What is Lesson Planning?

What is a lesson plan?

So, what is a lesson plan? Put simply, a lesson plan can be any detailed plan that a teacher has created for one lesson or a series of lessons. The types of lesson plans used depend largely on the location and age group of the class, so 'What is a lesson plan?' doesn't really have a simple, catch-all answer!

How to make a lesson plan/ how to write a lesson plan

On this page, we will teach you how to make a lesson plan/ how to write a lesson plan, as well as other tricks that can help you as a teacher. We will also introduce you to some Twinkl-made tools to help you on how to make a lesson plan/ how to write a lesson plan.

Planning a lesson?

Planning for a lesson is a teacher's detailed description of a lesson, which is prepared before they start teaching. It covers the learning trajectory and course of action for each lesson taught and acts as a comprehensive daily guide for what students are going to learn. It also gives insight into how it will be taught.

It's useful to think about how a student's learning can be measured, as this really shows how useful the lesson was and what needs to be improved and worked upon in future lessons. The plan itself will vary based on each teacher's individual preference, what subject is being covered in the lesson as well as the needs of each student in the class.

Whether you're new to teaching, in need of a refresher, or interested in exploring more planning ideas, take a look at this helpful blog all about How to Plan a Lesson: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide.

Resources to support planning

If you're looking for tools to help you plan, head over to our PlanIt pages to find complete units of work containing differentiated lesson plans linked to curriculum aims. Not only that, each downloadable lesson pack also contains the lesson materials you need to teach, such as PowerPoints, activity sheets, success criteria and more. You can find out more about the benefits of using PlanIt with our free product guide:

Why is planning important?

Planning a lesson is a really effective tools to use in the classroom, it makes the best use of class time and ensures as much lesson time as possible is used to teach new concepts, build on students' prior knowledge and to promote meaningful discussions. It gives teachers a detailed outline to follow, so it helps them be even better teachers. It plays a role in the learning experience of students and how engaged they will be in their subjects.

Even if it can feel a little overwhelming to pin down specific objectives and outcomes for every lesson you teach, approaching students with a clear path in mind is so important to get your entire class on the right track. That isn't to say it's always a bad thing if lessons follow their own path; sometimes, lessons need to be adapted at the moment to address individual student concerns or ideas. Yet most of the time, you at least need some context of what your lesson is trying to achieve to ensure it is successful. The idea of what the lesson will be about should be shared with students so they are aware of what they should be learning.

You might have seen the Planning Tool on the Twinkl website. To find out more about it can make planning easier for you, watch this handy video guide:

What are the three types of lesson plans?

There are 3 types of lesson plan you can use, and the one you choose depends on how prepared you like to be and what specific criteria you are looking for your lesson to follow.

Detailed lesson plan

A detailed plan covers everything and gets teachers fully prepared for the lesson ahead. It covers what to teach and all the activities students will complete in that lesson.

Semi-detailed lesson plan

Semi-detailed plans are less intricate than detailed, but they still focus on what you want to cover for that subject on that day. They act as a general game plan for what will go on in the lesson.

Understanding by design (UbD)

Understanding by design is more of a framework. This "backward design" looks at outcomes first to design curriculum units and is focused on improving student achievement using it.

Comparing the three types of lesson plan

The main difference between the three types of lesson plans is that UbD includes understanding and essential questions for students, whereas the other two don't include this. UbD includes procedures and evaluation as well as particular activities but only in the learning plan. Detailed plans focus on conversations and questions and answers between students and the teacher, but semi-detailed plans leave out the student activity. Detailed and semi-detailed plans have separate sections for subject matter and assignment, whereas UbD includes materials and other references in the resources section. For UbD, assignment is usually found in the assessment evidence.

What are the five parts of a lesson?

Out of the three types of lesson plans, detailed and semi-detailed plans are the ones that can be broken down into five parts. The five parts of a lesson plan differ across websites and even across primary schools, as there are many variants, but the most common ways of dividing lessons are listed below:

1. Objectives

This is possibly the most important out of the five parts of a lesson plan; theyare the reason the lesson exists and should drive the activities. It is realistically the first thing a teacher should do, giving the whole lesson a statement of purpose. Objectives should answer what students will be capable of doing by the end of the lesson; this is what teachers should start with. They may include things such as explain, create, define or use as just a few examples.

Often objectives use SMART criteria, they should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based.

The aims you look at should be specific enough to be achieved in that particular lesson, even if the lesson works towards a greater overarching aim.

"To develop an appreciation of creative writing."

"To develop an appreciation of creative writing in the short story 'The Looking Glass' by Anton Chekhov."

In the examples above, the second aim is much more appropriate in one single lesson as it is something that can be achieved in one lesson.

2. Subject matter

The subject matter includes the specific topic and how that relates back to the National Curriculum. It should include the sources of information or references - whether that is websites, textbooks or some other material.

It likely also lists any objects or tools teachers may use to enhance their lessons.

3. Procedure

The procedure makes up the body of the plan; it is an explanation of how the lesson will progress step-by-step.

Detailed plans include the expected routines, the activities that will go on and the questions and answers. For semi-detailed, this is more about the procedures or steps and the methods that teachers will use to get there.

4. Evaluation

Evaluation is where teachers weigh up how well children understand what they've learned in that lesson; this may be as simple as some multiple-choice questions or a formative test. Teachers will then want to look at the proportion of the class who got the answers right.

5. Assignment

The assignment component of a plan is made up of questions, exercises and a set of practices specified by the teacher, including focused specific questions.

We've created this handy Editable Lesson Plan Template. And it's free!

What are the parts of Understanding by Design?

Stage 1: Desired Results

1. Establish goals

2. Understandings

3. Essential questions

4. "Students will know"

5. "Students will be able to"

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

1. Performance tasks

2. Other evidence

Stage 3: Learning Plan

The learning plan composes both the learning activities and WHERETO elements, which include:

• Where are we going? What's expected of this lesson?
• How will we hook students in?
• Equip students for expected performances.
• Rethink/revise - what are likely or predictable misunderstandings going to be in this unit?
• Evaluation - how will children self-evaluate and reflect on their learning?
• Tailor learning to varied needs, interests and learning styles
• Organize sequence learning

Planning for learning

Planning can be tricky, even for the most experienced teachers. After all, even if you've got it nailed down to an exact science, finding the time to plan lessons can be tricky. So, if you're wondering how to write a plan for your class or child, then here are a few pointers to help you out:

• The first step to planning a lesson is to identify what you'd like to cover in your lesson. For teachers in state-mandated schools, this might mean browsing the National Curriculum aims or a related scheme of work like the White Rose Maths scheme.
• After this, you'll have to determine the individual needs of your students. For teachers of mixed-ability classes, this might mean using differentiated activities or worksheets.
• Consider how you're going to engage your students. Using rich media, like videos, is a great way to do this.
• When you've presented all the information to your class, you should give them plenty of time to practise. If you like, you can browse Twinkl PlanIt for a collection of worksheets and activities.
• Always spend a few minutes at the end of each lesson to recap what you've learned.

As well as the above, it's also important to spend some time evaluating the effectiveness of your teaching. That way, you can spot if you're doing anything wrong and take corrective action. The unit and lesson packs you'll find at Twinkl PlanIt contain a range of assessment materials which are perfect for helping you to do so.

Where can I find more planning resources?

Coming up with plans for each subject that cover specific topics can be really challenging. We have resources that can help with the different types of lessons, as well as more brief ideas to get your lessons off to a good start.

Our lesson plans for KS1 are great for specific topics such as teaching 'The Rainbow Fish' to children. They have some excellent ideas for different topics you can take further into the three types of lesson plans.

If you want to follow the five part structure, these blank templates might be more suited to achieve your outcomes.

You might also find our PlanIt tool really useful to structure your lessons. This helpful video explains more: