Over my years in education, I have noticed lesson planning can vary from district to district. Some districts require extensive lesson planning and some require little to no documentation. Being the planner that I am, I like some kind of guide to stay on track. My goal of an administrator is not to make this difficult or time intensive. I rather a teacher spend her time preparing for instruction than writing long drawn-out, extensive lesson plans.
SUGGESTIONS FOR LESSON PLANNING
1. Keep it simple but detailed enough to see the overall goal. I don’t need to know every question you plan to ask, every resource you plan to use or a step-by-step process or explanation of every subject throughout the day.
2. Plan with the end in mind. That sounds like something you would hear if discussing the 7 Habits. I think it applies to our lessons too. What do you want the students to be able to do at the end of the lesson? When you have that decided, work backwards to plan an effective lesson to reach that goal.