Unit 6 Lessons learned

Preparing lessons is challenging, but also exciting. The chance to help students to learn something new, to develop their skills or to impact their education is what makes teaching such a worthwhile career. It is important though not to be complacent. Teaching is not about creating a bank of lessons that you pull out every time you teach that topic.
 It is important for teachers to reflect on the lesson after it is taught. Making notes on the lesson for changes that you would make or for what worked especially well, will help in the planning for the next lesson. Each class is unique, one size does not fit all, so it is important that as you prepare the lesson that you know who your students are so that you can meet their needs.
Lesson planning is not only about knowing who your students are. You must also know your content and your learning targets. Check out the curriculum prior to beginning your preparation. You might think it is important for students to have a specific skill, and it is fine to introduce that to them, however, ensure that your assessment reflects what the outcomes are for the lesson and be sure to keep the curriculum or CLB in mind. Assessments need to be based on what is actually in the curriculum, not what you believe a student should know.  Remember to let your students know what the outcomes for the lesson are so that everyone has the goals in sight.
Enjoy the planning, knowing that this lesson might be the one that helps your students turn the corner on their learning journey.

Here are some questions that I would use as I begin my lesson planning:

1. What level are my students at?
2. What are my main objectives (terminal) and my supporting objectives for the lesson?
3. What activating strategy will I use to engage students in the task?
4. How can I build variety into my lesson? 
5. How much time do I need to allocate to each task?
6. What materials and resources will I require for the lesson?
7. Do I have a good balance of teacher and student talk in the lesson?
8. How can I differentiate for students who may not be able to complete the lesson as planned?
9. How will I measure the students' learning (formative and summative)?
10. What extra-class activity will I assign?


Just starting the lesson planning journey? Here's an article to help get you started.

How to write a lesson plan