You’re an experienced educator who has taught for many years with great success. You’ve developed a reputation for being a teacher who inspires your students and creates memorable lessons. You feel confident that you can bring your A game to the classroom on any given day, and your students know it. Your job as an educator seems easy. You’re excited to teach because you know how much your students will learn.
But then, one day, something strange happens. You develop writer’s block. You know you are teaching writing, but you can’t seem to find the right words to teach your lessons. It’s not just one or two incidents; it’s happening all over again and again. You feel like a student who doesn’t know how to study or take notes. You’re paralyzed. You cannot produce anything good enough to share with the world. Your students are losing interest, too. You’ve never had trouble drawing attention to yourself in the classroom. Now, you can’t seem to get a single person to notice you. It’s become quite a struggle.
What is causing this sudden shift in your classroom? Is it something you’re doing? Something your students are doing? Are you just having a bad day? Or is there something more behind it? Is your writing career at a crossroads? Is this the beginning of the end? Or can you turn things around and make things right? Don’t worry. We’ve been there, and we’re here to help. What is a Writing to Learn lesson plan, and how does it work? Let’s find out.
The Writing to Learn Lesson Plan
If you’re wondering what a writing lesson plan is, it’s quite a simple concept. Essentially, a writing lesson plan is a roadmap to follow when teaching a creative writing class. As a teacher, you already know what concepts and skills you want your students to learn. You can create a plan to help them learn those skills more effectively. While some teachers prefer to wing it and see what happens, a well-thought-out plan can help you ensure that each lesson is delivered how your students need it and that you meet the benchmarks you’ve set for yourself.
Here are some of the things you might include in your plan:
Lesson objectives
Every lesson should have clear objectives. This will help you gauge your students’ understanding of the topic at hand. It also helps you gauge your own teaching effectiveness. When teaching a lesson, it’s important to consider what your students know before moving on to the next topic. You can start by assessing their previous knowledge and experience, and use that as a basis to create goals for the lesson. In addition to this, you should know what your students will be able to do once they’ve learned the material. Consider creating a short-term goal for the lesson, as well as a long-term goal. This will help you keep track of your students’ learning progress and decide if you need to change up your approach for the next lesson.
Timetable
Just because you’ve determined the objectives for a lesson doesn’t mean the lessons themselves should be self-directed. You should consider creating a timetable for the lesson, to ensure that each activity is carried out as planned. It’s critical that you follow a plan or else you run the risk of either giving the wrong information or the right information in the wrong order. You might want to create several different lesson plans for different sets of learners. For example, you could have one lesson plan for students who have had no prior experience and another for students who have had some experience. Consider changing up the order of your lessons or adding in some additional activities to make sure that each lesson is different and that no information is repeated more than once.
Activities
What will your students do in your writing class? It’s important to determine the type of activity that will be most effective in achieving the desired learning outcome. Choose a variety of activities that will allow your students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills. This will help you gauge their true understanding of the subject matter. It also keeps things interesting for them. Teachers usually prefer activities that are interactive and require students to participate. Think about doing something like having your students write a short story or a poem. You can also have them listen to and analyze different types of music. Or, you could set up a YouTube channel where your students can present the different types of songs they’ve learned about. These types of activities will engage your students and allow them to show off their new-found knowledge. They might even enjoy it!
Materials
Just because you’re using a particular tool or technique doesn’t mean that it’s right for every lesson. You should only use tools and materials that are directly related to the lesson. If you’re not sure what would be the best thing to use in a certain situation, then consider asking a fellow educator or a teacher from a different school. It’s not fair to your students if you use tools and materials that are too advanced for them. This will also help keep things interesting for them. Some materials can be expensive, so you want to be sure that you only use them when necessary. Have a backup plan in case something happens and you do need the materials. These items should not be handled by students or teachers who aren’t adequately trained for that situation. In a situation like this, it could be dangerous.
Lesson flow
Every lesson should have a clear flow, or sequence of events, that guide you through the lesson. You should not leave anything to chance, and you should certainly not be wandering from subject to subject, hoping that this will somehow make sense. When you have a clear plan, it’s much easier to follow. This makes sure that the material is delivered in the right order and that each lesson builds on the previous one. Having a clear plan also means that you can more effectively gauge your students’ understanding of the material and determine if you need to change something about the way you’re teaching it.
Creating a lesson plan can be quite the challenge. You have to consider all the aspects mentioned above, and you have to do it well. If you want to do things right, it’s essential that you put in the proper amount of planning. Make sure that you leave enough time for you to plan and for your students to understand the material. Most importantly, make sure that each part of the lesson is connected to the next. This will help you create a clear flow and ensure that your students understand what they’re learning.