement for all teachers. A lesson plan is therefore a professional document that a practicing teacher or rather a teacher trainee needs to posses in order to deliver and work within their professional requirements. The ability of a teacher to make a lesson plan enhances the reliability and credibility of such a teacher in the professional teaching field. Through lesson planning, the teacher is able to carry out an assessment of whether the lesson objectives have been achieved by creating and testing a balance between what the objectives of the lesson were and the probable knowledge that has been gained throughout the lesson time thus enabling the teacher to assess the importance and effectiveness of different strategies and resources in achieving the varied educational goals. Lesson planning is a basis of future planning thus increasing the teacher’s future performance in the delivery of the content to learners. The content that has been taught to a particular group at an earlier date can be delivered to a next group of learners by gaining reference to the already existing lesson plans and short notes as the benchmark (Wong, 1998).

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The teaching learning context

The teaching learning context in this case involves a case of children around the age of eight at the lower grade level of learning who are learning more than one language basically English language and other foreign languages. This is basically evident by the presence of writings on the wall marts in a foreign language seemingly Chinese with its relevant translation into the English language. The theories of second language acquisition demand that the learning takes place gradually with limited output during the initial stages of learning new words. In establishing a lesson plan therefore, I would prefer the use of simple models that seem basic such as cups, bowls, spoons and troughs as the learning resources since they are the basic materials that the learners are used to and thus are able to initialize their meanings at a faster rate. This depends on the theory of second language acquisition which states that the progress in learning should be from the less demanding vocabulary related activities towards the complex ones. Vocabulary learning becomes more effective when learners engage themselves with small work groups just like the ones on the wall marts since they are mastered first (Barcroft, 2001). The methodology of learning foreign languages is largely based on the theory stating that it concentrates on simple words with their translations are effective methods of learning and should be reinforced together with relevant together with pictures and pronunciation with maximum avoidance of elements that would distract the process of vocabulary learning such as sentence building at the beginning of the language learning stage. (Nation, 2001) In establishing a lesson plan for such a class, interactions would be a major learning activity since the second language transfer is primarily based on the principles of social interactions with the learners having a comprehensive input to the learning process.

The elements of lesson planning

The core of a lesson is the task and thus the task is organized into varied categories bearing in mind the fact that any vocabulary and grammar formation is largely dependent and increases the likelihood of learners’ distraction away from the task on the detection of errors or looking up languages in grammatical dictionaries. The basic outline of the task based learning lesson is composed of the pre-task, Task and the language focus and task activities.

The lesson or instructional objectives

These are the specific aims that the teacher has for the indicated lesson and should be achieved at the end of the lesson. These are the objectives drawn from the lesson content and should be achieved as short term objectives. The instructional objectives are useful in providing guidance to the teacher in choosing the content matter to be taught to that group of learners. The instructional objectives also guide the teacher on the appropriate selection of materials and resources to be used during the lesson in order to facilitate the learning in class. Through the analysis of the instructional objectives, the teacher is able to design the appropriate teaching strategies and methods. Having understood the lesson objectives, the teacher is able to design and provide the set standards that can be used in measuring the level of student achievements. The objectives are also significant in providing the teachers with the appropriate feedback about the learner and providing observable behaviors to the learners relating to the topic of study (O'Bannon, 2008).

The pre-task cycle

At this point of the lesson, the teacher presents whatever content is to be expected of the students in the task phase. The teacher primes the students with the key vocabulary and grammatical constructs. The learner becomes responsible for selecting the appropriate language for this learning context themselves. The teacher may at this point present the learners with a model of the task through personal involvement, presenting audio materials, video materials or rather presenting the learners with pictures. At this stage, as a teacher I would provide the learners with basic pictures and audio materials that are present as the available resources for such a learning context (Ellis, 2003).

The task cycle

During this phase, the learners are allowed to perform the real task of the lesson; this may take several forms and structures dependent on the type of task thus ranging from small group works, individuals and even stratified clusters of students. The teacher might not play a role at this phase thus changing to be only a counselor or rather an observer. This a more of student centered methodology and is significant in the second language acquisition since the learners need to be more of involved in the process than the teachers. At this point the students will be involved in recitations and group discussions concerning their second language thus their ability to acquire the second language is boosted. After the learner discussions and problem solving approaches, the learners compile a report which is then presented to the teacher and this gives the tasks they have discussed and the final conclusions that they have reached. The learners therefore present their findings in spoken or written formats (Ellis, 2003).

The language focus stage

This stage the specific features from the task and highlighted and a basis of work is instituted upon them. The feedback concerning the learners’ performance at the reporting stage is also provided at this point. The main advantages of task based learning are that the language is used for genuine purposes indicating that real communications is able to take place. At the time when the learners are reporting their discussions they are forced to consider the general language form rather than the specific nature of other models. The aim of task based model is integrating all the four different learning skills. Since the task based learning model is concerned with reading texts, listening to texts, role plays, use of questionnaires and problem solving it offers a great deal of flexibility thus leading more motivational activities of the learners (Ellis, 2003).

The methodology of learning foreign languages is largely based on the theory stating that it concentrates on simple words with their translations are effective methods of learning and should be reinforced together with relevant together with pictures and pronunciation with maximum avoidance of elements that would distract the process of vocabulary learning such as sentence building at the beginning of the language learning stage. The various task phase methodologies such as the use of group discussions and chart studies are very key in improving the second language acquisition process thus would form a basis of learning through the task based model.

Challenges facing teachers in the planning process

Lack of adequate resources The lack of enough resources is one major challenge that faces the lesson planning process. Planning involves the infusion of various resources and equipment in the lesson content and activities. The available limited resources pose a problem when it comes to their utilization and planning for use. The planning of practicum sessions is restricted in such cases since the resources for such activities are not readily available thus limiting the achievement of such instructional objectives based on learner’s practicality and application.

The reference books and dictionaries are also limited thus making the planning for language studies a nightmare to the teachers.

The resources are not up to date The available resources such as dictionaries and encyclopedia may not be up to date thus unable to provide the current information with the changing technological world. Planning for lessons therefore becomes a very heavy task in that the available data does not really match the standards of study. The teachers are therefore unable to effectively plan and deliver to the learners due to the large information gap existing between the updated and old school books.

Limited time available

There is a major challenge in time that is allocated for each and every unit in the schools. All the units are allocated same duration of time which really does not take into considerations the wider nature of certain unit syllabi which require a lot of time. Practicum lessons which require a lot of time are therefore allocated little time thus a problem with achieving the topic objectives.

Individual differences and exposure

Learners hail from different social, economic and political backgrounds thus planning for learner involving activities is a major problem when it comes to assembling technological resources which might have not been exposed to those from disadvantaged backgrounds. This diverts the attention of the planner to use alternative resources which would not be effective. Learners have individual differences such as health issues, intellectual differences within learning institutions. Learners with disabilities require more time that is dedicated to them which is rarely not provided for by the school curriculum (Wong, 1998).

Insights gained for planning in the future

Acquisition of adequate resources and up to date The subject teachers at various learning institutions should be at a position of making requisitions for the resources that are needed for the learning process. The purchase should be made such that the learners do not really strain for the resources during the lesson hours. The resources being purchased should also conform to the changing structures so that they are up to date and with relevant information to help in the knowledge transfer and reconciliation.

Compressing the syllabus content

Since the time available is inadequate for covering the basic syllabus, the syllabus should be compressed such that only the relevant and crucial content is left for study. The teachers can also overcome this by only planning for the lessons in areas of available resources and for a limited duration of time.

SAMPLE LESSON PLAN

Sub-topic: Instructional Objectives:

Barcroft, J. (2001). Second language vocabulary acquisition:A lexical input processing approach. Foreign Language Annals, 37(2), 323-363. Chenoweth, K. (2009). How it's being done:Urgent lessons from unexpected schools. Cambridge: Havard Education Press. Ellis, R. (2003). Task-based language learning and teaching. Oxford: New York:Oxford Applied Linguistics. Mitchell, Diana, & Stephen, T. (1999). Exploring and Teaching the English Language Arts (4th ed.). Boston: MA:Allyn & Bacon. Nation, I. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in another language. cambridge: Cambridge University Press. O'Bannon, B. (2008). What is a Lesson Plan? Tennessee: University of Tennesseee. Wong, H. K. (1998). The first Days of School:How to be an effective Teacher. Mountainview,CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.

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73 Ideas and Topics for Lesson Plans

🏆 best lesson topic examples and ideas, 👍 good lesson plan topic examples, 📌 most interesting lesson plan topics for high school.

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• Lesson Plan: School and Government Regulations The Content of a lesson plan varies depending on the preferences of the instructor, subject matter of the course and the desires or aspirations of students.
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• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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How to Write a Good Lesson Plan: A Quick Guide for Teachers

Table of contents

Being a teacher isn't easy – managing, planning, executing, and creating – creative, unique minds is an overwhelming yet satisfying job. Educating and developing a student through practical lessons and problem-solving activities is a skill that every teacher should possess.

Lesson plans are used by teachers to have an organized outline of coursework for their students. These detailed plans are divided into multiple learning activities, which save a lot of time and also make a quality and thorough reference for when it's to be presented in class.

In this article, you’ll learn how to write a good lesson plan and organize your teaching sessions better.

10-Step Guide to Writing a Strong Lesson Plan

A good lesson plan is an extensive guide for what students will learn and how it will be executed effectively in class.

While different teachers have their management styles, having a lesson plan template is very valuable as it makes you think through each step, prepare before presenting to your students and understand what learning objectives would give ultimate learning.

<<Check Lesson Plan Sample Written by Our Writers >>

Let’s take a look at how you can write a good lesson plan in 10 constructive steps.

1. Lay out the learning objectives

The first step to understanding the aim and purpose of the lesson plan is to lay out its necessary learning objectives.

This will determine what and how your students are going to understand the lesson plan, how they would work towards it in class, what is expected out of them and what would be the lesson’s key takeaways.

Here are tips to consider while writing the objectives:

• Specific, clear, straightforward, and engaging;
• Clearly state the learning outcome of this lesson;
• Compliant with the educational standard of the school/college;
• Aligned with and relevant to the topic;
• Tasks are realistic, measurable, and achievable;
• Action-oriented and time-bound.

2. List down supporting requirements and materials

For each discipline or subject, you might require certain tools or supportive materials to conduct the lesson plan. So, it is pivotal to list out all the equipment or materials your students might need to use for each of these subject-wise plans, for a much smoother, uncomplicated process that can achieve maximum learning.

Keep the required labelled materials in a separate and secure place, or if computers are necessary, make sure you book reservations for a seamless experience. Keep in mind to bookmark every site or include links that you’ll need to present your students their lesson plan.

Teaching materials can also include tangible things or even non-material resources, ranging from test tubes to overhead projectors, from storybooks to online presentations, and from handouts to pencils and pens. Acknowledge the type and amount of resources you would require for your specific lesson plan.

Incorporate audio and visual activities, especially when it comes to scientific studies such as Biology, Psychology, or Physics. This enhances your retention level and makes the lesson an interesting and engaging experience.

3. Plan out learning activities

Jot down interesting activities and learning exercises related to your specific subject, to catch your student’s attention and engage with them in a way that highlights their learning styles and thinking abilities.

Plan out multiple types of activities and examples that would be beneficial to strengthen the students' minds, broaden their creativity and develop their hard and soft skills. Make sure to keep these learning activities interactive and also theoretical, to keep a balance between having references on paper and real-life applications.

It’s always easier if you plan what your students should learn through these activities, in what and how many groups they should be in, a realistic time limit for each activity, and if they align with the learning objectives.

Here’s an interesting TEDx Talk by Catherine Thimmesh on using creativity as a teaching tool.

4. Write down the procedures and instructions in detail

For a well-executed lesson plan, it is important to write down detailed and extensive notes on the procedure of the learning activities and its laid out step-by-step instructions.

Your detailed instructions should include:

• Necessary materials;
• Learning objectives;
• Subject assignments;
• Details of the content;
• Grade and assessment levels;
• Presentation instructions;
• Student groupings;
• Independent practice techniques;
• Games or interactive exercises;
• Opportunities of learning;
• Specific teaching methods you would want to use.

Recognize your student’s prior knowledge about the subject and/or the curriculum, and accordingly provide a challenge in your lesson to encourage them to use their pre-learned skills, critical, analytical & creative thinking, and teamwork strategies.

Making a rough draft of your lesson plan can help you visualize how you could go about your lessons. It also helps you identify missing components, issues with instructions, or potential hurdles that you or your students could face during these activities.

5. Set the time frame for each activity

As teachers, you would know how difficult it is to complete an entire lesson plan while being able to teach everything you had planned to. It is pivotal to create a specific and realistic timeline for each activity to achieve maximum learning and engagement from your students.

Instead of including everything all at once, divide and segregate your lesson plans daily, weekly, and/or bi-monthly. Consider narrowing down your list of activities to fit in the important concepts, ideas, and exercises you would want your students to engage in and learn.

Prioritize the learning objectives, have extra time in hand at the end for questions and discussions, and be flexible or ready to adjust your lesson plans if necessary.

6. Organize the lesson outline

To help make the process smoother and have organized access to your lesson plan, create an outline by adding in necessary mentions and relevant information about your subject. Keep some space for extra objectives, methods, materials, and a designated spot for observation and recommendations.

Gather all this information together and collate them in your master draft, so that when the time comes to present your lesson plan, you would have an entire, detailed outline ready at the go for your reference.

7. Designate grading and assessment methods

When planning how to wrap up your lesson plan, you should build criteria and techniques to assess how well your students understand and learn through your learning activities. This will determine if the goal of your lesson plan has been accomplished.

The best ways to check student knowledge and understanding are through oral and written quizzes, formative assessments, individual and group projects, student surveys, and more. You can also assess their critical thinking and problem-solving skills through group discussions or one-on-one peer discussions.

Get feedback from these pulse surveys to analyze what worked for your students and what didn't. This essentially will help improve your lesson plan for the next time.

8. Anticipate challenges

Not every lesson plan will be perfect and go according to how you wanted it to. So the best thing to do is to try to prevent every possible outcome of problems, challenges, and technical errors from the start.

You might come across multiple organizational problems or perception difficulties from your students. Not every student will have the same comprehension, understanding and writing skills , and it is important, in this case, to be as inclusive and flexible with your teaching methods as needed.

9. Create a summary of the lesson plan

To conclude and summarise your entire lesson plan, create a summary of your topic. Add in important ideas and details that you would want to address in class and include a brief overview of the main points of your lesson plan.

Make a note to keep a little time for yourself to self-evaluate how your lesson plan went. Acknowledge if there was something that didn't go as planned, or if there were some additions required.

10. Review and assign homework

If necessary, for extended learning and to reinforce all the information from your lesson plan, you can assign short and engaging homework assignments. This would be an effective, bonus activity for your students to retain everything they’ve learned in class.

These can be in the form of:

• Short essay questions;
• Flashcard reviews;
• Multiple-choice questions;
• Group/individual projects;
• Written reports;
• Powerpoint presentations .

Creating a good lesson plan for your students is a complicated task but should be a priority among all teachers.

Without a proper template, it can become a difficult process and you could have misguided knowledge about what you need to include in your lesson plan, how to plan your activities, and what learning outcomes you see your students attaining.

Take a cue from our lesson plan guide for teachers for a smoother, seamless teaching and learning experience for you and your students.

If this is your first time writing a lesson plan, Writers Per Hour can help. Our expert writers can draft a professionally-written lesson plan that will help you organize your lesson and be a more effective teacher.

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Creating Lesson Plans

There are many approaches to writing lesson plans. Some instructors develop their plans independently from scratch, while others borrow plans from a shared curriculum. Some carefully write out all the details for their lesson, while others use a brief outline. Your approach to writing lesson plans will depend on various factors: how well you know the material you're teaching, how long you've been teaching, the kinds of teaching you've done, and the students you expect to have in your class. There is no single formula for writing lesson plans, but this guide will help you think through some of the processes that other instructors have found valuable to their own lesson planning.

Guidelines for writing lesson plans:

Consider Your Destination

Sequence your objectives, know your time frame.

• Create Activities to Meet Your Objectives

Check for Understanding

Sample lesson plan format.

• Citation Information

When creating lesson plans, always keep your destination in mind. Where do you want students to end up? If you're planning daily activities, think about how these activities connect to the larger goals for the course. Ask yourself, how will each activity prepare students for the upcoming portfolio assignment? Assuming that your assignment sheets accurately reflect the course goals, use them at the beginning of each unit to determine:

• What is the overall goal for this assignment? What is the assignment asking students to do?
• What knowledge do students already have that will help them meet the goals for writing this assignment?
• What skills and concepts will students need to meet the goals for this assignment?

From these questions, create a list of smaller objectives to use as stepping stones for your destination. If you are planning writing assignments for student portfolios, your list of objectives may include:

Portfolio 1 - Objectives for Teaching Summary/Response

• Students will think about their purpose, audience and context for writing.
• Students will use critical thinking skills and critical reading strategies to become better writers.
• Students will practice writing academic summaries.
• Students will practice writing different types of response.
• Students will learn to develop a claim and support that claim with reasons and evidence.
• Students will learn to value revision through workshops and other peer review activities.

While sequencing your objectives, consider how each one builds off another. How might one objective prepare students for learning another? If reading critically helps students summarize an argument, you might address your critical reading objective before teaching summary.

Also, think about what your students know. Given the information they already have, which objectives would be best met at certain points in the unit? Will simpler objectives work better at the start of a unit? Will more complicated objectives make clearer sense to students after some basic objectives have already been met?

Finally, determine how your sequencing of objectives will best meet these goals and requirements for the upcoming assignment.

While sequencing your objectives, be aware of the amount of time allotted for each portfolio. Based on the overall goals for the portfolio, determine how much time you will need to spend addressing each objective. Keep in mind that a single lesson will address only one or two objectives. Some of these goals will be easily met, while others will present a challenge for students. You may decide to build in extra time to review concepts that are more challenging.

Try to be flexible, but remain within a reasonable time frame. Spending three days on one essay may be too much (even if students are thrilled by the subject matter). One strategy to help you keep up your pace, is to utilize outside resources such as the CSU Writing Center or online tutorials. The Writing at CSU home page contains plenty of online resources as well. Use these resources to compliment discussions and save you some time in class.

Below is an example for how you might organize your sequence and time frame for the first student portfolio:

Portfolio I - Sequence and Time Frame for Objectives:

• Students will begin to think about their purpose, audience and context for writing. (day 1)
• Students will use critical thinking skills and critical reading strategies to become better writers. (day 2)
• Students will practice writing academic summaries. (days 3 - 4)
• Students will practice writing different types of response. (days 5 - 6)
• Students will learn to develop a claim and support that claim with reasons and evidence. (day 7)
• Students will learn to value revision through workshops and other peer- review activities. (day 8)

Develop Activities to Meet Objectives

Once you've sequenced your objectives within a given time frame, the next step is to create activities that will help students meet each objective. Decide which activities are most relevant to your desired objectives. Take the time to revise existing activities and to create new ones that meet the needs of your class. You may also combine activities or eliminate some that seem less related to your objectives.

Two questions that you should always keep in mind when constructing activities are: "What do my students already know that will help them meet a desired objective?" And, "What activities will best help students meet a desired objective?"

Below is an example illustrating how you might design activities to meet a particular objective:

Objective: Students will use critical thinking skills and critical reading strategies to become better writers.

Activities:

• Define critical reading and provide a list of strategies on an overhead (this is useful because many students do not know what critical reading is).
• Model critical reading strategies (show students how to implement critical reading strategies).
• Have students practice critical reading strategies with their homework.
• Ask students to respond to an in class writing, describing their experience with the critical reading assignment. Have them speculate as to how this process of critical reading will influence their own writing. As a group, discuss the connection between reading and writing.

Just as you did with objectives, you'll need to create a sequence and time frame for your activities. Which activities should come first? How much class time will each activity take? Planning this out ahead of time will help you create smoother transitions between activities and it will help you connect your activities to larger, writing-related objectives.

The final step in planning lessons is to make time for assessing students' learning. How will you check to see that students understand the new concepts you're teaching? When will you revisit the material that they didn't quite grasp?

Intervention along the way can help you learn what students are struggling with. Many instructors collect homework once a week, or assign quizzes and short writing exercises to assess their students' progress. Conferences and e-mail exchanges are other effective means for gauging students' understanding.

Depending on what you learn from using evaluative measures, you may need to revise your lesson plans. If students' homework indicates that they're having trouble summarizing main points, you may spend the first fifteen minutes of the next class reviewing this concept. Addressing such struggles early on will help students face the more challenging objectives that follow.

Just as you did with objectives, you'll need to create a sequence and time frame for your activities. Which activities should come first? How much class time will each activity take? Planning this out ahead of time will help you create smoother transitions between activities, and help you connect your activities to larger, writing-related objectives.

Course: Date: Materials needed: Class Announcements:

• Class Objectives: Write out the goals or objectives for class. Try to limit these to one or two things.
• Connection to Course Goals: Describe how your daily objectives connect to the overall course goals.
• Anticipatory Set: Sometimes referred to as a "hook." Use an informal Writing to Learn (WTL) exercise, a question, a quote, or an object to focus students' attention at the start of class. This activity should be brief and directly related to the lesson.
• Introduction: Write down what you'll need to inform students of the daily goals and class procedures. Be sure to explain how these procedures relate to students' own writing.
• Procedures: List your activities, including any discussion questions and transitions along the way.
• Conclusion: Describe the objective for the lesson and point students forward by connecting your objective to their own writing.
• What to do Next Time: Leave space in your plan to reflect on the lesson and suggest future changes.

Also see the guide on Planning a Class for help with writing introductions, transitions, and conclusions.

Eglin, Kerry. (2008). Creating Lesson Plans. Writing@CSU . Colorado State University. https://writing.colostate.edu/teaching/guide.cfm?guideid=96

Creating Engaging Lesson Plans: Strategies and Resources

reating engaging lesson plans is a crucial aspect of effective teaching. Engaging lessons capture students' attention, promote active participation, and facilitate meaningful learning experiences. This article explores strategies and resources that teachers can utilize to develop and deliver engaging lesson plans that inspire and empower their students.

Set Clear Learning Objectives

Before designing a lesson plan, it is essential to establish clear learning objectives. These objectives define the desired outcomes and guide the content and activities of the lesson. By setting specific and measurable goals, teachers can create focused and purposeful lesson plans that align with the curriculum and promote student achievement.

Incorporate Interactive Activities

Engaging lesson plans incorporate interactive activities that encourage active participation and collaboration among students. Utilize a variety of instructional strategies, such as group discussions, hands-on experiments, simulations, role-plays, and multimedia presentations. Interactive activities promote student engagement, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Utilize Technology Tools

Integrating technology into lesson plans can enhance engagement and provide innovative learning opportunities. Explore educational websites, apps, and digital tools that align with your subject area and instructional goals. Websites like Khan Academy and Education.com offer a wide range of resources, interactive lessons, and practice exercises for various subjects.

Incorporate Real-World Connections

Make lesson content relevant and meaningful to students by incorporating real-world connections. Relate concepts and skills to practical applications, current events, or students' personal experiences. By connecting the content to the real world, students can better understand its significance and develop a deeper appreciation for the subject matter.

Encourage Student Voice and Choice

Engaging lesson plans provide opportunities for student voice and choice. Incorporate activities that allow students to express their ideas, opinions, and creativity. Offer choices in assignments, projects, or presentation formats to cater to diverse learning preferences and interests. Empowering students to have a voice in their learning fosters ownership and engagement.

Collaborate with Peers

Collaboration among teachers is a valuable resource for creating engaging lesson plans. Engage in professional learning communities, attend workshops, or join online forums to exchange ideas, share resources, and gather inspiration from fellow educators. Collaborative efforts can lead to innovative approaches and fresh perspectives in lesson planning.

Leverage Open Educational Resources

Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible materials that can support and enhance lesson plans. These resources include textbooks, lesson plans, videos, and interactive activities. Websites like OER Commons and Common Sense Education provide a wide range of OER materials that align with various subjects and grade levels.

Creating engaging lesson plans requires thoughtful planning, creativity, and a student-centered approach. By incorporating interactive activities, technology tools, real-world connections, student voice, collaboration, and leveraging available resources, teachers can develop impactful lessons that inspire and empower their students.

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How To Create A Lesson Plan: 6 Easy, Effective Steps

April 21st, 2022

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A lesson plan is a blueprint of your lesson that includes learning goals and the educational elements students need to master the learning outcomes. Lesson planning increases thoughtful and intentional teaching and ensures that students get the most out of each lesson or subject.

Significance of Creating Lesson Plans

Lesson plans are vital to address concepts properly and facilitate the efficient flow of learning. This way, students can become a co-creator of knowledge and understanding. A lesson plan provides structure and helps the teacher create a more conducive environment for teaching and learning. Having a daily agenda that details what the students are to expect is also important to framing the students’ learning experience.

When discussing a lesson plan, it's important to remember that it doesn't need to be a script or a lengthy outline. Instead, even just a few bullet points will help the teacher effectively navigate the session and ensure a positive learning experience.

5 Step Method for Creating a Lesson Plan

Now that you understand the importance of establishing a lesson plan, let's look at what you have to include to make it more effective:

Step 1: Establish the Learning Outcomes

Setting the learning outcomes for a lesson plan is critical for ensuring that students learn consistently across classes or courses. The curriculum (state standards) is the basis for every lesson. Learning outcomes define what the students need to achieve by the end of the lesson. Teaching with the end result in mind increases the likelihood that the expected learning outcomes and activities are aligned.

These outcomes should include clear goals so teachers can align the learning and assessment activities tightly to the objectives.

Step 2: Include Any Relevant Resource Materials for the Lesson

Integrating relevant and interesting learning tools into the classroom helps improve learning and participation. These might include things such as presentations, handouts, online videos, pages from a book, etc. ‍

Step 3: Cite Lesson Plan Procedures

Make sure to provide a level of detail in the descriptions of your lessons that will support efficient instruction and learning. Include all the specific information needed to facilitate a more effective flow of discussion.

In addition to the topic and lesson objectives, identify all the relevant resource materials for the lesson including the delivery method, student grouping, activities, etc.

Step 4: Create Instructional Activities or Independent Practice

Include independent practice or activities that you'd like your students to participate in. Consider different projects on a lesson to assess students on their academic abilities and areas for growth. Instructional practices should address various modalities of learning throughout the lesson.

Step 5: Reflect and Plan Lesson Closure

Once you’ve completed your plan, take a few moments to assess yourself and consider what you can do to improve the lesson plan's effectiveness. Any further thoughts or notes on the future stages should be included here. During closure formative assessment of students’ learning needs to occur. Lesson closing notes are a great way to reinforce what students have learned as students and teachers will both benefit.

Things to Consider When Making a Lesson Plan

Before creating a lesson plan, it’s essential to know the best practices that you can apply for effective implementation. Here are a few points of note:

Prepare and Get to Know Your Students

Before creating a lesson plan, it is critical to understand your students thoroughly. Students do not care what you know until they know that you care. Developing an appropriate professional rapport with your students is vital to their success. Then you should investigate what instructional style best benefits them by identifying their ability, attention span, degree of subject knowledge, the intensity of the lesson, and how they would manage it. Planning a lesson for a specific topic can be complicated and a little overwhelming at first. The good thing is once you’ve created a lesson plan for one topic, you no longer need to start from scratch.

Ensure Mastery of the Topic

Lesson planning may be simple, but you cannot teach something you don’t fully understand. Before creating a lesson plan, double-check your mastery of the concepts, definitions, applications, and search for new updated information on the topic.

Curate Your Tools and Resources

Teachers should consider using new tools such as instructional games, quizzes, and many more formats that can be found online. Simple online research can help teachers find resources that match their lessons to benefit both you and your students.

Prepare a Backup Plan

Things may not always go as planned so it's always a good idea to have a backup plan. Accidents happen, unexpected events occur, unscheduled guests show up for lectures—or a slew of other circumstances might throw your plans off. So, it's always a good idea to think ahead—and always have a Plan B.

Benefits of Creating Lesson Plans

Lesson plans help hone a teacher's skills and fine-tune their responsibilities. The following are a few additional benefits for generating an effective lesson plan.

It Aids in Organizing Online Classes

One of the most critical advantages of lesson plans is that they help you stay organized. This outline creates a macro picture of the course rather than just the individual portions. Teachers can contemplate more about the length of time needed for delivering each subject, as well as the sequence in which each theme will be presented because they will know exactly what to teach even before they can formally begin a discussion.

It Gives You Access to Resources and Tools

Teachers can utilize a lesson plan to determine which tools and resources are appropriate for their content and when to use them. In addition, teachers can use various educational technologies to increase the quality of their online classes.

You may experience challenges or perhaps forget to utilize other tools if you solely focus on one or two resources. It's much easier to plan which materials you’ll need—a lesson plan presents the perfect opportunity to do it.

It Allows for Potential Adjustments

Teachers may discover that particular topics need revisiting, materials need updating, or a lesson requires special attention while developing the lesson plan. Creating a lesson plan provides a foundation for reflection and adjustments for future instruction. Teachers’ reflection and revision of content delivery allows for lesson plans to become artifacts that describe students' progress.

In a Nutshell

Lesson planning enables teachers to design a guided approach to the teaching process and consider various factors such as students' learning styles, prior knowledge, types of intelligence, and hobbies. As a result, lesson plans are essential for assisting students in achieving their short- and long-term learning goals. An effective lesson plan ensures that as a teacher, you are creating not just an efficient teaching environment but a conducive learning environment as well.

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Essay Writing: A complete guide for students and teachers

P LANNING, PARAGRAPHING AND POLISHING: FINE-TUNING THE PERFECT ESSAY

Essay writing is an essential skill for every student. Whether writing a particular academic essay (such as persuasive, narrative, descriptive, or expository) or a timed exam essay, the key to getting good at writing is to write. Creating opportunities for our students to engage in extended writing activities will go a long way to helping them improve their skills as scribes.

But, putting the hours in alone will not be enough to attain the highest levels in essay writing. Practice must be meaningful. Once students have a broad overview of how to structure the various types of essays, they are ready to narrow in on the minor details that will enable them to fine-tune their work as a lean vehicle of their thoughts and ideas.

In this article, we will drill down to some aspects that will assist students in taking their essay writing skills up a notch. Many ideas and activities can be integrated into broader lesson plans based on essay writing. Often, though, they will work effectively in isolation – just as athletes isolate physical movements to drill that are relevant to their sport. When these movements become second nature, they can be repeated naturally in the context of the game or in our case, the writing of the essay.

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• 270  pages of the most effective teaching strategies
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• Links to  high-quality video  tutorials
• Clear objectives  easy to match to the demands of your curriculum

Planning an essay

The Boys Scouts’ motto is famously ‘Be Prepared’. It’s a solid motto that can be applied to most aspects of life; essay writing is no different. Given the purpose of an essay is generally to present a logical and reasoned argument, investing time in organising arguments, ideas, and structure would seem to be time well spent.

Given that essays can take a wide range of forms and that we all have our own individual approaches to writing, it stands to reason that there will be no single best approach to the planning stage of essay writing. That said, there are several helpful hints and techniques we can share with our students to help them wrestle their ideas into a writable form. Let’s take a look at a few of the best of these:

BREAK THE QUESTION DOWN: UNDERSTAND YOUR ESSAY TOPIC.

Whether students are tackling an assignment that you have set for them in class or responding to an essay prompt in an exam situation, they should get into the habit of analyzing the nature of the task. To do this, they should unravel the question’s meaning or prompt. Students can practice this in class by responding to various essay titles, questions, and prompts, thereby gaining valuable experience breaking these down.

Have students work in groups to underline and dissect the keywords and phrases and discuss what exactly is being asked of them in the task. Are they being asked to discuss, describe, persuade, or explain? Understanding the exact nature of the task is crucial before going any further in the planning process, never mind the writing process .

BRAINSTORM AND MIND MAP WHAT YOU KNOW:

Once students have understood what the essay task asks them, they should consider what they know about the topic and, often, how they feel about it. When teaching essay writing, we so often emphasize that it is about expressing our opinions on things, but for our younger students what they think about something isn’t always obvious, even to themselves.

Brainstorming and mind-mapping what they know about a topic offers them an opportunity to uncover not just what they already know about a topic, but also gives them a chance to reveal to themselves what they think about the topic. This will help guide them in structuring their research and, later, the essay they will write . When writing an essay in an exam context, this may be the only ‘research’ the student can undertake before the writing, so practicing this will be even more important.

RESEARCH YOUR ESSAY

The previous step above should reveal to students the general direction their research will take. With the ubiquitousness of the internet, gone are the days of students relying on a single well-thumbed encyclopaedia from the school library as their sole authoritative source in their essay. If anything, the real problem for our students today is narrowing down their sources to a manageable number. Students should use the information from the previous step to help here. At this stage, it is important that they:

●      Ensure the research material is directly relevant to the essay task

●      Record in detail the sources of the information that they will use in their essay

●      Engage with the material personally by asking questions and challenging their own biases

●      Identify the key points that will be made in their essay

●      Group ideas, counterarguments, and opinions together

●      Identify the overarching argument they will make in their own essay.

Once these stages have been completed the student is ready to organise their points into a logical order.

WRITING YOUR ESSAY

There are a number of ways for students to organize their points in preparation for writing. They can use graphic organizers , post-it notes, or any number of available writing apps. The important thing for them to consider here is that their points should follow a logical progression. This progression of their argument will be expressed in the form of body paragraphs that will inform the structure of their finished essay.

The number of paragraphs contained in an essay will depend on a number of factors such as word limits, time limits, the complexity of the question etc. Regardless of the essay’s length, students should ensure their essay follows the Rule of Three in that every essay they write contains an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Generally speaking, essay paragraphs will focus on one main idea that is usually expressed in a topic sentence that is followed by a series of supporting sentences that bolster that main idea. The first and final sentences are of the most significance here with the first sentence of a paragraph making the point to the reader and the final sentence of the paragraph making the overall relevance to the essay’s argument crystal clear. 

Though students will most likely be familiar with the broad generic structure of essays, it is worth investing time to ensure they have a clear conception of how each part of the essay works, that is, of the exact nature of the task it performs. Let’s review:

Common Essay Structure

Introduction: Provides the reader with context for the essay. It states the broad argument that the essay will make and informs the reader of the writer’s general perspective and approach to the question.

Body Paragraphs: These are the ‘meat’ of the essay and lay out the argument stated in the introduction point by point with supporting evidence.

Conclusion: Usually, the conclusion will restate the central argument while summarising the essay’s main supporting reasons before linking everything back to the original question.

ESSAY WRITING PARAGRAPH WRITING TIPS

●      Each paragraph should focus on a single main idea

●      Paragraphs should follow a logical sequence; students should group similar ideas together to avoid incoherence

●      Paragraphs should be denoted consistently; students should choose either to indent or skip a line

●      Transition words and phrases such as alternatively , consequently , in contrast should be used to give flow and provide a bridge between paragraphs.

HOW TO EDIT AN ESSAY

Students shouldn’t expect their essays to emerge from the writing process perfectly formed. Except in exam situations and the like, thorough editing is an essential aspect in the writing process. 

Often, students struggle with this aspect of the process the most. After spending hours of effort on planning, research, and writing the first draft, students can be reluctant to go back over the same terrain they have so recently travelled. It is important at this point to give them some helpful guidelines to help them to know what to look out for. The following tips will provide just such help: 

One Piece at a Time: There is a lot to look out for in the editing process and often students overlook aspects as they try to juggle too many balls during the process. One effective strategy to combat this is for students to perform a number of rounds of editing with each focusing on a different aspect. For example, the first round could focus on content, the second round on looking out for word repetition (use a thesaurus to help here), with the third attending to spelling and grammar.

Sum It Up: When reviewing the paragraphs they have written, a good starting point is for students to read each paragraph and attempt to sum up its main point in a single line. If this is not possible, their readers will most likely have difficulty following their train of thought too and the paragraph needs to be overhauled.

Let It Breathe: When possible, encourage students to allow some time for their essay to ‘breathe’ before returning to it for editing purposes. This may require some skilful time management on the part of the student, for example, a student rush-writing the night before the deadline does not lend itself to effective editing. Fresh eyes are one of the sharpest tools in the writer’s toolbox.

Read It Aloud: This time-tested editing method is a great way for students to identify mistakes and typos in their work. We tend to read things more slowly when reading aloud giving us the time to spot errors. Also, when we read silently our minds can often fill in the gaps or gloss over the mistakes that will become apparent when we read out loud.

Phone a Friend: Peer editing is another great way to identify errors that our brains may miss when reading our own work. Encourage students to partner up for a little ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours’.

Use Tech Tools: We need to ensure our students have the mental tools to edit their own work and for this they will need a good grasp of English grammar and punctuation. However, there are also a wealth of tech tools such as spellcheck and grammar checks that can offer a great once-over option to catch anything students may have missed in earlier editing rounds.

Putting the Jewels on Display: While some struggle to edit, others struggle to let go. There comes a point when it is time for students to release their work to the reader. They must learn to relinquish control after the creation is complete. This will be much easier to achieve if the student feels that they have done everything in their control to ensure their essay is representative of the best of their abilities and if they have followed the advice here, they should be confident they have done so.

WRITING CHECKLISTS FOR ALL TEXT TYPES

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• Creating Lesson Plans

How to Build a Lesson Plan: Templates, Requirements, and More

Last Updated: April 7, 2024 Fact Checked

Sample Lesson Plans

Constructing a lesson plan, adjusting your lesson plans efficiently, presenting the lesson, expert q&a.

This article was co-authored by César de León, M.Ed. and by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure . César de León is an Educational Leadership Consultant and currently serves as an Assistant Principal for the Austin Independent School District in Austin, TX. César specializes in education program development, curriculum improvement, student mentorship, social justice, equity leadership, and family and community engagement. He is passionate about eradicating inequities in schools for all children, especially those who have been historically underserved and marginalized. César holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education and Biology from Texas State University and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from The University of Texas at Austin. There are 20 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 3,785,559 times.

As a teacher, developing a thoughtful lesson plan is an essential part of your job. Not only do your lesson plans lay out everything you’ll do in a given class, but they can be shared with subs to complete your lessons when you’re out sick, and administrators can use them to provide feedback and monitor your classroom. While writing a lesson plan may seem like a daunting task at first, take it from a former teacher that they’ll soon become second nature. In this article, we’ll walk you through what you need to include in each lesson plan, show you how to use your lesson plan to make you a better teacher, and walk you through what a class might look like based on your plans.

Things You Should Know

• A lesson plan outlines what you’ll teach in a given lesson and provides justification for why you’re teaching it.
• Every lesson plan needs an objective, relevant standards, a timeline of activities, an overview of the class, assessments, and required instructional materials.
• Overplan in case your lesson ends early and tailor your plans to suit the needs of your students.

• An example of a good objective might be, "Students will be able to analyze nonfiction texts by performing a close reading on a historical document."
• Most teachers will use Bloom’s taxonomy when choosing their objective verb.
• Teachers often abbreviate “Students will be able to” with “SWBAT” on their lesson plans.
• Many teachers start with the objective then work their way out from there, choosing class activities last. This is called “backmapping” and it’s the most widely accepted lesson organization style around today. [2] X Research source

• Our previous objective aligns nicely with the CCSS R.L.8.2, which reads “Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text…”
• A handful of states, including Florida, Virginia, and Texas, refuse to adopt common core. They have their own state standards.
• If you’re still in school to become a teacher, you may not have specific standards you need to cover just yet.
• Many schools will allow teachers to cover the objectives in whatever order they’d like so far as they cover all of them. Some schools will map out the standards to cover in their curriculum, though.

• For example, if your class is about Shakespeare's Hamlet , your overview might be “Introduction to Hamlet . Historical context, biographical info, and preliminary information. We’ll cover the folio, character list, and assign reading roles. Start Act 1 if time allows.”
• A single overview may get you through multiple classes, so you may find yourself copy and pasting the same overview into multiple plans. That’s totally okay!

• 1:00-1:10: Warm up . Bring class into focus and recap yesterday's discussion on great tragedies; relate it to Hamlet .
• 1:10-1:25: Present information. Discuss Shakespearean history briefly, focusing on his creative period 2 years before and after Hamlet.
• 1:25-1:40: Guided practice . Class discussion regarding major themes in the play.
• 1:40-1:55: Freer practice. Class writes single paragraph describing current event in Shakespearean terms. Individually encourage bright students to write 2 paragraphs, and coach slower students.
• 1:55-2:00: Conclusion. Collect papers, assign homework, dismiss class.

• Formative assessments are instructional tools. They’re anything you use to check if students are learning so you can adjust your lessons. Examples include: class discussions, teacher questions, pop quizzes, group work, surveys, and self-reflections.
• Summative assessments are how you prove a student learned something. They occur at the end of lesson arcs, units, or sections. Examples include: tests, quizzes, essays, presentations, and final projects.
• All summative assessments (outside of tests and quizzes) have rubrics, which are the set of standards you’re judging students on. You do not need to include your rubrics in the lesson plan, but you should be making rubrics.

• You might list textbooks, worksheets, novels, calculators, or whiteboards. If you need to borrow a TV or need a link to a specific YouTube video, include that, too.
• Skip the basic school supplies every student needs. You don’t need to mention pens, pencils, etc.
• Need a worksheet or special materials for a class but don’t want to spend super long making them from scratch? Check out Teachers Pay Teachers . Seasoned educators sell their instructional material to other teachers for cheap!

• Over time, you’ll need to do this less and less. Eventually, you'll be able to go in with practically nothing at all!

• If you find yourself constantly running over your schedule, know what you can and cannot scratch. What must you cover in order for the children to learn most? What is just fluff and time killers?

• Odds are you'll be working with a pile of extroverts and introverts. Some students will benefit more from working alone while others will thrive in pair work or in groups. Knowing this will help you format activities to different interaction preferences. [11] X Research source
• You'll also wind up having a few students that know just about as much as you do on the topic and some that, while smart, look at you like you're from another planet. If you know who these kids are, you can plan accordingly.

Joseph Meyer

Effective teaching strategies consider a student's individual strengths. Tailoring instruction to a student's existing skills and encouraging collaborative activities can improve a student's outcome. Recognizing diverse learning styles allows for a stronger approach, fostering potential in all learners.

• Really, any activity can be manipulated to be done separately, in pairs, or in groups. If you have ideas already mapped out, see if you can revamp them at all to mix it up.

• Every student learns differently. Some need to see the info, some need to hear it, and others need to literally get their hands on it. If you've spent a great while talking, stop and let them talk about it.
• You will likely have some students with IEPs, or Instructional Educational Plans. These are legal documents for students with special needs that require specific instructional adjustments.

• The easiest thing to do is to come up with a quick concluding game or discussion. Throw the students together and have them discuss their opinions or ask questions.

• Avoid using shorthand or acronyms that only you’ll be able to understand.

Eric McClure

"It helps if your backup lesson plans are very easy to find and clearly labeled as substitute plans. If there are any handouts, print those out ahead of time as well. This is the kind of thing that’s easy to overlook early in the year, but trust me—you’ll need a day off at some point and when you do, you won’t want to come in just to drop off lesson plans."

• The warm up can be a simple game (possibly about vocab on the topic to see where their current knowledge lies (or what they remember from last week!). Or, it can be questions, a mingle, or pictures used to start a conversation. Whatever it is, get them talking and thinking about the topic.

• Go over the objective at the beginning of class! Always let your students know why they’re doing what they’re doing.

• This is often explained by teachers as “I do, we do, you do.” In other words, you show them how to do it. Then, the whole class does it together. Finally, the students do it on their own.
• If you have time for two activities, all the better. It's a good idea to test their knowledge on two different levels -- for example, writing and speaking (two very different skills). Try to incorporate different activities for students that have different aptitudes.

• If you've been teaching the same group for a while, odds are you know the students who might struggle with certain concepts. If that's the case, pair them with stronger students to keep the class going.
• You don't want certain students left behind, but you also don't want the class held up, waiting for everyone to get on the same level.

• It all depends on the subject at hand and the skills you want to use. It can be anything from a 20-minute puppet making project to a two-week long dalliance with the oversoul in a heated debate on transcendentalism.

• If you have a group full of kids that can't be paid to raise their hands, turn them amongst themselves. Give them an aspect of the topic to discuss and 5 minutes to converse about it. Then bring the focus to the front of the class and lead a group discussion. Interesting points are bound to pop up!

• Assign and hand out any homework at the end of the class.

• Don’t worry if lesson planning feels really unfulfilling and pointless to you. A lot of new teachers think they feel like busy work at first—especially when classes don’t go as planned. Luckily, once you finish one year of teaching, you’ll have a full year’s worth of lessons to use! [24] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Lesson plans typically cover a single class period, although a more complex lesson may require 2-3 days to get through. A single lesson plan may also bleed over into multiple classes if there’s a fire alarm, some behavioral issue that requires attention, or you have to modify your schedule due to a school-wide event. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/5-tips-improve-your-lesson-plan
• ↑ https://www.calstate.edu/csu-system/why-the-csu-matters/graduation-initiative-2025/co-requisite-mathematics-summit/Handouts/Backmapping_example_and_template.pdf
• ↑ https://drexel.edu/soe/resources/student-teaching/advice/how-to-write-a-lesson-plan/
• ↑ https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/cnm/cresource/q4/p16/
• ↑ https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/Formative-Summative-Assessments
• ↑ https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~slm/AdjCI/Lessonplan/Elements.html
• ↑ https://awildsurmise.medium.com/improving-teaching-scripting-5950e1d15f54
• ↑ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/511257/Eliminating-unnecessary-workload-around-planning-and-teaching-resources.pdf
• ↑ César de León, M.Ed.. Educational Leadership Consultant. Expert Interview. 11 November 2020.
• ↑ https://onlineprograms.ollusa.edu/ma-in-counseling/resources/learning-styles-of-introverts-and-extroverts
• ↑ http://www.auburn.edu/~nunnath/engl6240/seating.html
• ↑ https://teach.com/what/teachers-know/learning-styles/
• ↑ https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/pacing-lessons-for-optimal-learning
• ↑ https://www.chalk.com/introduction-to-lesson-planning/why-lesson-plan/
• ↑ https://www.edutopia.org/blog/having-an-off-day-josh-stock
• ↑ https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/teaching/teaching-how/chapter-2-teaching-successful-section/running-class
• ↑ https://readingrecovery.clemson.edu/home-2/reading-comprehension/lesson-structure/guided-practice/
• ↑ https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/professional-development/teachers/knowing-subject/d-h/free-practice
• ↑ https://teaching.cornell.edu/teaching-resources/engaging-students/using-effective-questions
• ↑ https://www.tefl.net/elt/ideas/younglearners/finishing-preschool-english-lessons/

About This Article

If you need to make a lesson plan, start by creating a timeline based on the length of the class or the school day. As you get to know your class throughout the year, try to tailor your lesson plan to their strengths. For instance, some groups might learn better by taking notes during a lecture, while others might benefit more from group discussions or worksheets. Try to include several different activities during each class period so the kids don’t get bored, and also to appeal to the different learning styles in the classroom. Read on for sample lesson plans and more tips on how to budget your time! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Tips for How to Write a Lesson Plan for English

Tips for how to write a lesson plan for maths, tips for how to write a lesson plan for science, tips for how to write a lesson plan for art, tips for how to write a lesson plan for physical education, how to create a lesson plan.

Introduction

Steps to Creating an Effective Lesson Plan

1. lesson title.

a. Reflect the Content

B. be engaging, c. be specific, 2. grade level.

a. Grade or Age Group

B. prior knowledge, c. appropriate content, d. cognitive development, recommended for you, 3. subject or topic.

a. Clear Identification

B. alignment with curriculum, c. relevance, d. conciseness, 4. duration.

a. Time Allocation

B. realistic estimate, c. flexibility, d. alignment with schedule, e. include breaks, 5. objective.

b. Measurability

C. alignment, d. realistic expectations, e. relevance, 6. materials.

a. Comprehensive List

B. specifics, c. preparation, d. availability, e. accessibility, 7. preparation.

a. Advance Planning

B. timeline, c. resources, d. checklist, e. contingency plans, 8. instructional plan or teaching sequence, 1. introduction of chapter and topic.

2. Content Presentation

3. Activities and Exercises

4. Assessment

9. Differentiation

a. Understanding Student Diversity

B. inclusive strategies, c. accommodations, d. extensions, e. grouping, f. assessment flexibility, 10. homework/assignments.

a. Assignment Description

C. due date, d. resources, e. grading criteria, 11. reflection.

a. Observations

B. challenges, c. student engagement, d. assessment of learning, f. adjustments, g. next steps, 12. additional notes.

a. Clarifications

B. special considerations, c. reminders, d. alternative approaches, e. references, f. next steps, bonus content.

Sample Lesson Plan

Bonus: tips for crafting subject-specific lesson plans, unlock exclusive content – sign up now.

Focus on Core Skills

• Identify the key language skills you want students to develop, such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• Align lesson activities with specific language goals to ensure a comprehensive approach.

Incorporate Literature

• Integrate literary works that resonate with your students to make the learning experience more engaging.
• Encourage critical thinking and analysis through discussions about themes, characters, and plot structures.

Include Creative Writing

• Devote time to creative writing exercises that allow students to express themselves.
• Provide constructive feedback to nurture their writing skills and foster a love for language.

Clearly Define Objectives

• Specify the mathematical concepts and skills students should grasp by the end of the lesson.
• Break down complex topics into manageable learning objectives.

Utilize Visual Aids

• Integrate visual representations, charts, and diagrams to enhance understanding of mathematical concepts.
• Encourage students to create their visual aids to reinforce learning.

Incorporate Real-World Applications

• Relate mathematical concepts to real-life situations to demonstrate their practical relevance.
• Design activities that challenge students to apply mathematical principles in problem-solving scenarios.

Hands-On Experiments

• Prioritize hands-on experiments to make scientific concepts tangible.
• Ensure safety measures are communicated and followed during practical sessions.

Use Multimedia Resources

• Integrate videos, simulations, and interactive tools to supplement theoretical explanations.
• Appeal to various learning styles by incorporating a multimedia approach.

Encourage Inquiry-Based Learning

• Foster curiosity and critical thinking by structuring lessons around inquiry-based activities.
• Guide students to ask questions, formulate hypotheses, and conduct investigations.

Creative Expression

• Prioritize activities that allow students to express their creativity through various art forms.
• Provide opportunities for experimentation with different materials and techniques.

Art History Exploration

• Explore different art movements and styles to broaden students' understanding of artistic traditions.
• Discuss the cultural and historical context of famous artworks.

Skill Progression

• Design lessons that focus on the progressive development of motor skills and physical abilities.
• Incorporate activities that cater to various fitness levels and interests.

Team Building and Sportsmanship

• Integrate team sports and cooperative activities to promote teamwork and sportsmanship.
• Emphasize the importance of fair play and positive attitudes in physical activities.

Pre-Primary Teacher

Assistant teacher, primary teacher, post graduate teacher, head of department, format of a stellar lesson plan with samples, how to create a lesson plan, different types of lesson plans, common mistakes in lesson plans, wrapping up, good news, frequently asked questions.

Yes, lesson plans can be adapted by adjusting the complexity of tasks, modifying resources, and considering the developmental stages of students. Flexibility is key in catering to various grade levels.

Depending on the subject, you can integrate technology by using educational apps, interactive presentations, or online resources. Ensure that technology enhances the learning experience without being a distraction.

Let's consider a high school Biology lesson about cellular processes. Instead of a traditional lecture, you decide to leverage technology to make the topic more interactive. You introduce an educational app that allows students to explore virtual cells, witness cellular activities, and even simulate experiments. To learn more on how to integrate technology into your classroom, watch this masterclass for free !

Reflection is key. After the lesson, consider what worked well and what could be improved. Collect feedback from students and be open to adjusting your approach based on their responses. Read this blog on Reflection in Teaching to gain insights to practice reflection in your teaching process.

While it's important to have a plan, flexibility is crucial. Be prepared to adapt based on the needs of your students, unexpected class dynamics, or if an activity is taking more or less time than anticipated.

While formats may vary, a typical lesson plan includes above mentioned sections like objectives, materials, procedures, assessment, and closure. The key is clarity and organization to guide effective teaching.

Stay calm and be adaptable. Have a few backup activities or quick engagement strategies on hand. Establish clear classroom expectations to minimize disruptions. Let's say you're in the middle of explaining a complex math concept, and suddenly there's a loud noise from the hallway that grabs everyone's attention. Instead of getting flustered, take a moment to address the distraction calmly. You might say, "It seems like there's a bit of noise from the hallway. Let's all take a deep breath and refocus on our learning.”

It's possible to use existing lesson plans as a template, but tailor them to suit your teaching style, students, and classroom dynamics. Personalizing the content will make it more effective for your students.

Encourage open communication with students and colleagues. Seek feedback on the clarity of instructions, engagement level, and overall effectiveness. Continuous improvement is a key aspect of teaching.

Simran Agarwal

Simran is a writer here at Suraasa and has formerly worked as a Teacher. She is passionate about learning and making a difference through her words.

How to Make a Lesson Plan for Teaching English (The Definitive Guide)

How can you build effective lessons and feel in control of the class?

Lesson plans are essential to planning and ultimately giving great ESL lessons.

But isn’t making lesson plans long and arduous? Well… not if you do things the right way!

Join our mailing list to receive a free ESL teaching resource every week.

Click to Join

In this article, you will learn to make a lesson plan for teaching English from scratch that is both effective and won’t eat up all of your time and energy!

Can You Teach Without a Lesson Plan?

How to create a lesson plan from scratch, essential parts to include in an esl lesson plan, how to structure an esl lesson, useful tips for lesson planning, example lesson plan.

The short answer is yes, you can teach a lesson without a plan. However…

You shouldn’t!

With one-to-one students, you usually have more freedom. If things don’t go quite right you can usually just keep talking and keep the flow going while working out what to do next.

In fact, I have a few students who just want to practise their free conversation and I just turn up and talk for an hour without anything planned.

However, for the majority of students (especially groups), not planning a lesson is not an option.

You need a clear idea of what you want your students to learn and how you are going to help them achieve that goal. The only way to do this is with a lesson plan.

Remember that you may think you’re saving time by not planning anything (or planning minimally) but you’ll regret it when you are in the middle of a stressful, unplanned lesson.

As Benjamin Franklin once said,

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Does it matter which tool you use to create your lesson plan?

Not really, no.

The important thing is that you can easily and quickly create your plan, make adjustments (if necessary) and bring it to class with you.

Use Pen & Paper

This is the low-tech option but still popular, especially if you can’t get access to a computer.

You also have the advantage that you don’t have to worry about making a printout or bringing a laptop with you to class etc.

Use Word Processing Software

You can use Microsoft Word or any other popular application you would use for writing anything else.

Simply type it up and then either print a copy at the end or find some way of bringing it to class (laptop, mobile phone, classroom computer, etc.)

Use an Online Storage System

I started using Google Drive for my lesson plans a few years ago and haven’t gone back since!

The documents app has everything I need to type up my lessons and I know that everything is stored online which makes it easy to access.

Think About Presentation

Bear in mind that you should think about who will be looking at your plan. If you are working in a school or with an assistant then it is likely that others will see it.

Make sure it is neat enough that others can understand it and maybe spend some time on the presentation and making it look pretty. 

However, if you are a freelance teacher then presentation doesn’t matter so much. As long you can make out what’s written and can follow it easily, you can have it look however you want!

Once you have decided on your tool to make your lesson plan, you then need to focus on what you actually will include in your plan.

Once you have the right tool for the job it’s important to focus on what you will include in your lesson plan. Some of these can be optional but pay attention to the essentials that will be marked.

In theory, you can do these in any order you want. However, going through in the order provided here will make your life a lot easier.

Parts of a Lesson Plan

• Date and time
• Class and Student Name, Number of Students
• Lesson Aims
• Lesson Duration
• Lesson Activities

Bonus Activities

• Resources Needed

Here’s how a simple lesson plan template could look like:

Date and Time

It may seem trivial but you want to make sure you have the right lesson plan for the right lesson.

Get into the habit of including date and time to avoid confusion and turning up to class with the wrong plan!

This is also useful when the lesson plan needs to be filed after class (e.g. in a school).

Class and Student Name

Again, it comes down to making sure you are matching the right plan to the right class. This also helps you visualise your learners as you are making your lesson plan.

Number of Students

This one isn’t important if you just teach one-to-one lessons (obviously). However, if you are teaching group classes then the number of students in your class will need to be taken into consideration when planning activities.

Lesson Aims (Essential)

Ask yourself:

“What do I want my students to do at the end of this class that they couldn’t do before?”

This is your lesson aim and is one of the most important considerations when designing a lesson plan.

This can be seen as “What is the point of this class?”.

For vocabulary lessons, the lesson aim may be a list of words or maybe a certain concept if teaching a grammar lesson.

Whatever the reason is, make a note of it and always keep it in mind when you make any other decisions about the lesson plan.

Lesson Duration (Essential)

How long do you have to do the lesson?

In order to effectively plan your activities in class, you need to know how much time you have to work with.

Lesson Activities (Essential)

Create a list of every activity you plan to do in class. This needs to be precise and include things such as warm up , free conversation, explaining homework at the end, etc.

State how long each activity will take in minutes.

Obviously it is unlikely you will be able to stick to this exactly, things change and you need to go with the flow. However, try to stick as closely as you can to it and you will find your life will be much easier.

It doesn’t need to be said but, this needs to be done after your lesson aims, as they will dictate what activities will be appropriate for that class.

As well as planning your lesson activities, it’s a good idea to include some bonus activities that can be done in case you finish the class early.

You don’t want to run out of planned activities halfway through a class and have to improvise a class to a room of 30 students!

Get a couple of backup activities planned and take them to each class. A small amount of planning now will give you peace of mind in the long run.

Resources Needed (Essential)

Make a list of everything you need and pay attention to the details. 

As well as noting down that you need printouts for that crossword, did you think about whether the students have pens or will you need to bring them? Do you have backups of lesson materials ? A backup USB drive of the presentation etc?

Be prepared with all of this because there’s nothing worse than having to run out of class 5 minutes in because you forgot something small!

Ok so we know all of the details needed for the lesson plan but… how do we actually structure the activities in the class?

This is very much dependent on the type of class you are teaching and your style. As I’m teaching mostly one-to-one advanced students and my students require different things, my lesson plans vary quite a bit.

However, for “traditional” classes (groups from beginner to intermediate level) you will likely want to follow the classic PPP model which is mentioned extensively in TEFL courses.

What is PPP?

PPP is an acronym for p resentation, p ractice, and p roduction.

It is a popular model for teaching foreign languages and is one of the most popular teaching models used in TEFL courses.

Let’s look at each section in more detail with 5 great ideas for each!

Presentation

In our first section, presentation , we show the students something. It could be:

Ideas for Presentation

• A short, fictional story
• An object (a piece of fruit, a toy, etc.)
• A roleplayed conversation between the teacher and the assistant
• A news story

It could be anything, as long as it can stimulate a discussion about what you want to teach in the class. 

For example, if I want to teach the past simple tense vs the past continuous, then I could find a story that uses both of these and highlight them.

In the next section practice , we give students a chance to use the new concept in a controlled environment. We could use:

Ideas for Practice

• Gap-fill exercises (a sentence with a word missing that a student has to fill)
• Sentence correction (students find the mistakes in an incorrect sentence)
• Sentence rearrange (students have to put the jumbled words of a sentence in the right order)
• Synonym matching (students have to match a word with its synonym)
• Word select (again, there’s a gap in a sentence but there are a selection of words to choose from)

The idea is that students can play with the new concept but they still have the “training wheels” on.

The final stage, production , is much freer and allows the student to use the new concept with less help. Think of exercises like: 

Ideas for Production

• Writing an essay (set an essay question; can be very good for homework assignments, too)
• Free conversation (split students into pairs and have them talk freely while incorporating the new concept)
• Asking questions (either ask the students yourself or split them into groups)
• Roleplays (split students into pairs and give them roles to act out)
• Information exchange (split students into pairs and have them find out certain information from the other)

This section is usually the most challenging as the students have much less support compared to the practice stage. However, it is essential for preparing students to use these new concepts in the real world.

It’s Better to Overplan

When you are first starting out it is much better to over-plan everything.

Where will the students be sat? How long will it take to hand out the exercise sheets? Will you allow time for questions?

Start by overplanning and as you get more comfortable teaching, you can start taking out things that you don’t feel you need.

Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

There are plenty of pre-existing lesson plans out there just begging for you to use.

If your school or establishment has its own then you can use those and adapt them. 

Have a look online for any free or paid downloadable lesson plans and even share them with other teachers.

You can keep these lesson plans as but you will likely want to tweak them to fit your class. 

The point is, why struggle when the work is already done for you?

Browse our section of ESL teacher resources for lesson plans, worksheets, and other printables.

Include Lots of Student Activities

Make sure to include plenty of activities that get the students involved. 

It’s difficult to write a lesson where you are talking for an hour straight and still managing to keep your students hooked and learning well.

When you include more student activities you find it’s easier to write the lesson, reduces teacher talk time and your students are more likely to learn effectively.

Make a Template

Once you have a lesson plan design that works, you can then use that as a template for the next lesson plan.

This can be a big timesaver as you don’t have to make everything from scratch each time.

Make Backups

Make sure you have a backup in case you lose your main plan. I used to keep digital copies of my lesson plans on my mobile phone so that I could check that in case anything happened.

Also, make sure your assistants have their own copy of the plan so they know what should be happening at each step in the class.

Practise the Activities

It’s especially important to practise the activities if it’s the first time doing them. As well as being able to perform the task properly in class, it allows you to see how long it will take.

This timing is important when planning your lessons as it allows you to be more precise with organising the timing of the activities and have a smoother flowing lesson.

Don’t Skip the Warmup

Whether you are teaching one-to-one or a room full of students, you shouldn’t skip the warmup. This is a chance to prepare the students for the lesson and flow naturally into the topic of the day.

Make sure to factor this into your plan. For larger classes, you may way to keep things a little more controlled and spend one or two minutes on the warmup.

For one-to-one classes, I usually aim for around 5-10 minutes as it allows me to personalise things a little more and build rapport. 

The important thing though is this needs to be built into the timing of the lesson plan!

Need ideas? Read our posts on warm-up activities and icebreaker activities .

Make Room for a Review Section

I have found it to be vital to include review sections in class.

A lot of language learning is a memory game, this means that not only does a student have to learn a definition of a word or grammar concept but they have to remember it too.

If your student doesn’t revise then these things will escape the memory frighteningly quickly.

For this reason, I always build in a review section nearer the start of the lesson to check their knowledge of what we did in the previous lesson.

You can check pronunciation and definition of words or even a “Can you remember what we did in the last lesson?”.

As long as you are getting the students’ brains to reactivate some memories from what has been done before then they are more likely to remember these things in the long run.

Now we’ve covered everything that you need to create effective lesson plans.

Let’s look at an example lesson plan about IELTS Speaking Practise to give you an impression of how (simple) a lesson plan can look like!

There we have it, everything you need to start building your very own lesson plans from scratch.

Remember to experiment with the different parts you need for a lesson plan.

Once you have something that works, use that as a template for future lesson plans to make your life even easier!

3 thoughts on “How to Make a Lesson Plan for Teaching English (The Definitive Guide)”

Thank you so much ?, I really needed some guidance! Thank you for sharing ?

Thank you so much Jonathan for this wonderful piece. I have been inspired to effectively prepare my lessons. Good job!

Dear Jonathan, I will be teaching first time on line and the information is very helpful to start.

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Five-Paragraph Essay Lesson Plan: Producing Writing

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Five-Paragraph Essay Lesson Plan .

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic, Five-Paragraph Essay , and supports the standard of developing an organized piece of writing with a clear thesis, relevant details, and a concluding statement. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

As a class, or individually, have students read Tim’s model essay, The Case For a Longer School Year. Ask:

• What argument is Tim making in his essay?
• What are his reasons or evidence for his argument?
• Is Tim’s argument persuasive? Why or why not?
• What is the purpose of the first paragraph? middle paragraphs? Last paragraph?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

• Read aloud the description on the Five-Paragraph Essay topic page . 
• Play the Movie , pausing to check for understanding.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign the Five-Paragraph Essay Quiz , prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about writing five-paragraph essays while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

• Make-a-Movie : Produce a movie where you present a persuasive argument that follows the format of a five-paragraph essay. 
• Make-a-Map : Create a concept map that shows the features of each paragraph in a five-paragraph essay. 
• Creative Coding : Code a meme that shows the benefits of using the five-paragraph essay format.

More to Explore

Related BrainPOP Topics : Deepen understanding of the writing process with these topics: Types of Writing , Writing in Sequence , Research , and Outlines . 

Teacher Support Resources:

• Pause Point Overview : Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas.  
• Learning Activities Modifications : Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
• Learning Activities Support : Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.

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Guest Essay

You Don’t Just See a Total Solar Eclipse. You Feel It Completely.

By Ryan Milligan

Dr. Milligan is a senior lecturer in astrophysics at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Almost one year ago, in the middle of the night, I drove from my hometown, Belfast, Northern Ireland, to Dublin to catch an early morning flight to Munich. From there I caught another plane to Bangkok, another to Singapore and yet another to Perth in Western Australia. There, I rented a camper van and began a drive of more than 750 miles north to the town of Exmouth on a remote peninsula on the northwest coast of the continent.

This was the only reasonably accessible location on the planet with decent weather prospects from which to view the total solar eclipse on April 20, 2023. The entire event lasted 62 seconds. It was the 10th total solar eclipse I’d traveled to witness.

Even as a professional solar physicist, I find it difficult to convey why eclipse chasers like me go to such extraordinary lengths to witness such a fleeting phenomenon, again and again. I was extra determined to make the pilgrimage last year after I was thwarted by clouds in Chile in December 2020, and I couldn’t afford the eye-watering cost of traveling to Antarctica in 2021. I needed to whet my appetite before embarking on another expedition to see the totality of the April 8 eclipse in Mazatlán, Mexico.

It may sound absurd, but there is no other celestial event that anyone I know would devote so much time and effort to seeing. If you wish to see the northern lights, you can hop on a plane to Iceland or Norway and have a fairly decent chance of seeing them in the winter months. If you are on the nightside of the planet during a lunar eclipse and the skies are clear, you just need to go outside and look up to see it happening. But unless you are fortunate enough to live within or close to the path of totality, witnessing a total solar eclipse will probably require meticulous planning and marshaling time and money to get you to an optimal location and a bit of luck to make sure the weather forecasts you’ve pored over hold true.

Believe me, it is worth the effort.

A total solar eclipse is not something that you see — it’s something that you experience. You can feel the temperature around you begin to drop by as much as 15 degrees over the five to 10 minutes that lead up to the eclipse. The birds and other animals go silent. The light becomes eerie and morphs into a dusky, muted twilight, and you begin to see stark, misplaced shadows abound. A column of darkness in the sky hurtles toward you at over 1,000 miles per hour as the moon’s shadow falls neatly over the sun, turning day into temporary night — nothing like the calming sunset we take for granted every day. Sometimes, a few stars or planets begin to appear faintly in the sky as your eyes get used to the new darkness.

The hairs stand up on the back of your neck and the adrenaline kicks in as your brain tries to make sense of what is going on. But it cannot. It has no other point of reference to compare these sensations to. A total eclipse elicits a unique, visceral, primeval feeling that cannot be evoked by a photograph or a video or a newspaper article, and that can be experienced only within the path of totality when the moon completely obscures the disk of the sun.

And then of course there is the crowning glory: the sun’s corona, the pearly white outer atmosphere of our nearest star that we can otherwise see only using a fleet of dedicated solar-observing spacecraft. It has an ethereal beauty that is challenging to articulate.

For those brief few moments when the corona appears bright in the sky, all the effort made to experience the totality becomes worth it. You want to soak up every second of it and process every feeling, because it is over all too soon. Once the moon’s shadow has passed you feel both exhilarated and deflated because the next opportunity to experience this sensation again could be years away and on the other side of the world. And it is something that you will crave.

There is also, of course, the professional motivation for me to gaze upon the subject of my research with my own eyes. Most other astrophysicists only get to look at exploding stars or distant comets through gargantuan telescopes, where they appear as mere pixels on a computer screen or a squiggle on a graph. It’s easy to get detached from the beauty of astronomy when your job becomes more focused on securing grant funding, teaching, administrative duties and bureaucracy. Eclipse chasing reminds me why I chose this field of work in the first place and reignites my passion — and I want to inspire my students with that same passion.

Each eclipse is different. The shape and structure of the solar corona varies over the course of each solar cycle. The longer the duration of the eclipse, the darker one’s surroundings are likely to seem. And sandwiched between the sun’s “surface” and the corona is the crimson red chromosphere, the layer of the sun’s atmosphere that I have been researching for almost 20 years to understand its relationship to solar flares. In Australia the briefness of totality meant that this region was exceptionally bright and distinguished, and one could even spot some solar prominences (clouds of hydrogen gas suspended above the chromosphere) with the naked eye. That may also be the case on Monday.

People mistakenly think that a partial eclipse is good enough. It is not. When outside the path of totality, the visibility of even 1 percent of the sun’s disk is enough to outshine the entire corona. The buzz around this year’s eclipse through North America has reached a fever pitch not seen since the “Great American Eclipse” of 2017. The duration of totality will be almost twice as long — almost four and a half minutes. (Whether the weather will cooperate is still an open question .)

This is far from the first time I’ve tried to cajole people into experiencing the totality in full. In 2017, I persuaded several of my friends in the United States to join me in Nebraska to enjoy the spectacle without forcing them to traipse halfway across the globe. They later told me that they at first thought I may have been somewhat exaggerating the experience because of my professional bias, but when the eclipse was over, I knew that they finally got it. Their faces were overcome with emotion and they struggled to articulate how they were feeling. Because it wasn’t just about what they had seen — it was about what they had experienced.

Ryan Milligan is a solar physicist at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He has held research fellowships at NASA and the Science and Technology Facilities Council in Britain and was affiliated with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center for over a decade.

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