Writing lessons might be a fun activity for you (all the things you’ll do!) or it may be a necessary evil (so many boxes to fill). Either way, it’s an important part of teaching and can make or break your week, month, and year. Whether you’re a brand-new teacher or an experienced educator looking for some new ideas, these lesson plan examples offer inspiration for every subject and every grade level.
Lesson Plan Sections
Many lesson plans include some or all of the following sections.
- Objective: These should be specific and measurable. Often they align with Common Core or other learning standards.
- Materials: List any items you’ll need, including worksheets or handouts, school supplies, etc.
- Activities: This is usually the longest section, where you’ll lay out what the lesson and its activities look like. Some teachers write these in great detail. Others include just an overview to help them plan.
- Assessment: How will you assess your students’ learning? This could be a formal assessment or something simple like an exit ticket. (Get lots of formative assessment ideas here.)
- Differentiation: Describe how you’ll vary the level of difficulty for students at all levels, including any enrichment for early finishers.
Preschool Lesson Plan Examples
Some people think preschool is just playtime, but pre-K teachers know better! Here are some of the ways preschool teachers plan for their lessons.
Weekly Lesson Plan
Venngage/pre-K lesson plan via Venngage.com
Weekly preschool lesson planning helps you plan each day and ensure you’re tackling all the most important skills.
Learn more: Venngage Pre-K Weekly Lesson Plan Template
Pre-K Theme Lesson Plan
Pre-K Printable Fun/Caterpillar and Butterfly Lesson Plan via PreKPrintableFun.com
If you like to plan by theme, try a template like this. It includes space for a variety of activities that fit your topic.
Learn more: Pre-K Printable Fun
Alphabet Letter Lesson Plan
This Crafty Mom/Letter S Lesson Plan via ThisCraftyMom.com
If you’re focusing on a new letter of the alphabet each week, try lesson planning like this. You can see the week at a glance, including all the materials and books you’ll need.
Learn more: Alphabet Letter Lesson Plan by This Crafty Mom
Centers Lesson Plan
Pocket of Preschool/Centers Lesson Plans via PocketofPreschool.com
Your centers need some planning too! Whether you change them out weekly, monthly, or as needed, use plans like these to stay prepared.
Learn more: Pocket of Preschool
Weekly Unit Lesson Plan
This Crafty Mom/weather unit lessons via ThisCraftyMom.com
Adding pops of color and a few images can make it easier to locate the lesson plan you’re looking for in a snap!
Learn more: Weekly Weather Unit Lesson Plan by This Crafty Mom
Elementary School Lesson Plan Examples
Since elementary teachers tackle multiple subjects every day, their lesson plans might look like a general overview. Or they may prepare more detailed lesson plans for each topic to help them stay on track. The choice is up to you.
Weekly Overview Lesson Plan
Mrs. Jones Creation Station/lesson plan example via MrsJonesCreationStation.com
Don’t be afraid to write out your lesson plans by hand! A side-by-side setup like this lets you see a whole week at once. We love the use of color to highlight special things like fire drills.
Learn more: Mrs. Jones Creation Station
Yearlong Schedule
Planning a whole year may seem daunting, but it can show you where you’re going to need to stretch a unit and where you can circle back and review. Mrs. D from Mrs. D’s Corner has ideas on how to structure a yearlong lesson plan using Google Sheets.
Learn more: Mrs. D’s Corner
Guided Math Lesson Plan
Tunstall’s Teaching Tidbits/Guided Math lesson plan example via TunstallsTeachingTidbits.com
This example on adding three numbers together can be altered to fit any math lesson plan.
Learn more: Tunstall’s Teaching Tidbits
Art Lesson Plan
Artsy Blevs/lesson plans via TeachandShoot.com
While these are elementary art lesson plan examples, you can easily use this style for teaching art at upper levels too.
Learn more: Artsy Blevs
Special Education Lesson Plans
The Bender Bunch/lesson plan example via TheBenderBunch.com
Lesson planning for special education looks different than general classroom lessons in that the lessons have to cover specific IEP goals and include lots and lots of progress monitoring. The Bender Bunch starts each lesson with independent work (read: IEP practice) and then heads into mini-lessons and group work.
Learn more: The Bender Bunch
Interactive Read-Aloud Plan
The Colorful Apple/interactive read-aloud lesson plan example via TheColorfulApple.com
Interactive read-alouds aren’t something that should be “on the fly.” The Colorful Apple explains how to choose a book, get to know it, and get ready to teach it. Once you’re in the book, sticky notes may be the best lesson-planning tool you have for marking questions and vocabulary words you want to point out to students.
Learn more: The Colorful Apple
Social Studies Lesson Plan
Mrs. Jones’s Class/social studies lesson plan example via MrsJonessClass.com
Including images of your anchor charts is a great idea! That way, you can pull one out and have it ready to go in advance.
Learn more: Mrs. Jones’s Class
5E Lesson Plan for Elementary School
What I Have Learned Teaching/example from 5E lesson planning via WhatIHaveLearnedTeaching.com
The 5Es stand for Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaborate, Evaluate. This type of lesson planning can be helpful for students as they work through each of the 5Es related to the topic you’re studying.
Learn more: What I Have Learned Teaching
Science Lesson Plans
Venngage/Science lesson plan example via Venngage.com
If you like to plan your lessons in more detail, take a look at this elementary science lesson plan example.
Learn more: Venngage Science Lesson Plan Template
Reading Groups Lesson Plan
First Grade Fairy Tales/reading groups lesson plan via TheFirstGradeFairyTales.com
Lots of elementary schools have differentiated reading groups. Use a template like this one to plan for each one, all on one page.
Learn more: The First Grade Fairy Tales
P.E. Lesson Plan
American Coaching Academy/P.E. lesson plan via AmericanCoachingAcademy.com
Gym teachers will love this lesson plan idea, which includes directions for playing the games.
Learn more: American Coaching Academy
Music Class Lesson Plan
Victoria Boler/music lesson plan via VictoriaBoler.com
Plan out the skills and songs you’ll need for a meaningful music class with a lesson plan like this one.
Learn more: Victoria Boler
Middle and High School Lesson Plan Examples
At the middle and high school levels, teachers often need more detailed plans for each class, which they may teach multiple times a day. Here are some examples to try.
Google Sheets Lesson Plans
Busy Miss Beebe/Google sheets lesson plan example via BusyMissBeebe.com
Google Sheets (or Excel) is terrific for lesson planning! Create a new tab for each week, unit, or class.
Learn more: Busy Miss Beebe
Weekly History Plan
Teachers Pay Teachers/Coaching History lesson plan via TeachersPayTeachers.com
This example shows how you can plan out a week’s worth of lessons at once, and see the entire week all in one spot. This example is for history, but you could use this for math, ELA, or social studies too.
Learn more: Coaching History on Teachers Pay Teachers
Outline and Pacing Guide Lesson Plan
Read it. Write it. Learn it./pacing guide example via ReadItWriteItLearnIt.com
A pacing guide or outline works for both you and your students. Share it at the beginning of a unit to let them know what’s ahead.
Learn more: Read it. Write it. Learn it.
5E Lessons in Middle and High School
Teach Science With Fergy/5E lesson plan via TeachScienceWithFergy.com
5E lesson plans (Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaborate, Evaluate) are great for middle and high school as well. This example is for science, but you can use the 5E structure across all lessons.
Learn more: Teach Science With Fergy
Math Intervention Plans
Lindsay Gould/middle school math lesson plan via TeachersPayTeachers.com
When students are in math intervention, they’re reviewing material they learned last week or last year. Lesson plans need to provide time for them to activate their prior knowledge (and make sure they’re remembering it all correctly) before reteaching and practice.
Buy it: Teachers Pay Teachers
The Sticky-Note Lesson Plan
The Wise & Witty Teacher/sticky note planner via WiseWittyTeacher.com
At some point, you’ll know what students are doing each day, you’ll just need some reminders for questions to ask and key points to cover. The nice thing about using sticky notes for lesson planning is if you get ahead or behind schedule, you can move the entire sticky note lesson to another day.
Learn more: The Wise & Witty Teacher
Read more ways to use sticky notes in the classroom.
Backwards Planning Lesson Plan
Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching/Understanding by Design lesson plan example via cft.vanderbilt.edu
If your school uses Understanding by Design or other backwards planning, you’ll be thinking about the outcome first and working back from there (rather than forward from an activity or task). Backwards planning lesson plans are intensive, but they’re also something you can use over and over, modifying them slightly for each group of students you have.
Learn more: Vanderbilt Center for Teaching
Visual Arts Lesson Plan
Venngage/visual art lesson plan example via Venngage.com
Detailed lesson plans take longer to prepare, but they make it easier on the day (especially if you wind up needing a sub).
Learn more: Venngage Visual Arts Lesson Plan Template
ESL or Foreign Language Lesson Plan
TeachEnglishAbroad.co/ESL lesson plan via TeachEnglishAbroad.co
Whether you’re teaching English as a second language (ESL) or a foreign language to English speakers, this lesson plan style is perfect.
Learn more: Teaching English Abroad
Music Lesson Plan
Melody Soup/lesson plan example via MelodySoup.Blogspot.com
Use a lesson plan like this for choir, orchestra, band, or individual music lessons.
Learn more: Melody Soup
Blended Learning Lesson Plan
Hot Lunch Tray/blended learning lesson plan example via HotLunchTray.com
If your instruction includes both computer-based and in-person elements, this lesson plan idea might be just what you need.
Learn more: Hot Lunch Tray
One-Sentence Lesson Plan
Norman Eng/Introducing the One-Sentence Lesson Plan via CultofPedagogy.com
This kind of lesson planning isn’t for everyone, but the extreme simplicity works well for some. Describe what students will learn, how they will learn it, and how they’ll demonstrate their knowledge.
Learn more: Cult of Pedagogy
