Create a Homeschool Lesson Plan in 5 Easy Steps - With Examples!
One thing teachers learn when getting credentialed is how to make a lesson plan. It's not a difficult thing to do, but there is a bit of a formula for the successful organization of lesson plans. You want to ensure the lesson you intend to teach is something students understand, that it covers important skills, and stays on topic.
*Note* This post is specifically for designing a lesson plan not found in a curriculum. Say, you’d like to create your own lesson on United States regions? Then this is a great post for organizing your lesson plan!
For a post on general lesson planning WITH a curriculum, then I have posts on easy homeschool lesson planning and creating a homeschool schedule (with templates!) for you to check out!
Is Lesson Planning Difficult?
Writing a lesson plan is not the daunting task that most homeschool parents think it is. You can create anything from a general outline that's all bullet points to more detailed lesson plans that spell out telling students explicitly what to do.
Successful lesson planning addresses the lesson and the teaching goals. If you only need bullet points for productive lesson planning, then that's awesome!
High School and Middle School Lesson Planning
Now, I do not have experience with creating high school lesson plans or middle school lesson plans. They may be different! My credential and experience only go up to 6th-grade level.
I would assume it's not too different from elementary lesson plans - any successful lesson plan addresses student learning and student understanding, the high school levels might just have prioritized learning objectives.
The Benefits of Lesson Plans
However you write it, there is lots of benefit to being able to write down what you intend to teach, be it for organizational purposes, record keeping, or simply clarity.
Either way, knowing the art of creating your own lesson plan can be empowering; it allows you to tailor the education process to your child's unique needs and interests, fostering a deeper love for learning.
What's the Point? Lesson Objective or Purpose
What if you need to teach something that doesn't necessarily have a curriculum? Or what if you want to teach other families and they want to know what's covered?
The first thing you start with is identifying the objective or the main point of the lesson.
In the teaching world, the point of your lesson plan is called the learning objective. Many times the objective comes from a state standard.
What Are State Standards?
Some homeschool parents are turned off by the term 'state standard,' but it's really just a stuffy way to keep a massive number of students on track for learning concepts in an organized manner. Think about it - how many 8-year-olds are in your state at this very moment? State Learning Standards are an instructor's road map to help school districts across a region have consistency.
Don't get too bogged down on the term or feel restrained by their existence. It is just to make sure kids are learning in a logical order, such as teaching the concept of addition before multiplication.
Steps For Preparing A Lesson Plan
Step 1: Identify Learning Objectives
Step 2: Gather Materials
Step 3: Plan Your Introduction
Step 4: Teach the Lesson
Step 5: Assess Understanding
Step 1: Identify the Objective
Start by determining what you want your child to learn from the lesson. This will be the foundation of your lesson plan.
In the classroom, we would state the objective as something kids will be able to accomplish from the lesson. Sometimes it starts with Students will be able to... but not always. You can just write the key concepts in the point however you'd like. It's usually just 1-2 sentences.
Students will learn/create/identify/write etc. (pick a verb) + objective + lesson activity.
Students will be able to identify common nouns on a worksheet.
Students will memorize the capitals of the 50 United States by playing a memory match game.
Lesson Objective:
Students will be able to write clear instructions for how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich by actually making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and documenting the process.
Step 2: Gather Materials
List all the materials needed for your lesson plan to happen. Include books, props, tools, or any other items that you or the kids will need.
Lesson Materials:
sliced bread
jam or jelly
peanut butter
knife
cutting board for food preparation
plate
towels, paper towels, or napkins for clean up
paper
pencil
Step 3: Plan Your Introduction
In a classroom, the introduction is called the anticipatory set. It's how you introduce your lesson plan and capture the kids' attention and interest.
This might look like a discussion that links prior knowledge, reading a short story, hands-on learning activities, games, or even field trips. Consider your child's different learning styles.
Don't skip this part of the lesson! Kids who are engaged and curious about the topic retain more information. It's always tempting to skip this part for the sake of time, but I promise you'll have better results with a lesson intro.
Hook 'em! Engage students with your anticipatory set!
Anticipatory Set:
Let's start our lesson by having children tell us how to make a PB&J. Be VERY literal! When they tell you to put the peanut butter on the bread, grab the whole jar and place it on the bread! This should be very silly. The point is to exaggerate the need for clear and precise instructions.
After you've made a silly mess of the sandwich, explain that writing requires clear descriptions so that the reader can understand exactly what the author is trying to convey. The reader won't have the author sitting near them to clarify any confusion.
Step 4: Teach the Lesson
This is pretty self-explanatory. Teach your lesson!
Go over any instructions and have the students do whatever work is required. This could include teaching new information, guided practice, engaging activities, worksheets, movies, you name it - it's your school!
Lesson Instructions:
Explain that they will now build their own PB&J sandwiches and will write down and document the exact process as they go. The sandwich building and writing of instructions will be simultaneous activities.
If your child doesn't understand, model writing the first instructions, then making the sandwich.
First, take two slices of bread and lay them on the cutting board side by side. (now physically do it.)
Take the lid off the jar of peanut butter.... etc. etc.
If you have multiple children, this is great for them to work together. You can also work with your child, but try not to guide them too much. This should be a silly lesson without pressure! They will get to the point of the lesson quickly - details in writing are important!
Once they have completed their sandwich and written the instructions, have them reread their writing and edit/clarify any instructions as needed for better clarity. This is NOT a grammar/spelling lesson! (stick to your learning objectives, which was to write clear instructions, not have perfect writing form).
Step 5: Assess Understanding
No, this is not a test. This is where you assess or analyze how well your lesson was. Yep. You are assessing YOUR lesson delivery, NOT the child.
Now this is simply my opinion, but schools get it wrong with testing in that they think they're assessing student learning - in reality, it's just assessing whether or not lesson delivery was effective.
If a kid fails, it's on the teacher's delivery. The kid needs something else. Simple as that.
So, let's find out if your lesson was any good! This could be through written answers, a practical task, or a brief discussion about what they've learned.
Lesson Assessment:
Following the written instructions, build a new sandwich. Discuss what went well and what could be improved.
Make connections to other pieces of writing that have explicit details such as a favorite book character or setting description. Discussing driving directions are also good examples!
Ready to Create A Lesson Plan?
Jump in! Take a topic your child will love and play around with it.
Creating Lesson Plans as a Side Hustle Opportunity!
If you nail it and find it to be helpful, share the love! There are lots of homeschool parents looking for help with creating their own lesson plans and are often willing to pay for something already created!
Lesson Planning FAQs For Homeschooling
What are the five 5 steps in a lesson plan?
Identify Learning Objectives
Gather Lesson Materials
Anticipatory set
Teach the lesson plans
Lesson Assessment
How do I make a homeschooling plan?
If you're looking to create a lesson that's not found in curriculum, follow the above steps. If you are looking for how to structure your homeschool lesson plans from a curriculum, I have a post on easy homeschool lesson planning that works with curriculum.
How do I make a good homeschool schedule?
Your family will have a different flow than any other! You can find how to create your own homeschool schedule from my post on creating a homeschool schedule with free printables.
How can I create a lesson plan for free?
Easy-peasy! First, figure out what you want or need to teach (the objective), and then think about what ideas would be effective for that topic! Then using the 5 steps above, write you lesson plans out. You can also download my lesson plan template to fill in your ideas.
How do you write a lesson plan for preschool?
Follow the same steps as above! The steps are the same, it's the content of the lesson that will change. You will always start with learning objectives. That will drive the content of your lesson and how you teach it.
If you are trying to create a homeschool schedule that has class time and follows a homeschool curriculum, then you can check out my post on homeschool lesson planning or creating a homeschool schedule.
What makes a good lesson plan for preschool?
Student engagement. Those kiddos can't sit still for long, and at that age, students are learning all the time! So, the trick to good lesson plans for preschool is engagement.
How do I make a preschool weekly plan?
Monthly preschool themes are a great way to stay on track and organize your preschool lesson plans! I have monthly preschool themes that are broken down by month and have a weekly lesson plan example with appropriate learning activities, books, and field trip ideas! Check out my September themes monthly preschool lesson plans for examples.
How do you make a lesson plan for kindergarten homeschooling?
This post on kindergarten homeschooling has tons of information on how to homeschool a kinder with lessons and skills to cover! To create your own lesson plans, follow the 5 steps above and remember to keep it fun and engaging!
What should kindergarteners learn homeschool?
Check out my post on homeschool kindergarten curriculum to find out what these kiddos need to learn.
How long should a lesson plan be?
The length of a lesson plan depends on the topic and your child's age and attention span. Generally, aim for 20-60 minutes per lesson.
What if my child doesn't understand the lesson?
It's totally okay to repeat or revise the lesson! Remember, the goal is understanding, not speed.
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