Below are six steps that can help you to compose a lesson plan.
This approach is useful whether
you are planning for a lab meeting, planning a discussion section, preparing a review session, or
even preparing for an office hour. Therefore, you are encouraged to think about the role lesson
planning will play in your own role as a Teaching Assistant at Emory. Each of the six steps
below is accompanied by a set of questions meant to promote reflection and a systematic
approach to teaching.
1) Outline learning objectives
We recommend you always begin what you expect students to achieve after completing the
lesson. Beginning the lesson design process with a consideration of the desired end result is an
element of "backward design," which is an important best practice in teaching and learning. To
learn more about "backward design," you may wish to visit this page by the Vanderbilt Center
for Teaching and Learning (Links to an external site.). To help you to compose learning
objectives for your lesson, you may find it helpful to answer the following questions:
o What is the topic of the lesson?
o How does this lesson relate to the broader purpose of the course?
o What do I want students to learn?
o What skills do I want students possess after completing the lesson?
2) Develop the introduction
A creative creative introduction to the topic can stimulate student interest and get them thinking.
You can use a variety of approaches to engage students (e.g., personal anecdote, historical event,
thought-provoking dilemma, real-world example, short video clip, practical application, probing
question, etc.). Consider the following questions when planning your introduction:
o How will I check whether students possess any prior knowledge of the topic or
have any preconceived ideas?
o What are some well-known ideas, or even misconceptions, that students might
have that can help them connect with the topic?
o What background information or context is necessary for students to possess
before you engage in my lesson?
o How does this lesson connect with the last one?
3) Plan learning activities
The activity is what will really help students learn; it could be a lecture, a lab exercise, a set of
discussion questions, or other creative active learning strategy. We encourage you to prepare
several different ways of illustrating the material (e.g. real-life examples, analogies, visual or
sound aides) to engage more students and give students multiple ways to grasp your point. It is
important at this stage to take into consideration how much time you plan to spend on each
aspect of your activity. You may wish to build in time for extended explanation or discussion,
but also be prepared to move on to different applications when you are ready. Here are some
questions that can help you plan your activity:
o What will I do to explain this topic to students?
o Are there alternative ways I can illustrate my point?
o What strategies can I use to make this topic more engaging?
o What are some relevant examples, analogies, or hypothetical situations I can use
to help students understand the topic?
o What will students need in order to help them understand the topic better?
4) Plan to check for understanding
Now that you have explained the topic and illustrated it with different examples, you should plan
to check to make sure students are learning. Think about specific questions you can ask students
in order to check for understanding, consider writing them down on your lesson plan, and
practice asking these questions in different ways. Try to predict the answers your questions may
generate. The questions below can help you plan a strategy to check for understanding:
o What questions will I ask students to make sure students are learning?
o Can I ask these questions in different ways?
o Are the questions I am planning to ask aligned with the learning objectives I have
developed?
An important strategy that will also help you with time management is to anticipate students’
questions. When planning your lesson, decide what kinds of questions will be productive for
discussion and what questions might sidetrack the class. Think about and decide on the balance
between covering content (accomplishing your learning objectives) and ensuring that students
understand.
5) Develop a conclusion and a preview
You should plan to summarize the main points of your lesson at the end. You can do this in a
number of ways: you can state the main points yourself (“Today we talked about…”), you can
ask a student to help you summarize them, or you can even ask all students to write down on a
piece of paper what they think were the main points of the lesson. You can review the students’
answers to gauge their understanding of the topic and then explain anything unclear the
following class. Conclude the lesson not only by summarizing the main points, but also by
previewing the next lesson. How does the topic relate to the one that’s coming? This preview
will spur students’ interest and help them connect different ideas within your larger context.
6) Create a realistic timeline for your lesson
Any experienced TA knows how easy it is to run out of time during a lesson (including
microteaching lessons!) A list of ten learning objectives is perhaps not realistic for a 50-minute
session, so narrow down your list to the two or three key concepts, ideas, or skills you want
students to learn. Experienced TAs understand that they may need to adjust their lesson plan
during class depending on what the students need. By prioritizing your list of learning objectives,
you will be able to make decisions on-the-spot and adjust your lesson plan as needed. Having
additional examples or alternative activities will also allow you to be flexible. A realistic
timeline will reflect your flexibility and readiness to adapt to the specific classroom environment.
Here are some strategies for creating a realistic timeline:
o Estimate how much time each of the activities will take, then plan some extra
time for each
o When you prepare your lesson plan, next to each activity indicate how much time
you expect it will take
o Plan a few minutes at the end of class to answer any remaining questions and to
sum up key points
o Plan an extra activity or discussion question in case you have time left
o Be flexible – be ready to adjust your lesson plan to students’ needs and focus on
what seems will help them meet your learning objectives.
Presenting the Lesson Plan
Letting your students know what they will be learning and doing in class will help keep them
more engaged and on track. You are therefore encouraged to share a brief agenda with your
students on a Power Point slide at the beginning of your lesson or even write your agenda on the
board or provide a handout (if you are teaching in an in-person environment). Being transparent
with your students about lesson's organization can help students not only remember better, but
also follow your presentation and understand the rationale behind in-class activities and also help
you and students stay on track.
