Successful teachers plan their lessons using skill and the traditional method of the three part lesson model: Introduction – Main Activity – Plenary.  The process of teaching doesn’t begin in the classroom – it starts in the teacher’s home. Successful teachers plan their lessons using skill, choice of methodology, structure of lesson material, preparation of the classroom, as well as monitoring of success, using tests and assignments.

A lesson plan dictates the structure of teaching. A single lesson could be part of a plan for a unit of work. A lesson plan is a teacher’s detailed description of their plan for instruction of a particular lesson. There is no such thing as the perfect lesson plan, though there are elements that good teaching plans need to contain.

A good lesson plan needs to have the following format. What is the aim of the lesson?  Ask yourself what the lesson is reaching towards. What is the title of the lesson? A good title stimulates interest.

How long will it take to finish the lesson? A lesson which overruns the time is bad, but even worse if it finishes before the allocated time. A prescription for disaster!

What materials are needed for the lesson? Plan to use available materials. Do not plan for materials when they are not available and then blame the materials!

List the objectives of the lesson. There may be behavioural or knowledge objectives. Behavioural objectives focus on what the student is expected to do upon completion of the lesson parts. Knowledge objectives are about what the student is expected to know upon completion of the lesson.

What about the set, or the lead in, to the lesson? This is the most important part of the lesson and needs to be designed to focus the students on the topic.  It may include a presentation – film – talk etc.  It explains the objectives of the lesson. It gives a clear start to the lesson. It pulls the students into the atmosphere of the classroom.

During the main activity or the instructional component, what is happening and what is planned? The teacher needs to make clear to the pupil what they will learn. The teacher needs to make links with previous lessons or work in other curriculum areas.

A positive strategy is to describe the sequence of events that will take place as a lesson is delivered. There needs to be instructional input – explain what the teacher plans to do and say, followed by guided practice. This part gives students opportunities to practice a skill, or extend the knowledge that they have just been given.

When working directly with individuals, pairs or groups, what ideas and methods are being used?  Are you planning to use the computer, data projector etc. How will you explain the object of the lesson? How big are the groups – are they a manageable number? What sort of clear instructions does the teacher intend to give during this part of the lesson?

During the summary or the plenary a teacher will wrap up the lesson, maybe using a discussion where the students may ask questions. Make sure there is time for this session because it draws together what has been learned and highlights the key facts, ideas and vocabulary and what has to be remembered.

Finally the evaluation. Some lessons have an evaluative component where the teacher can check for the mastery of specific concepts or skills. This may take the form of a set of questions or a set of instruction to be followed.

The evaluation may be formative: that is, it may be used to guide subsequent learning. Or summative: that is to say, used to determine a grade or other achievement criteria.

The analysis. Teachers need this as part of the lesson plan, as it allows the teacher to think about the lesson and answer questions such as, how well it went and what needs improving. How did the students react to the lesson?

Teachers and especially new teachers, are advised to put a great deal of time and detail into their written plans; this ensures that the plan will be cohesive. Use check lists to ensure that all practicalities are taken care of:

resources, scheduling, classroom management etc. Ensure that seating arrangements are such that all pupils have a clear view of demonstrations and they have access to resources.  Resources and vocabulary needs should be prepared before a lesson.

What sort of motivation will a teacher use to start the lesson? Remember the children have no choice in attending the lesson, so the teacher must have ways in which they can start the introduction of the lesson. Make it interesting – make them sit up and gasp or look amazed. Catch their interest and attention and use that to build upon. Lead the lesson through careful planning.

Do the background work of finding out what knowledge the learners already possess, which might be relevant to the lesson and this can be activated at the start of the lesson? Lessons should start with an introduction which launches the lesson.

The introduction needs to have a clear objective. The teacher then speaks directly with the whole class and demonstrates, explains ideas and methods by using any of the following methods: oral presentation, use of a computer, data projector or large monitor. The teacher needs to explain the objectives of the day’s lesson during the presentation.
 
The introduction is followed by the main activity. Teachers need to make it clear to pupils what they are about to learn and make links to previous lessons, or work in other subjects; integrating what they are doing to other curriculum areas.

They need to point out the connections to the pupils. Clear instructions need to be issued when a task is given. If the pupils are required to work in groups, there needs to be a manageable number of groups, or pupils in a group, to enable the teacher access to each and every child. If the teacher works directly with individuals, pair the pupils, as they work on related activities.

Timing is the essence to success – too long on one activity will make the lesson drag. Aim for a mix of activities – changing and using different types of work. The noise level in a class is indicative of unrest. Listen, and be prepared to change course, or go into the other activity, if your students show signs of unrest. Learn to judge when children cannot proceed further.

Have activities planned to fill your lesson. Judgement of time  is often a major difficulty for new teachers – I have often witnessed the chaos of a lesson which finished 10 minutes early; that end 10 minutes can feel like an hour to a new teacher and ruin all the good that has gone before.

What about resources? In India, where electricity cannot be relied on in the summer months, ask yourself - do you have a back up activity in case the computer/video does not work? Does the topic have appropriate resources available? Have you booked the resources in time? Is the opening lesson boring? Have the pupils seen the material before?

Above all, do not have a ‘difference of opinion’ with another teacher, as the lesson is starting, about who booked the VCR and TV!  If there is a problem have an alternative to the introduction you planned.

Has the teacher planned the lesson for the different needs of the children? This includes the cultural differences, the learning styles and learning difficulties. So often, ESL (English as a Second Language) pupils are bored and unable to participate in all parts of the lesson, because of poor planning. This leads to management problems when they have slack time and no direction.

How is the lesson to be evaluated? One idea is to generate individual multiple-choice tests to assess learning success or find out how much your students already know. Some lessons need to be evaluated, whilst others need not have a formal assessment. There needs to be some evaluative component, where a teacher can check for mastery of instructed skills or concepts.
  
In the plenary, make sure there is sufficient time for the session, as it draws together the pupils and enables them to review what has been learned, highlighting the key facts, ideas and vocabulary.  Present a list, or handout, of the main facts that need to be remembered.

When the students leave your class they should leave with a sense of fulfillment and wonder.  Aim to inspire your students with your organisation, care and professionalism. Remember the success of your lesson is in your hands alone. Careful planning takes time and effort. Once a lesson is planned it remains as history – a success story which can be repeated, or shared with colleagues.  Isn’t it time to prepare to be prepared?