What to include in a successful lesson plan Ok, so, you've decided that making a lesson plan for your classes is a good idea. Now what? A lesson plan can't include just anything, heck that's why you should us a lesson plan: it's tells you what and how to teach! The four bare essential elements that are never left out of a good lesson plan are: a warmer, review, new language and fun! Here's why:

" Warmer - A warmer is SO important because it sets the mood for the rest of the lesson. Warmers are essential because they help your students:

To relax and feel comfortable in the classroom

Have fun

Realize that "everyone is in the same boat"

Learn a little about you and their classmates

Gain confidence

Get a feel for how the rest of the class will be like

" Review - a review helps your students to retain the language they learnt in the last lesson. Essentially a review should be:

Fun

Short (roughly 5-10 minutes, depending on how long your lesson is)

As student orientated as possible. IE the teacher should have minimal involvement.

" New Language - This is what your lesson plan is based around and will take up the majority of the lesson. Introducing new language follows three main steps:

Presentation - this is where you explain the new language. It's important that you try to elicit as much of the language as possible.

Practice - This is where the language is "drilled" into the students. This step contains teacher controlled drills.

Follow-up - This is where students now get to use the language they've just learnt in a fun and interesting way. This activity should allow as much student to student interaction as possible.

" In summary, new language should:

Be introduced with a concept that the students will understand and without, where possible, referring to the written word.

Be elicited from the students, where possible.

Follow a structured presentation method so that your students can follow where you are going.

Allow for as much student to student interactivity as possible. Sure they teacher takes centre stage when drilling the language, but when it comes time for you follow-up activity your students should be in the driver's seat.

" Fun - Although not an actual "step" in your lesson plan, fun should be incorporated in as much of the lesson as possible. Here's why:

Your students will show a greater willingness to learn if they are having fun.

Your students will be better behaved because they are not bored.

Greater participation leads to greater language retention, which makes you look better!

Better word of mouth - the more fun your lessons are, the more likely word will spread about how great a teacher you are!

There's the core of you lesson plan. In the next section we'll take a look at some great tips to enhance your lessons.