1. Using the
Lipscomb
LESSON PLANNING template to
design
excellent
lesson plans

2. STEP 1: “THE EASY STUFF”
o Delete “Lesson Plan Format”
o The Lesson Title is your choice
o Grade/Subject: Again, the choice is
o Leave the date section blank (unless yours. For this course, choose one
you want to use your imagination) and stick with it for all lesson plans
o Estimated time of Lesson: For K-6 o Organization of Student Learning: In
and 7-8, most lessons will run 60 what way(s) will you organize the
minutes; Metro high schools run 90 students to learn? There are normally
minutes, so plan accordingly multiple ways within one lesson

3. STEP 2: OBJECTIVES, STANDARDS, AND
ASSESSMENTS
o Delete the gray box
and the “ask
yourself” questions
when you are
finished
o First, insert your curriculum standards; 2-3 standards is probably enough for one lesson
plan; go to http://www.tn.gov/education/curriculum.shtml to find the standards for you
area.
o Next, write out your objectives; the objective should align with the standard. It is
perfectly acceptable to have multiple objectives that connect to the same standard. If
you struggle with objectives, look at the “ask yourself” questions
o Finally, insert the assessment. The assessment is how you plan on knowing that the
student accomplished the objective. Examples: verbal discussion, quiz, worksheet,
walking around and observing, correct answers in a game, etc. The assessments
mentioned here should be clearly seen within your lesson plan.

4. STEP 3: “I CAN” STATEMENTS AND
LEADING QUESTIONS
“I can” statements are the objectives for the day, written in kid-friendly language
Important Tips for Leading Questions:
o These questions should be posed to the students!
o Yes/No questions do not fit here
o The Key Questions are used to help students reach the objectives, so the
Questions and Learning Objectives should be complementary

5. STEP 4: MATERIALS AND RESOURCES
o This section is not difficult to create; however, assessing your materials is a
great way to evaluate how engaging your lessons may be. For example, if
you notice that the only materials you used in the last five lessons were a
textbook, paper/pencil, and a whiteboard, you probably need to reevaluate
your use of materials.

6. TECHNOLOGY USE

7. STEP 5: THE SET
o In most cases, the set is 5-10 minutes in length
o The set is where teachers “hook” their students – evoke student interest
o It is important to review prior learning and then connect it to today’s lesson
o Be clear – explain the purpose of the lesson. This is also a great time to bring the
students’ attention to the white board, where your objectives are written and
visible to all

8. STEP 6: INSTRUCTION
“I do”
“We do”
“You do”
o Instruction is the lengthiest section of a lesson plan
o Try to write in 3rd person, future tense: “The teacher will…”
o It is okay to use bullet points in this section if you prefer
o Be detailed and clear; if a substitute came to your class to teach, and all she had
was this lesson plan, could she teach your class well?

9. STEP 7: CLOSURE
o Closure is separate from instruction (putting the two together is a common
mistake)
o A teacher can easily run out of time and forget/ignore closure. The scenario is
common – a classroom full of 9th graders are working on a project; the teacher is
answering questions and monitoring the class; when the bell rings, the students
scatter quickly and the teacher is yelling over all the noise: “Don’t forget to do your
homework!” This isn’t the most effective way to wrap-up a class lesson.
o An example of effective closure is a type of exit slip: students must answer a
question about the day’s lesson before leaving on a piece of paper.

10. CROSS-CURRICULUM AND
DIFFERENTIATION

11. STEP 8: ASSIGNMENT/HOMEWORK
o This section is fairly optional: if you don’t
assign homework or seatwork, you can simply
leave off this section or write None.

12. FINAL THOUGHTS
 Correct grammar and spelling should always be used. A well -
written lesson plan is a reflection of your hard work.
 Begin with the end in mind: What do you want your students
to understand from the lesson? Once you know the answer,
then start planning the activities and assignments you will
use.
 Collaborate and share ideas! Search the internet for lesson
plan topics, talk to other students and teachers, ask your
children for ideas, etc. It should go without saying that you
should not copy and paste someone else’s work, but there is
nothing wrong with finding ideas and tweaking them to fit
with your lesson.
 Use your imagination and be creative. In my opinion, planning
is an area where the art of teaching can truly be found.