WRITING A LESSON PLAN
A lesson plan is a step-by-step guide that lists the group leader’s plan for what the group will learn that day. It involves setting goals, deciding what methods you will use to teach the concept, thinking of activities, and making a note of what materials you will need.
Objectives and goals Here you will write what you want your group to know or be able to accomplish after the lesson is completed.
Materials needed Think about what materials you will need. (You will always need your Reach4Life book and training manual.) If you have other materials or props (pictures, newspaper, etc.), collect them and have them ready to take with you on the day of the group meeting.
Introduction The purpose of the introduction is to:
Say or do something that gets the group interested in what you have to say.
Tell the group briefly what the lesson will be about.
Talk about how this ties in with what you’ve talked about before.
Find out what the group already knows about this subject (question and answer).
Tell the group what you would like them to know after hearing this lesson.
Instruction If your lesson plan were a hamburger, then the instruction section would be the meat. After stating your goals and giving the introduction, you’re ready to do the lesson. Examples of methods of instruction are listed in the previous section and include discussion, group activities, role-playing, etc.
When deciding on your methods of instruction, consider the following questions:
Group members have different ways of learning – by hearing, seeing, moving around, and feeling. How can I try to use as many of these ways as possible?
What materials (books, things to show, props, etc.) can I use for this lesson?
Are there any words (vocabulary) from the lesson that I need to explain?
How can I get the group members to participate in discussions or activities? Try to think of fresh, new ways to get them involved. Don’t just stand in front of the group and talk at them. Be excited, and the group will get excited, too!
Application In the application section of your lesson plan, write how the group will show that they understand the lesson material or concepts you gave them during instruction. At the end of the lesson:
Group members should be able to show you that they understood.
You should observe how well the main point was understood to help you when teaching other lessons later.
Correct any mistakes in their understanding that you pick up on.
Closing
Closing is the time when you pull together what they’ve learned, and help group members organise the information in a meaningful way in their minds:
A quick summary of the main points is often helpful.
You can also have a quick discussion about what exactly they learned and what it means to them now.
Look for anything they might be confused about and explain it again if necessary.
Repeat the most important point so that they’ll remember it for later lessons.
It is not enough to simply say, ‘Are there any questions?’ Ask questions and listen to see if they have understood the main point.
*Assessment * At the end of the lesson, take some time to think about how it went. Did the group members seem to understand the material? Were they able to give you some examples of what you were trying to teach them? How can you do it better next time?