Lesson plans are the hallmark of good teaching. Just as every grand building needs a foundation, you too need a blueprint to guide the masterpiece that will be your teaching and your students' learning. And just like architects have, um, blue pencils? Architecture tools? We've got a few tips and tricks to help you blue up that plan.

1. Make objectives.

Seems obvious, right? Goal: students learn stuff. But what exactly do you want them to get out of the lesson? Coming up with specific objectives can tell you what you want to focus on, and if you share them with your kiddos, they tell your students what to focus on, too.

It's like an architect saying "I am going to win the architecture prize for my octopus-shaped library." Nothing like some motivation to get the job done.

2. Time management reigns supreme.

The hardest thing to do is figure out how long your lesson will take. But it can't hurt to scribble down some time estimates of how long each part of the lesson takes. How long for the warm up? How long for the quiz? How long to get all the kids doodling octopuses (pods? pi?) to start paying attention?

Yeah, it's an extra step, but it'll keep you on track as you move through your class. Especially if you make yourself backup plans for if one thing goes too long, or if, shock of your life, they finish the lesson on sea creatures quicker than you expected. You'll find that you'll get really good at these estimates and eventually can drop them if you nail every single lesson plan.

3. Use pop culture references.

You knew this would be on the list. The biggie here is to stay relevant. Kids love it when they see their teachers reference a song they love or use unexpected (and uber-hip) lingo.

You get demerits if you say things like, "Far out!" and "Groovy." Or "demerits," come to think of it.

 

There's a fine line between hip and...saying hip.

4. Get creative.

Yes, you have to cover state/national standards. And do focus on those, please. But don't forget that creativity and joy are also a huge part of learning. Let loose now and again and create something cool with your kids.

Author bio day? Have them write a diary entry from the perspective of the author. Math class? They can identify shapes in artwork or build quilt blocks and houses. The thing about creativity is that the students will often lead themselves into deeper levels of learning in unexpected ways.

5. Hit various learning styles.

Match this up with our previous suggestion about creativity, and the world is your octopus. When you can hit several learning styles in a given lesson, you're increasing the odds your kids are "getting it." You'll need to touch on:

• Kinesthetic: these are dynamic learners who need to do to learn.
• Visual: these folks remember stuff that's written down, or in graph form. They see, they learn.
• Auditory: these kids hear and learn.

Different learning styles? What are those? Check out our summary of these learning styles and more for more info and tips on how to reach kids who learn in a whole bunch of different ways.

6. Make your kids Bloom.

No, it's not some hippie-dippy flower-child reference. He may have been kicking around in the '50s, but educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom's still got some good ideas.

Hanging with Bloom means you'll be able to see whether your kids are simply learning surface-level stuff (remembering and understanding), or if their learning is deeper and more meaningful (analysis, evaluation, and beyond…).

7. Use technology.

The 21st century ain't new any more. The tech generation has grown up texting their moms and Skyping their friends across the globe. So why not harness that in your lesson planning? Even if you don't have access to computers in the classroom, you can let students use their phones to make a video of themselves acting out the Revolutionary War, or have them perform simple research tasks on iPads, or take them to the lab to practice Power Point.

They want to use tech. They need to use tech. It is now a part of their brain. So if you can use it to your advantage, make it happen.

8. Organize.

Yes, we know it's obvious. Have your plan for teaching in your hand when you walk into the room, and know all the itty-bitty parts that need to go into that lesson. Everything is pre-photocopied, you know where your markers are, you've predicted their possible questions in advance. You're ready to go.

Sure, maybe you got a minor in looking prepared on the fly. But not being organized is something that could catch up to, and when some kids see that you don't know what's next, they think it's up to them to decide.

9. BUT! Don't over-plan or plan too far ahead.

We know, we know. We give you all this gorgeousness about making your blueprint and plotting out every five seconds and making your photocopies a week and a half in advance.

However…

If you outline every detail and step, you will find that you lose creativity in your teaching. And if something distracts the class (say, you get into a really awesome debate you didn't anticipate), then you've got to adapt to the shift in the timeframe. What you need is to find the sweet spot. Know enough about what you want to get done to teach, but be flexible, too.

Plus, it's not the best idea to plan the entire 10-month period from September to June. Inevitably you'll have a class that falls behind, or jumps ahead, or there's a snow day, or a dust day, or a National Earthquake Day. Mother Nature as well as the nature of your kids will get in your way. This is about flexibility and your willingness to drop back and punt.

10. Plan together.

Plan with somebody else. This doesn't mean you sit by and let someone else do the work. Or vice versa. Instead, it can be helpful to plan together and divide your work. You'll be amazed at the creativity and the cool ideas other people can have (we know, you thought you were the only one).

So there you have it, a blue print fit for, um, Gaudí (you know, if he'd been a teacher). Basically, a good plan means you know where you're going and what you're doing. You've outlined your expectations and you have the plans. It's time you build your kids a palace of fine educational growth.

Especially if it has octopus limbs.