Lesson Planning

Learn all about lesson planning using 3 types of lesson plan and the 5 parts of a lesson
plan.

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'Lesson Planning'

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 in 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 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 3 types of lesson plan?

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 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 3 types of lesson plan

The main difference between the 3 types of lesson plans is that UbD includes
understandings 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 5 parts of a lesson?

Out of the 3 types of lesson plan, detailed and semi-detailed plans are the ones that can
be broken down into 5 parts. The 5 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 5 parts of a lesson plan, they are 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.

For detailed plans, this includes 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 been 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 class who got the answers right.

5. Assignment

The assignment component of a plan is made up of questions, exercises and set of

practice 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 resources for planning?

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 3 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:

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