How to Write a Lesson Plan: Step-by-Step Guide

A lesson plan is an essential teaching tool for an educator. Having a lesson plan is not only an important step for a teacher in delivering a lesson but also in ensuring that it improves a student’s learning experience.

However, there are a few key components involved in writing a lesson plan, and the process itself can, at times, seem tedious and long-winded.

But, when one knows how to write a lesson plan, then this would not be the case. So, in this comprehensive step-by-step guide, we are going to walk you through everything that you need to know about a lesson plan.

We’ll cover what it is and how to write one and also show you how an online tool can help you effectively create a lesson plan, for example, by using either a free online lesson plan maker or free editable online lesson plan templates.

Click to jump ahead:

What is a lesson plan?
Importance of lesson planning for educators
Before you start: essential pre-planning considerations
Step-by-step guide to writing an effective lesson plan
Using Templates and resources for lesson planning
Final thoughts: Use Venngage to create engaging lesson plans

What is a lesson plan?

A lesson plan is a structured outline of how a lesson is going to be delivered and acts as a blueprint and a guide for teachers. It usually contains teaching objectives, strategies, materials needed, resources, and any other relevant tools that may be needed for a lesson to be effectively delivered and received.

Having a lesson plan helps educators ensure that they are able to organize their lessons and maintain focus in class in order to create a productive learning environment.

A lesson plan can be customized to meet different lesson needs and comes in different designs. Here’s an example of a lesson plan:

Importance of lesson planning for educators

Imagine receiving multiple contradicting directions while you are trying to navigate. This is exactly how a student would feel in a class that is disorganized and has poor delivery.

A lesson plan helps a teacher minimize this by ensuring that a clear direction and lesson objective are set before each class. This, in turn, helps a teacher stay on track of their lesson, align with curriculum standards, and retain student engagement.

Having a lesson plan would also come in handy when a substitute teacher is needed and would ensure that a classroom objectively is followed even in the event of a teacher’s absence.

Before you start: essential pre-planning considerations

It is important to write an effective lesson plan. There are a few essential pre-planning components that you would need to consider:

1. Define learning objectives and standards

A good lesson plan has specific, measurable learning objectives and goals. This ensures both clarity and alignment with curriculum standards in a classroom.

Set goals that are achievable within the classroom. Consider using the SMART objectives tool when setting your objectives and standards— we’ll show you how to do this below.

2. Understand student needs and learning level

When creating the lesson plan, also make sure to consider student demographics, learning styles, and abilities.

Look into students who need more challenges or students with IEPS.

Make sure to tailor the objectives, resources, strategies, and materials of the lesson based on your students’ knowledge and skill levels.

Step-by-step guide to writing an effective lesson plan

Let’s look into each step that is needed to write an effective lesson plan:

Step 1: Set clear learning objectives

A lesson plan must, first and foremost, have clear learning objectives. To achieve this, use SMART objectives:

Specific: Define what you want your students to achieve in precise terms. Avoid ambiguity and focus on a single outcome.
Measurable: Ensure you can assess whether the objective is achieved using quantifiable metrics or clear evidence of understanding.
Achievable: Set realistic objectives given your students’ time, resources, and skill levels.
Relevant: Align the objectives with your curriculum goals and the student’s needs to ensure meaningful learning.
Time-sensitive: Specify a clear time frame in which the objective should be met, such as by the end of a lesson or unit.

Remember that a clear learning objective must have a measurable learning outcome, like this example: “By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify and discuss key themes in a short story, providing evidence from the text.”

Step 2: Design Instructional Materials

Include materials that are needed for a class. These materials should support the learning objectives and be suitable for different students’ learning styles, such as auditory learning styles, visual learning styles, and more.

Some examples of materials include worksheets, flashcards, visual aids, digital tools, and physical manipulatives. Be flexible in picking materials that are suitable for your students.

Here’s a worksheet you can customize:

Step 3: Structure lesson activities for engagement

Your next step is to weave in activities in order to support student engagement. Your structured lesson activities should have the following flow:

Opening activity/bell ringer: Start off the lesson with a short, engaging activity. This helps grab a student’s attention and activate prior knowledge. Some examples of opening activities are a journal prompt, quick games, or a question.

Main instruction and activities: Once the students are warmed up, introduce the lesson by stating the learning objectives clearly and make sure that the students understand the purpose of the lesson.

Deliver the content and instruction of the lesson clearly by using different teaching strategies and materials. Offer students different ways to grasp the lesson by using different approaches— group work, digital tools, and more.

Guided and independent practice: Provide students with time to practice new skills or apply knowledge, either individually or collaboratively. Independent practice allows a student to solidify their understanding as they work at their own pace, while guided practice ensures that a teacher can offer support and immediate feedback.

Wrap-up/reflection: Just as the lesson started, end the lesson with a quick activity to consolidate the student’s learning. For example, a quick review game, class discussion, or a review prompt.

An example of a classroom activity looks like the below:

Step 4: Plan formative and summative assessments

Assessments are key to gauging a student’s learning progress. An effective lesson plan must include formative and summative assessments. A formative assessment consists of low-stakes assessments, like quizzes, Think-Pair-Share, or fun games.

Also include summative assessments, like essays or projects, at the end of each lesson or topic. This helps to evaluate understanding at the end of the lesson or unit and ensures alignment with objectives.

Here’s an example of how an assessment would look like in the form of an assignment:

E-Learning Science Project Assignment Brief

Step 5: Adapt and modify for diverse learning needs

Different students have different learning methods. Ensure that your lesson reflects this by using different techniques for different abilities. Be flexible; for example, add more visuals for those who need a clearer picture, offer extended time, or create different activities to cater to diverse needs.

Sometimes, even if you are prepared with well-structured lesson plans, you may need to adapt on the fly. Monitor your students and be attentive— for example, slow things down or expand on a topic if needed.

Step 6: Review and reflect

The final key to creating an effective lesson plan is to have review and reflection. Take some time after each lesson to review what worked and what did not. Use these as pointers for your next lesson plan, and make tweaks wherever necessary.

Also, consider reaching out to fellow colleagues about your lesson plan. They may be able to offer valuable insights or even spot things that you may have missed.

Using Templates and resources for lesson planning

There are many ways for you to create a lesson plan, including using readily available tools online, such as Venggage.

Venggage offers both a free lesson plan maker and a variety of free structured lesson plan templates. Using templates not only saves you time but also helps you stay consistent. A good template will help you create a clear and structured lesson plan, giving you the room and time to focus on the actual teaching.

This will also ensure that should a substitute teacher be needed, the essence and objectives of the lesson will not be lost, as they would be able to easily pick up where you left off.

To start creating a lesson plan, go to Venngage and then register for a free account. Once you’ve done that, you can choose to start by using our array of lesson plan templates. Alternatively, you can also start by choosing one of these customizable templates that we have curated for you:

Final thoughts: Use Venngage to create engaging lesson plans

A productive lesson means that a student is able to understand and apply the content of their lesson. For this, an educator would need to set clear objectives, prepare the right materials, keep their students engaged with tailored activities, and regularly assess progress.

To achieve these goals, use a well-structured lesson plan, as they help you stay organized and consistent. Make sure to always save your lesson plans. Revisit them in order to refine and retune your lesson— this will help you improve your teaching quality and save time.

Use tools like Venngage’s free online lesson plan templates or free lesson plan makers to your advantage to help you save time and refocus your energy toward delivering a productive and engaging class.