Lesson Planning - Unit 6

This week as I studied the topic of lesson planning I truly was amazed at the work that it takes to create an effective plan. Reading about and seeing the frustration of teachers putting together a fluent and effective lesson plan really opened my eyes to the work it takes. Creating a lesson plan is far beyond reading from a textbook, or presenting a power point. Many more steps are involved than just showing up to class.


One important piece of lesson planning is having and working towards goals, both terminal (longer term) and enabling (shorter term) objectives. These objectives should be clearly described in order to give the best direction. At the same time, these objectives must also be able to adapt and change according to the classroom. It is good to have a teacher desire great accomplishment for their students but if the students are struggling, it is better to backtrack on the goals in order to bring about excellence.

Another significant piece of lesson planning is creating a lesson that is real and authentic to the students. Texts, recordings, activities, role-plays etc. should all have a sense of reality to them. Having students learn proper grammar with sentences that are unrealistic (ex. The pineapple flew to the moon), are not helpful. Motivation increases as the topics students are learning about, through their learning English, are dealing with the challenges and interests of their own lives. Learning how to understand a hydro bill is a reality for a father compared to him learning to understand children’s songs. Be aware of your students, their needs, interests, and challenges and teach them accordingly.

Creating a lesson plan that is not too easy for learners but not overwhelmingly difficult is another challenge posed to teachers. I recall sitting in my grade eight class, working hard on the assignment handed out by the teacher, when I felt someone poking at my back. I turned around only to be distracted for the next ten minutes. I was distracted by one of the smartest kids in my class, who was always done early because the class was too easy for them. This is the danger of too easy of a class. Your student might not begin to distract others, but they surely will be bored and the class will be a waste of time to them. At the same time, having an extremely complicated lesson that only one or two of your students is catching onto is too difficult. Other students will give up and tune out the lesson in frustration. It is important to have a lesson and ultimately a course that affirms students in their capabilities but challenges them to go further in their learning. This environment creates a safe and learning culture in the classroom. Students in classrooms with this kind of tension are catapulted further in their studies.

These are three huge reasons why lesson planning can be so complicated. There are many more pieces of lesson planning to consider beyond this. Lesson planning may be difficult but with time and experience, both teacher and student will benefit.

For more resources look up these:

64 Free ESL Lesson Plans and Templates You Can Use Today. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://eslauthority.com/resources/free-esl-lesson-plans/

Case, A. (2016, June 24). Retrieved from http://www.esl-lounge.com/blog/106/time-management-for-teachers

Lesson Planning. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.teach-this.com/ideas/lesson-planning