Lesson Plans

What are lesson plans?

Lesson plans are a set of instructions for teachers to help guide them in teaching students. They are a series of organized, sequenced tasks that deliver the instructional content and desired learning outcomes for a course. This includes assigning reading assignments before lectures, highlighting important points in lessons to be taught later on, etc. Some instructors also use informal tests or quizzes as part of their lesson plans.

Teachers often develop these at the beginning of the semester so they know exactly what their students will learn in each class session, how many sessions it’ll take to complete that topic, and any materials needed. They also include information about assignment due dates as well as grading scales with which teachers can grade student work turned in during those lessons.

There is typically one lesson plan per class, and it will contain all the information relevant to that instance’s specific needs. For example, if you teach English as a second language (ESL) at the elementary level but have been asked by your principal or superintendent to teach an art history course on Da Vinci for middle schoolers too, then you would create two different sets of lesson plans: one specifically tailored toward ESL learners and another just focused on more traditional instruction methods appropriate for those who do not speak English fluently yet may be taking this particular art history class because they’re interested in Leonardo da Vinci more than anything else.