Planning Lessons

• Planning is essential not just individual plans or short term plans but long term plans too. There are many reasons for this, including achieving aims, good timing, covering all skills, giving a variety of tasks and activities, reviewing and giving preparation for exams.

• Timing is an important aspect so you are not rushing either at the end of individual lessons to complete your daily lesson plan but also in the long term so that all topics have been covered adequately by the end of the term before the exam. Don’t forget to leave enough time for review.

• As you are planning, check that you are covering all the skills equally and not having too many lessons where perhaps writing or reading is the main skill.

• Try to make the topics as interesting as possible - include the students in some aspects of planning the lessons sometimes.

• As you plan you can also check that a variety of activities are presented. If you always give students the same type of task they will get bored and you are not giving them the opportunity to stretch themselves.

• Include a mixture of activities where students work alone, work in pairs and work in groups. Students need time to work alone sometimes to test themselves. Working in pairs helps students with self-correction and take some responsibility for their own learning. Group work gives students time to explore topics together and talk with confidence.

• Include games, songs and quizzes from time to time. Make them a reward or treat rather than in every lesson.

Posted in: Article