Teachers PortalIn this article, we’ll be looking at a lesson plan format for secondary schools in Nigeria. If you’re a teacher, an aspiring teacher, or even a student-teacher who wants to know the widely accepted and modern lesson plan format for secondary schools in Nigeria, then look no further, because this article covers everything you may be looking for. You can also check out the modern lesson plan format for primary schools in Nigeria here.
The Federal Ministry of Education has approved this modern lesson plan format for secondary schools in Nigeria, and it is also accepted by school administrators across the country. This lesson plan sample can also be used by student teachers during their teaching practice and mini- or micro-teaching programs.
Before we look at the lesson plan format for secondary schools in Nigeria, we’ll first define and explain some key terms about lesson plans.
What Is a Lesson Plan and Why Is It Important?
A lesson plan is a planned, organized amount of subject matter and learning experiences that the teacher will communicate to the learners with details of how the instruction will take place within a lesson period.
One can also define a lesson plan as a detailed plan that outlines the objectives, goals, and strategies of a lesson. It helps educators organize their materials and thoughts, and it helps learners understand what they’ll be learning as well as how they will be learning a given content.
A lesson plan serves as a guide for teachers to assist them in the orderly presentation of a lesson to the students in a bid to facilitate learning. Educators make the plan for teaching a given lesson from the scheme of work provided by the school. Just as the scheme of work is a breakdown of the syllabus, so the lesson plan is a breakdown of the scheme of work into daily lessons, planned by the teacher.
In the lesson plan, teachers explain the step-by-step procedures that they’ll follow in presenting the lesson to their students. Lesson plans usually consist of classroom activities expected of the students and teachers during the lesson period. It’s important to know that a lesson plan is different from a curriculum, a scheme of work, and a syllabus. In our subsequent publications, I’ll differentiate between a curriculum, a scheme of work, a syllabus, a lesson plan, and a lesson note.
Before we briefly look at the advantages and disadvantages of lesson planning, let’s walk you through the lesson plan format for secondary schools in Nigeria. Kindly note that the new lesson plan should be properly written in tabular form.
Format of a Lesson Plan for Secondary Schools in Nigeria
- Date
- Class
- Subject
- Topic
- Sub-Topic
- Time
- Duration
- Period
- Sex
- Average Age
- Number in Class
- Instructional Material
Instructional materials are known as resources or tools that an educator uses to support and enhance pupils’ learning in the classroom. These instructional materials could include a wide range of items, such as worksheets, textbooks, handouts, multimedia resources, and charts, among others. It’s very important when creating a lesson plan to carefully consider the instructional materials that will be used in the lesson and how they will support the learning objectives and activities. For example, if the lesson focuses on a specific topic, such as the packaging of farm products, a teacher might provide materials such as empty bottles, tin cans, bags, cardboard boxes, etc. used for packaging agricultural produce. Kindly note that textbooks aren’t instructional materials except for subjects like English Language, Mathematics, Literature-In-English, etc.
- Teaching Method
A teaching method is the approach or strategy that teachers use to deliver a lesson or facilitate the learning process. There are many teaching methods, and the most effective teaching methodology will depend on the subject matter, the students, and the objectives of the lesson. Some common teaching methods or strategies include the lecture method, the discussion method, the group-project method, and storytelling. It’s necessary to state the method of teaching you would employ for a particular lesson in your lesson plan.
- Behavioural Objectives
The behavioral objectives can also be stated as learning outcomes. These are specific, measurable goals that a teacher sets for students to achieve during a lesson or unit of study. They describe the specific actions or behaviors that students should be able to demonstrate by the end of the lesson, and they are typically written in terms of what students will be able to do rather than what they will know or understand.
When writing a lesson plan, it is important to consider what level of Bloom’s Taxonomy you want your students to reach by the end of the lesson.
According to Bloom (1956), the objectives have been classified into three domains, namely: cognitive, affective, and psychomotor.
- Cognitive Domain (Mental Process): This deals with knowledge, comprehensiveness, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, e.g., list, mention, define, state, outline, etc.
- Affective domain (values): This deals with the interests, feelings, and attitudes of students. e.g., assess, appreciate, etc.
- Psychomotor Domain (skills): This deals with imitating and manipulating skills, e.g., draw, paint, point, construct, dismantle, etc. These domains will give the teacher an idea of areas to look for changes in his/her students.
However, in most cases, the stated objectives should contain at least two of the three domains, depending on the content.
The behavioral objective for a lesson can be written as follows:
“By the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:
- Define….
- Show…
- Sketch…”
Do not use “say, know, or understand,” as they are open to many interpretations and could be difficult to evaluate.
The objectives should also be specific so as to be achieved in a lesson. The teacher should state exactly how many responses he/she wants the students to give. For example, “List three (3) types of transportation.”
- Previous Knowledge
The previous knowledge that a lesson planner should take into account refers to the knowledge and skills that students are expected to have already learned or acquired before starting the lesson. This may include content knowledge, conceptual understanding, and skills related to the topic being previously taught.
As a teacher, it is important to consider the previous knowledge of your students when planning a lesson in order to build upon their existing understanding and ensure that they are ready to learn the new content. This may help to make the lesson more meaningful and engaging for students, as they can connect new concepts to what they already know. Previous experience can also indicate entry behavior.
Previous knowledge for a lesson plan may look like this: “The pupils have been taught…” or “The pupils are conversant with…” et cetera.
- Set Induction
Here, the teacher arouses the students interest using their previous knowledge or experience that is relevant to the lesson.
- Introduction
An introduction in a lesson plan is a section that provides an overview of the topic or subject that the lesson will cover. It should set the stage for the rest of the lesson and give students a general understanding of what they will be learning. The introduction can include a brief overview of the main concepts or ideas that will be covered, any necessary background information, and any objectives or goals for the lesson.
Introduction to a Lesson Plan for the lesson on water should be written as follows: “The teacher demonstrates the acts of drinking water, asks the pupils questions based on the demonstration, and from there leads the students to the topic of water.”
It is, however, important to keep the introduction engaging and informative, as it helps to capture the students’ attention and set the tone for the rest of the lesson.
Note: The body of a lesson plan is the main section that outlines the pupils, teacher activities, and learning points, among others. steps, which cover discussions and instructions that will help students meet the learning objectives. Lessons are presented in steps, and ideally, the steps in a lesson should be between three and four, as the case may be.
- Teachers Activities
In a lesson plan, teacher activities are the specific tasks or responsibilities that the teacher will engage in to support student learning and achieve the lesson’s objectives. These activities should be designed to effectively present the material and engage students in the learning process.
In a lesson plan, the teacher’s activities may look like this: “The teacher guides the pupils to…” or “The teacher lists out the three types of…”
- Pupil’s Activities
Pupil activities are the specific tasks that students will engage in to achieve the lesson’s objectives. These activities should be designed to actively engage students in learning, help them practice, and apply the concepts and skills that they are learning. For example, “The students repeated after the teacher…” or “The students mention…”
Note: Every teacher’s activity must have a corresponding student activity.
- Learning Points
Learning points or an evaluation guide (formative evaluation) are done at the end of each step, and they must relate to the topic. These are the specific things that students should be able to do or understand as a result of the lesson. It’s also a good idea to make sure that the learning points align with the overall goals of the lesson in each of the steps. For example, “The term… is defined” or “Lists the…”.
- Evaluation
Evaluation is an important part of the lesson planning process because it helps you determine whether your students have achieved the learning objectives and whether the lesson was effective. This is the aspect where the objectives of the lesson are tested. Usually, it takes the form of questions for the students to answer. The questions asked should reflect the stated lesson objectives. This means that teachers must evaluate all of their stated behavioral objectives to determine the extent to which they have been met. Also, there is no evaluation phase in the new lesson plan; rather, it should occur throughout the lesson as you determine the quantity and quality of behavioral objectives achieved through summative and formative evaluation. During the objectives, the teacher should also use the action verb that was used in stating the objectives.
Your evaluation may begin with something like this, depending on your behavioral objectives and activities.
- Define..
- Draw..
- Recite…
- Summary
A summary in a lesson plan is a brief review of the key points covered during the lesson. It helps students understand the main takeaways from the lesson and helps them retain the information they have learned. A summary can be included at the end of a lesson or unit and can be incorporated into the conclusion section of the lesson plan.
In the summary, the teacher can refresh the minds of the pupils by repeating the main points of the lesson. In this situation, the teacher can give her students an opportunity to discuss and share what they learned from the lesson through thought-provoking questions. After that, the teacher rounds up the lesson by repeating the main points covered in the lesson.
- Assignment/Class Work
An assignment or class work in a lesson plan refers to a task or activity that is given to students to complete as part of the lesson. Assignments or classwork can be used to help students practice and apply what they have learned, or to assess their understanding of the material. As a teacher, the type of assignment or classwork that will enable them to apply the knowledge gained in a similar situation should be given to the learners so as to connect the knowledge to real-life situations.
- Reference Book
A reference book is a type of resource that provides background information or guidance on a particular subject or topic. In a lesson plan, a reference book can be used as a resource for the instructor to consult or provide additional information to students during a lesson or as a resource for students to use for further research or to clarify points that may be unclear from the main course materials.
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