Lesson Plans for Elementary School

The purpose of a lesson plan is to help the classroom teacher organize and structure the lesson objectives and methodologies that they need each day in class. A well designed lesson plan will serve as a roadmap for a class day and will help the class to seamlessly flow from one lesson to the next in a logical way. While these may be a challenge for the new teacher, there are some very basic steps that once mastered will make lesson planning a simple and easy part of your day.

Block Out Time

While it may not take hours to plan a lesson, it is difficult to do when you don’t have time set aside. Trying to do a little here and adding a little there can make the job much more complicated. Set aside between 30 minutes to an hour just to work on your lesson plans and you’ll find that it will be easy to get done.

Use a Standard Format

Lesson plans come in different formats. Do a simple search and try out a few formats that work well for you, and then stick to that ones. As you do more and more lesson plans using that formats you’ll find that you’ll be able to complete them much faster each time. Many will have a basic outline already set up and all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Formatted lesson plans help you to become much more organized and efficient in your day. Once you’ve chosen the format, save a blank template on your computer where you can access it quickly and you’ll be able to add to it or make adjustments as needed.

Clearly Define Your Objective

You need to clearly define the objective of your lesson. Will it be cognitive, affective, psychomotor, or a combination of these. Understanding your objective first will help you to decide which steps you need to take in order to effectively teach the lesson to your students.

Set Aside an Allotted Time for Each Subject

Elementary school teachers are tasked with the job of teaching a number of different subjects and so it can be easy to spend too much time on one subject and not enough time on another. Your lesson plan should include a specific amount of time for each subject; you should make sure that you don’t put in so much information that you will go over time on the chosen subject. You can do this by approximating the amount of time it will take for each part of the lesson. In the beginning this may be hard but as you get used to creating lesson plans, you’ll know exactly how much time it takes to complete your lessons.

Materials

Once you’ve decided on a lesson plan, you need to gather the materials you need in order to complete it. If you need worksheets, handouts, or other materials, attach them to the lesson plan so that you are ready to start without spending time in search of the needed materials.

Keep it Simple

Remember that the lesson plan is merely a guide that can help you to stay on track when you’re teaching. It should keep you within specific schedule and help you make easy transitions from one subject to another. It is not necessary for you to detail every minute of the lesson on paper. Try to keep your lesson plan simple and easy to read, one page should be sufficient. This way, you can glance at it and glean whatever information you need to keep the class moving. Too much detail can slow down the effectiveness of your plan.

Learning how to do effective lesson plans is the earmark of a good teacher. Especially at the elementary school level where a teacher has to cover a number of different subjects, it is easy to get off track. Without the right guidance and direction your class could lose focus. Once you’ve learned and understood the basics of lesson planning you’ll find it is not as difficult as it may at first appear. You’ll be able to create lessons in a fraction of the time and you’ll be less stressed as a result.