Teacher PD
Lots of ways to prepare for top-notch learning.
ByJill Staake, B.S., Secondary ELA Education
Aug 3, 2023
Lesson planning: Most teachers either love it or hate it. Either way, it’s something every teacher has to spend at least some time doing, so it’s worth learning to do well. Whether you’re a brand-new teacher or an experienced educator looking for some new ideas, these lesson plan examples offer inspiration for every subject and every grade level.
- Lesson Plan Sections
- Preschool Lesson Plan Examples
- Elementary School Lesson Plan Examples
- Middle and High School Lesson Plan Examples
Lesson Plan Sections
Many lesson plans include some or all of the following sections.
- Objective: These should be specific and measurable. Often they align with Common Core or other learning standards.
- Materials: List any items you’ll need, including worksheets or handouts, school supplies, etc.
- Activities: This is usually the longest section, where you’ll lay out what the lesson and its activities look like. Some teachers write these in great detail. Others include just an overview to help them plan.
- Assessment: How will you assess your students’ learning? This could be a formal assessment or something simple like an exit ticket.
- Differentiation: Describe how you’ll vary the level of difficulty for students at all levels, including any enrichment for early finishers.
Preschool Lesson Plan Examples
Some people think preschool is just playtime, but pre-K teachers know better! Here are some of the ways preschool teachers plan for their lessons.
Weekly Lesson Plan
Weekly preschool lesson planning helps you plan each day and ensure you’re tackling all the most important skills.
Learn more: Pre-K Weekly Lesson Plan
ADVERTIsem*nT
Pre-K Theme Lesson Plan
If you like to plan by theme, try a template like this. It includes space for a variety of activities that fit your topic.
Learn more: Pre-K Theme Lesson Plan
Alphabet Letter Lesson Plan
If you’re focusing on a new letter of the alphabet each week, try lesson planning like this. You can see the week at a glance, including all the materials and books you’ll need.
Learn more: Alphabet Letter Lesson Plan
Centers Lesson Plan
Your centers need some planning too! Whether you change them out weekly, monthly, or as needed, use plans like these to stay prepared.
Learn more: Centers Lesson Plan
Weekly Unit Lesson Plan
Adding pops of color and a few images can make it easier to locate the lesson plan you’re looking for in a snap.
Learn more: Weekly Weather Unit Lesson Plan
Elementary School Lesson Plan Examples
Since elementary teachers tackle multiple subjects every day, their lesson plans might look like a general overview. Or they may prepare more detailed lesson plans for each topic to help them stay on track. The choice is up to you.
Weekly Overview Lesson Plan
Don’t be afraid to write out your lesson plans by hand! A side-by-side setup like this lets you see a whole week at once. We love the use of color to highlight special things like fire drills.
Learn more: Elementary Weekly Overview Lesson Plan
Unit Lesson Plan
Planning out a unit helps ensure you cover all the important topics and meet your learning objectives.
Learn more: Unit Lesson Plan
Yearlong Schedule
Planning a whole year may seem daunting, but it can show you where you’re going to need to stretch a unit and where you can circle back and review. Mrs. D from Mrs. D’s Corner has ideas on how to structure a yearlong lesson plan using Google Sheets.
Guided Math Lesson Plan
This example on adding three numbers together can be altered to fit any math lesson plan.
Learn more: Guided Math Lesson Plan
Art Lesson Plan
While these are elementary art lesson plan examples, you can easily use this style for teaching art at upper levels too.
Learn more: Art Lesson Plans
Special Education Lesson Plans
Lesson planning for special education looks different than general classroom lessons in that the lessons have to cover specific IEP goals and include lots and lots of progress monitoring. The Bender Bunch starts each lesson with independent work (read: IEP practice) and then heads into mini-lessons and group work.
Learn more: Special Education Lesson Plan
Interactive Read-Aloud Plan
Interactive read-alouds take some careful planning. The Colorful Apple explains how to choose a book, get to know it, and get ready to teach it. Once you’re in the book, sticky notes may be the best lesson-planning tool you have for marking questions and vocabulary words you want to point out to students.
Learn more: Interactive Read-Aloud Plan
Social Studies Lesson Plan
Including images of your anchor charts is a great idea! That way, you can pull one out and have it ready to go in advance.
Learn more: Social Studies Lesson Plan
5E Lesson Plan for Elementary School
The 5Es stand for Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaborate, and Evaluate. This type of lesson planning can be helpful for students as they work through each of the 5Es related to the topic you’re studying.
Learn more: 5E Lesson Plan for Elementary Math
Science Lesson Plans
If you like to plan your lessons in more detail, take a look at this elementary science lesson plan example.
Learn more: Science Lesson Plan Template
Reading Group Lesson Plan
Lots of elementary schools have differentiated reading groups. Use a template like this one to plan for each one, all on one page.
P.E. Lesson Plan
Gym teachers will love this lesson plan idea, which includes directions for playing the games.
Learn more: PE Lesson Plan
Music Class Lesson Plan
Plan out the skills and songs you’ll need for a meaningful music class with a lesson plan like this one.
Learn more: Music Class Lesson Plan
Middle and High School Lesson Plan Examples
At the middle and high school levels, teachers often need more detailed plans for each class, which they may teach multiple times a day. Here are some examples to try.
Google Sheets Lesson Plans
Google Sheets (or Excel) is terrific for lesson planning! Create a new tab for each week, unit, or class.
Learn more: Google Sheets Lesson Plan
Handwritten Lesson Plan
Some people really prefer to write things out by hand, highlighting important parts and making notes as they go. You can always convert this kind of plan to a digital format later if you need to.
Learn more: Handwritten Lesson Plan
Weekly History Plan
This example shows how you can plan out a week’s worth of lessons at once, and see the entire week all in one spot. This example is for history, but you could use this for math, ELA, or social studies too.
Learn more: Weekly History Plan
Outline and Pacing Guide Lesson Plan
A pacing guide or outline works for both you and your students. Share it at the beginning of a unit to let them know what’s ahead.
Learn more: Outline and Pacing Guide
5E Lessons in Middle and High School
5E lesson plans (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaborate, Evaluate) are great for middle and high school as well. This example is for science, but you can use the 5E structure across all lessons.
Learn more: Middle and High School 5E Lesson Plans
Sticky-Note Lesson Plan
At some point, you’ll know what students are doing each day, you’ll just need some reminders for questions to ask and key points to cover. The nice thing about using sticky notes for lesson planning is if you get ahead or behind schedule, you can move the entire sticky-note lesson to another day. (Find more ways to use sticky notes in the classroom here.)
Learn more: Sticky Note Lesson Plan
Backwards Planning Lesson Plan
If your school uses backwards planning, you’ll be thinking about the outcome first and working back from there (rather than forward from an activity or task). Backwards planning lesson plans are intensive, but they’re also something you can use over and over, modifying them slightly for each group of students you have.
Learn more: Backwards Planning Lesson Plan
Visual Arts Lesson Plan
Detailed lesson plans take longer to prepare, but they make it easier on the day (especially if you wind up needing a sub).
Learn more: Visual Arts Lesson Plan Template
ELL or World Language Lesson Plan
Whether you’re teaching English-language learners (ELL) or a world language to English speakers, this lesson plan style is perfect.
Learn more: ELL/World Language Lesson Plan
Music Lesson Plan
Use a lesson plan like this for choir, orchestra, band, or individual music lessons.
Learn more: HS Music Lesson Plan
Blended Learning Lesson Plan
If your instruction includes both computer-based and in-person elements, this lesson plan idea might be just what you need.
Learn more: Hot Lunch Tray
One-Sentence Lesson Plan
This kind of lesson planning isn’t for everyone, but the extreme simplicity works well for some. Describe what students will learn, how they will learn it, and how they’ll demonstrate their knowledge.
Learn more: One-Sentence Lesson Plan
Need more help with lesson planning? Come ask for ideas in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook!
Plus, check out Ways To Make Time for More Creativity in Your Lesson Plans.
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