How to Make a Killer Lesson Plan

Even if you’ve been teaching the same subject for several years, it’s a good idea to add in a new lesson plan once in a while to keep your class current and exciting. It can be easy for teachers to fall into a rut and just pull out the same exams and projects as last year, but teachers need stimulation just as much as their students do, so creating new lesson plans can help you learn along with your kids. The Internet is full of terrific resources for making lesson plans, whether you want to incorporate technology into your project or not. Start out by browsing teacher websites and blogs that let you search by subject, and you can find inspiring ideas, printable worksheets and more.

Before you start designing a lesson plan, write down a list of objectives, or what you want your students to learn from the project at the end of the day. Even if you decide to get really creative and bring in a lot of outside resources and ideas, you will want your lesson to eventually tie in to the unit you’ve been working on. After you’ve cleared up your objectives, set up a time table for the plan. Will it last several days or just half the period? Allowing enough — but not too much — time will help you make the right impression on the students.

Depending on your students, you may find that it’s a good idea to incorporate different subjects or medium into the lesson plan. For instance, if you have older students, you could design your lesson around a current news story or use a celebrity or popular song as a way to make your lesson more tangible and more relevant to their lives. To make

Introducing new medium and technology into the lesson plan is also a good idea, no matter what age your students are. There are a number of creative resources out there for teachers with varying levels of technology experience. If you want to use a song, for example, don’t just print out the lyrics: bring in a CD player and actually play the song. A lot of teachers also use PowerPoint to make their lessons or display class notes in a more attractive manner that helps students perk up and pay attention. You may also want to start up a class blog or website to let your students connect with other classes in your area or around the world, as part of an ongoing project. Using technology in the classroom keeps students actively engaged and gives them the opportunity to practice the skills that will be indispensable to them in the workforce. Depending on your class age group, you may find that your students are more advanced when using technology than you, so be sure to pick computer games and technology systems that are challenging for them but also manageable for you.