Lesson plans help guide instruction and can be organized by day, week or even unit.
Although lesson plans can be adapted to fit the needs of a course, most should include:
- Date(s) and time(s)
- Learning objectives
What you would like students to know or be able to do after the lesson? - Anticipatory sets/hooks
Develop an introduction to the material that will capture the students’ attention. - Teacher modeling
How will you demonstrate a specific skill or strategy? - Guided practice
After introducing new content, provide students with an opportunity to work collaboratively to complete a task with faculty guidance. - Learning activities
What activities will engage the students? - Independent practice
Provide students with the opportunity to practice alone what has been presented in lecture. - Assessments
These can be formative or summative in nature and help monitor student learning. - Resources
What materials will be made available to supplement learning? - Reflection
Choose an activity that will encourage learners to think about what they have learned or experienced and help make meaning of it.
Wiggins and McTighe (2005) developed a comprehensive lesson-planning tool to guide faculty through lesson planning. The following guide and template have been adapted to apply to a higher education environment and include new important planning elements. The needs of your lesson plan will depend on the characteristics of your course.
Use the following steps and template as a starting point.