In lesson planning,how do you organize and prepare your materials?

Answer 1

Boy, do I agree with Mr. Wooley. I would add some thoughts. Once you ask yourself what you want your students to know and how that fits into the state standards, set up some essential questions you want students to answer. If I am teaching Romeo and Juliet, I want my students answer in what social and cultural context Shakespeare wrote and how that affects the development of the play. I probably want them to answer whether or not they think R & J is tragedy or a pathos and what criteria they would use to substantiate their answers. In addition, I would want them to answer how the English language has changed since Shakespeare's time and ways they prove these changes. Once I have those questions (I usually have 15 or so essential questions per unit based on state standards and on my thoughts of what a well rounded education includes, some concrete and some abstract), then I can determine how to guide my students toward resources beyond the text book to build their knowledge base so they can answer those questions. After I have established necessary materials and created assignments, web pages, etc., I create assessments that meet state standards and my own standards. A combo of the two is essential, I think for any thoughtful teacher. The Internet is a wonderful thing for busy teachers. Lots of great educators have assembled materials and allow other teachers to access those for their own classrooms. Why reinvent the wheel if someone else has already done it. You do need time to take care of yourself a bit.

Enjoy your class this year.

Answer 2

I start by asking myself "What do I want to accomplish by the end of this lesson?". This helps focus attention on the exact topic / concept I want to cover.

Then I ask "What would be the best way to do this?" This helps me zero in on the best method and materials needed to present that topic / concept in a clear and concise manner.

And lastly, I say "Now let's review."

The KEY to lesson plans, which I personally don't like because a classroom is dynamic and can change at a moment's notice, is to think of it as though you're writing a story.

The main paragraph is the actual topic you want your students to learn. The body represents all of the ways you'll present that topic and it's various sub-topics if any. And the closing is how you'll refresh student minds to make sure they'll remember the main points from that lesson.

Answer 3

The first question you want to ask yourself is..."What do I want my students to learn?" The second question is..."What does the state, and school district want my students to learn?" Once you've answered those questions everything else is a matter of determining what accomplishes those goals best. Oh, one other thing, the best time to ask those questions is before you're standing in front of your class.