Directions: Prepare plans for about one typical day, either a 50-minute class period with follow-up on the next day, or a 100-minute block. Annotate the plan with estimated times and with explanations of your approach when appropriate.

Include the following information:

1. Your name and the date
2. A title or brief description telling what the plan is about--an aspect of a work being read, a concept in language study, a technique in writing, etc.
3. The context: grade level, type of student, relevant school and community characteristics, time of year if relevant, and especially unit of instruction within which the plan occurs--an integrated unit on a theme, a unit on a historical period or genre, etc. (Suggestion: think back to an actual class in which you worked or observed. This will make your plan more realistic.)
4. Wisconsin model academic standards addressed--at least the two or three most relevant ones
5. The objective: how will students be better off after you have executed this plan? What will they know that they hadn't known before? What will they be able to do that they couldn't do before? State the objective in terms of student growth, not just stating what you, the teacher, intend to do during the lesson.
6. Materials needed--List texts, handouts, transparencies, videos, or other materials that you would need to conduct the lesson.
7. Activities (with approximate time allowed for each). These should be described in detail and appropriate for the students and the objective. They should be in a logical sequence.

Details should include

--Steps in the activity--be exhaustive

--A list (or lists) of specific questions or other discussion prompts you will use

--Any guided imagery scripts, reading guides, or other original materials to be used

--Notations on how class work will be conducted (small groups, etc.)

--Other notations explaining your choices

7. Evaluation: a way to tell whether the objective(s) have been accomplished.
   
8. Follow-up: an additional, related activity to enhance students' learning that they can start immediately upon completing the activities listed above, and 
   
9. Backup plan: an alternative activity in case things do not go as you originally planned.
   
10. Attachments: an excerpt from the text to be read, copies of handouts or transparencies, chalkboard designs, etc.

Lesson plans will be evaluated on the match between the activities and the objectives and context, logic (including the explanations), amount of detail, originality, and presentation.

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John Zbikowski, Department of Curriculum and Instruction  Comments on this web page? E-mail zbikowsj@uwwvax.uww.edu  Last updated September 16, 2005   URL: facstaff.uww.edu/zbikowsj/lplan1.htm