Lesson plans are the best way to deliver an effective and engaging lesson. Lesson plans also help keep you on track to ensure that your learners hit their goals and targets, in line with your course curriculum.
But sometimes in the high-pressure world of education, it can be difficult to find the time to create inspiring lesson plans on your own. This is the time to enlist the help of a lesson plan maker and lesson plan templates.
I’ve gathered together 28 of the best lesson plan examples for all grade levels that you can use to ensure your lessons are insightful and inspiring.
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A lesson plan is a document that outlines the content of your lesson step-by-step. It’s a list of tasks that your students will undertake, to help guide your teaching.
Lesson plans are usually printed or saved as PDFs for teachers to use. You can make your own with a lesson plan template.
Lesson plans primarily include a schedule of activities that you will deliver in the lesson. Some lesson plans also include additional sections for more thorough planning.
A general format of a lesson plan can be like this:
When writing a lesson plan, start by outlining the learning objectives—what you want your students to take from the session and work backward. Having clear and specific goals helps you plan activities for a successful lesson.
Start with an engaging “hook” to capture your students’ attention and make them eager to learn more. This could be a thought-provoking question, an interesting fact, or a surprising tidbit.
Apply a top-down method: plan on a course level the lessons you’re going to include and then go deeper and think about the activities you would like to include in each lesson.
Now that your students are hooked, it’s time to get down to business. Work on exercises or projects you would like your students to take on. These should serve two important purposes: allowing your students to apply the knowledge they learn in class and allowing you, the teacher, to assess students’ understanding of the materials.
This might include direct instruction (i.e., when you teach the material), guided practice (working together as a class), independent practice (students work on their own) and group activities. Think about the best way to engage students and make sure you include a variety of these activities besides just tests or exams, like quizzes, group discussions, group projects and so on.
Example: If your objective is teaching persuasive writing, your steps might look like this:
Remember the old adage: “Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.”
It’s not uncommon for students to zone out (we’ve all been there), so it’s crucial to regularly check if they’re on track. This means asking questions throughout the lesson and encouraging your students to reflect on the material.
Once you’ve got all these noted down, you can start arranging all the lessons and activities in a meaningful and logical order as well. This applies to the activities within a single lesson too. Answer these questions:
As you plan your lesson, keep in mind that not all students learn at the same pace and in the same way. Tailor your activities and materials to accommodate different learning styles, skill levels and interests. This could mean offering choice in assignments, providing extra support for struggling learners, or challenging high-achievers with extended tasks.
Creating an English lesson plan is the best way to keep track of all the learning strands and activities that are needed for learning success.
Imagination, drama, romance and tragedy. English lessons have it all. But they can also be complicated to teach, with many moving parts to any one lesson.
Like you’ll see in the English lesson plan examples below, creating engaging activities to a strict time schedule is perfectly possible with enough planning.
Any teacher will know the feeling of reaching the end of your material with 10 minutes left in the lesson.
Avoid running short (or running over!) in your lessons by planning down to the minute. The English lesson plan example below measures out timings for each activity so you finish perfectly on time.
You can use a timer on your interactive whiteboard, or get students to time themselves. Scheduling is a great skill to incorporate into any lesson plan.
Creating a history lesson plan is essential for a successful session no matter if you’re teaching the near past or the ancient history.
Using common teaching resources such as timeline infographics, or imaginative play and learning are exciting ways to make your History lesson plans exciting.
Teaching history effectively and engagingly relies on the teacher’s ability to bring the past back to life. For some students, mentally visualizing history can be difficult. A timeline infographic is a great way to teach historical events.
When planning your history lesson, make sure you have all of your timelines sorted. You can either prepare your history timelines in advance or get the students to create their own history timeline as part of the lesson activity.
Venngage has a whole range of timeline infographic templates that are easy to customize.
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Want to learn more about how to create a timeline infographic? Check out the video below:
When planning your history lessons, look for topical themes or historical events that you can anchor your lesson plan around.
In the lesson plan example below, the teacher is using Black History Month as an anchor point for their students’ learning.
Teaching the historical significance of Black History Month and engaging students in related learning activities throughout February is a great way to contextualize current affairs. There are plenty of resources online to help create your Black History Month lesson plans.
Related Reading: Looking for other global holidays and events to theme your lessons on? Check this Ultimate List of Holidays.
When creating middle school lesson plans, like in the templates and examples below, it’s important to focus on success and simplicity.
Middle school is a time for make or break for many learners. Skills that they learn in middle school carry them through life and it can be a huge weight to carry. But teaching middle school can also be incredibly rewarding. Here are some tips to help you create an effective middle school lesson plan:
In teaching, quite often the end goal is not for the students to just arrive at the correct answer, but to understand the process of getting there. Having this mentality in your mind whilst lesson planning is an excellent way to ensure your students are learning effectively and that you are maximizing your teaching impact.
Add a section to your lesson plans as to what success looks like for you and your students like in the Middle School lesson plan template:
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Colors can be a great differentiator in content and color-coding your lesson plans is a great way to make information pop. In this lesson plan example, each day has a different color which makes planning and evaluating much easier.
Creating a kindergarten lesson plan involves similar principles to those used for preschoolers but with a bit more structure and focus on foundational academic skills.
We all know that meme “teaching kindergarten is like using a blender without a lid”. Staying organized is super important and having thorough easy-to-follow kindergarten lesson plans is one way to make sure your teaching stays on track.
Help your kindergarteners embrace learning by using themes to plan their education. Themes are a great way to work through lots of different learning activities under one thematic umbrella.
This kindergarten lesson plan example uses St Patrick’s Day as its thematic anchor and bases Math, Art, Science and more off of one common theme.
We’ve all been in a spot when our mind goes blank and we need to quickly refer back to our lesson plan. Especially if you’re interviewing or teaching in front of others.
By making your lesson plans easy to skim, you can quickly regain your train of thought and continue conducting a successful lesson.
In the sample lesson plan below the teacher has used simple blocks, checklists and icons to help ensure their lesson plan is easy to understand at a glance.
Creating a high school lesson plan involves a more structured approach, as students at this level are typically engaged in more advanced academic subjects.
Ensuring that your High School lesson plans account for success and reinforcing skills is one way to deliver the best education for your learners.
In high school, lesson plans tend to be more advanced. In the high school lesson plan example below, the teacher has included a section for indicators of skill.
Indicators of skill are a great way to measure your students’ understanding of a topic and can be used to help inform your planning and teaching. Add two or three skill indicators into your lesson plans to ensure you know how to identify which students may need additional support from you in teaching.
You can also scroll back to the Math lesson plans section for more ideas on high school lesson plan templates.
Remember how I mentioned you should include timelines in your lesson plan? Well, for a high school lesson plan, you can include a timeline template like this one to make sure your students understand all the dates required for their school project:
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Creating a preschool lesson plan involves careful consideration of the developmental needs and interests of young children. Shaping young minds is a rewarding experience, but it can sometimes feel like juggling too many balls at once.
With so many different essential key skills to teach, using a thorough Preschool lesson plan is important for making sure that your learners progress stays on track.
Preschool curriculums can be complex, covering multiple areas of crucial childhood development.
Help visualize each of these areas in their own right by creating a preschool lesson plan that takes a broad overview.
By breaking your lesson plan into learning sections, like this Preschool lesson plan example, you can get a glance at all elements of your students learning at once.
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A weekly lesson plan works great for preschool education planning, as it helps you identify and build lessons around common themes or goals. In the lesson plan template below, weeks have been broken down into different areas of focus.
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Using icons is a great way to communicate visually. Icons are easy to understand, especially when you’re skimming a document.
Take this lesson plan template for example, not only do the icons help communicate the lesson themes, they also make the lesson plan example super engaging and fun.
Using icons can also be a great way to help students who struggle with non-visual learning. For more ways to improve your lesson accessibility, check out this guide to creating a Color Blind Friendly Palette.
Creating a math lesson plan involves careful planning and consideration of various elements to ensure effective teaching and learning. Check out these lesson plan ideas for math tutors for writing the best math lesson plan, as well as some templates you can edit.
Just because your lesson plan tackles a complex subject doesn’t mean it has to be boring. In this lesson plan example a mint green color has been used to help break up the design. You could color code different subjects or units if you have multiple classes to teach.
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Being properly prepared for any eventuality in your lesson starts with good planning. By using sections, like in the lesson plan example below, you can cover all of your bases.
When lesson planning, consider the following:
In this math lesson plan activity, the teacher has thought through all of the needs of their class.
When lesson planning, the world, or at least the internet, is your Oyster. Instead of just teaching vocabulary, use scavenger hunts, word searches, or story activities.
Try picking a new activity and building your lesson around that. In the lesson activity example below, Merriam-Webster has a dictionary scavenger hunt that will keep students engaged and entertained throughout your English lesson.
Your learning objectives should guide your lesson planning, not the other way around.
In this sample lesson plan that focuses on analyzing a film for an English class, the learning objectives are housed within the same section as the lesson plan overview, right on the first page:
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When creating Elementary school lesson plans, you need to make sure that you’re keeping a good overview of many different subjects at once.
Having a clear, easy to understand Elementary lesson plan, like in the examples below, is really important for making sure that all your learning objectives are being met.
Elementary students will often be studying various topics and subjects at once and keeping an overview of this can be difficult. By creating a weekly lesson plan you can make sure that your students stay on track.
In this lesson plan template, subjects and activity have been split across the days, with simple summaries of each section within the lesson plan.
Planning a lesson is important, but reflecting on a lesson is essential. Adding notes sections to your lesson plans, like in this weekly lesson plan example, is a great way to remind yourself to evaluate as you go.
Evaluating yourself and your lessons can be a daunting task. Applying various evaluation strategies, such as a SWOT Analysis, is an easy way to give your evaluations focus.
When creating art lesson plans, use bright colors, patterns, icons and graphics to create a truly engaging visual art lesson plan, like in the examples below.
Art lessons lend themselves to creative and visual learning, so your Art lesson plans should be creative and visual as well.
Art lesson plans can be one of the most fun to create. Art as a visual medium lends itself to an exciting and decorative lesson plan.
In the art lesson plan example below, the teacher has inserted visual examples to use during the lesson directly into their lesson plan. Collecting all of this information in one place means that you can quickly refer back to your lesson plan mid teaching.
If you’re creating an art course, you’re probably a creative person. Why not let that creativity shine in your lesson plan templates?
Fun illustrations and patterns have been used in the lesson plan sample below to create a visually appealing lesson plan design.
When picking colors for your lesson plan design, some schools will need to be aware of color connotations. Certain colors should be avoided due to gang or rivalry associations. Some schools will also want to ensure that all materials produced fit within your school colors.
As well as colors, patterns can be used, like in this art lesson plan example, to create interest in your lesson plan design.
Picking a patterned but simple background is an easy way to add depth to any lesson plan design.
Planning a science lesson can mean anything from experiments to monitoring or diagramming and labelling.
Following a template, like in the science lesson plan examples below, can help make sure that your science lessons run smoothly.
Whilst a lesson plan is a place to schedule your activities, it can also be a great document to refer back to when planning future sessions. Adding a reflection section in your science lesson plan can be a great way to add notes about what worked and what didn’t within your lesson, for future reference.
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If you’re conducting a difficult lesson, such as a hands-on science project, it can be handy to help yourself and your students by outlining expectations. A checklist can be a great way to make your science lesson plan as effective as possible.
In this lesson plan example, the deliverables have been broken into easy-to-follow checklists.
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Your lesson plans should inspire you, not bore you! Using illustrations is a great way to bring your lesson plans to life.
In this sample lesson plan, the teacher has used colorful and playful illustrations to reflect the content of the lessons.
Creating simple lesson plans involves breaking down the content into manageable components and incorporating straightforward activities.
Sometimes simple is best—especially when it comes to lesson planning. When you’re panicked mid-teaching, having a simple and straightforward lesson plan that you can take a quick glance at it can be invaluable.
When performing under pressure, staying simple is usually the best option. Using a clean and modern lesson plan design is one way to ensure that you can stay focused on what matters: teaching.
Simple doesn’t have to mean boring, though. Using good design principles and following one or two graphic design trends means that your simple lesson plan template can still look smart.
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Icons are an easy way to differentiate your lesson plans by subject or topic. In the lesson plan example below, a large book icon has been used at the top of the page so that you can quickly see that this is an English lesson plan.
You could use an icon for each subject you teach, or use icons to tell a story. You could even replace the icon with a photo of your lesson materials!
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In the simple lesson plan example, the tasks in the lesson plan have been labeled as an “action plan”. By keeping the lesson plan design simple, the focus is really on the content of the lesson plan.
Creating an action plan when teaching your lessons is a great mindset for creating engaging lessons and proactive teaching.
When creating eLearning, distance learning, remote learning, digital learning lesson plans—basically, anything outside the usual classroom setup—always be ready for its own set of unique challenges.
Engaging learners from behind a screen, or creating lessons that can exist outside of a traditional classroom environment can be difficult. But proper eLearning lesson plans can help you navigate non-traditional learning environments.
With so many people shifting to remote or digital learning keeping track of all of your separate subjects can be difficult. Creating an eLearning lesson plan that is broken into smaller chunks, with space for each topic, is an easy way to keep learning on track.
In this eLearning lesson plan example subjects are color coded and broken into small blocks.
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For more examples of eLearning lesson plans, check out this post on course design templates.
Learning remotely can be a big change for both teachers and students. One way to keep your learning on track is with an easy-to-follow daily schedule. Using a daily schedule as a lesson plan, like in the example below, is one way to maintain a routine during difficult times.
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As well as scheduling within your lesson plan, you can also create a calendar to help keep your students on track.
One of the biggest benefits of eLearning, Remote Learning and Digital Learning is that you can stray from the confines of a traditional classroom.
Giving students the opportunity to explore topics creatively can be one way to engage your learners in difficult times. Every student will have a different learning style and by scheduling structured creative learning activities you can ensure that your entire class has the opportunity to thrive.
Though there are a several lesson plan types and no one format can be used for all lessons, the basic lesson format is always a good starting point.
This format covers the basics of teaching – say a little bit, do a little bit. The important part here is to provide input in a way that enables learners to see the structure and sequence.
You should format it this way:
Informing students on what they’ll be learning or doing keeps them more engaged and on track. So, it’s always a good idea to share your lesson plan by writing a brief agenda on the board or telling students explicitly what they will be learning and doing in class.
By doing this, you help students not only retain knowledge better but understand the rationale behind in-class activities.
Writing a lesson plan from scratch can be difficult, which is why Venngage has created tons of lesson plan templates you can edit easily. You can also draw inspiration from the different lesson plan examples in this post to customize your lesson plan template.
Simply create a Venngage account, pick the template you want and begin editing. It’s free to get started.
Alice is a Content Marketer at Venngage, the online report, presentation, and infographic maker. She writes about nonprofit marketing and good design.
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