As teachers, we all understand the stresses, complications, and confusion from lesson planning. When I started my Alternative Certification Program or ACP, we went over lesson plans, and they didn’t seem that bad! They didn’t seem that tricky! Fast forward to my first year teaching, and it was like a massive wave came over me; there were so many resources, books, and content that we had at our disposal, but it was almost as if too much was not the best thing. I just wanted to make lesson plans that worked. I just wanted to take the information and provide it to my students in the best way possible. This epiphany led me to believe that there were some differences between my expectation and the reality of lesson planning.
Expectation #1: Lesson planning is easy.
Reality: Lesson planning can be easy if you plan your planning.
One of the things I ran into in my first year while I was lesson planning was that there were so many things at my disposal; although they were all great resources, sometimes too much of a good thing isn’t necessarily the best thing. Only use two or three good resources to plan a lesson plan. Be patient. As you get better at lesson planning and grow in experience, you can slowly incorporate other resources.
Expectation #2: I won’t need a lesson plan.
Reality: Not only do you need a lesson plan, but it’s also required! Although I haven’t been teaching that long, I always try to plan my lessons. The lesson plan is your Bible. It prepares you for any limitations or questions your students may have and how to apply the content you’re currently teaching to real life.
Expectation #3: This will take forever. I can’t do this right now. I have a family.
Reality: You’re right. I am just kidding. There are many resources and tools teachers can use to help create quality lesson plans, from voice dictation programs to online editors such as Grammarly. Research and experiment with tools to not only make lesson planning easy but fun!
One tool that I recommend is the LYS Classroom App. The LYS Classroom app provides supplemental lesson plans and resources that embed character, skills, and career education to help kids identify who they are, their gifts and talents, to help them with what they need to fulfill their life’s purpose.
– It is TEKS aligned
– Embeds into your existing curriculum
– Saves time with Character education
Learn more about the app here!
