Lesson Plan Template – Comprehensive Notes (Australian Curriculum)

Lesson Plan Template: Comprehensive Notes (Australian Curriculum)

  • Purpose of the lesson plan template

    • To guide planning for micro-teaching, placements, and future teaching practice.
    • Sections are designed to align with the Australian Curriculum and reflect both teacher actions and student learning.

  • Class, date, and author basics

    • Class: write that you’re implementing the Australian Curriculum.
    • Date: use the micro-teaching experience date.
    • Name: include your own name.

  • Learning area

    • Choose from the eight learning areas in the Australian Curriculum (e.g., English, Numeracy, The Arts).
    • Learning area determines the broader domain of content you will teach.

  • Lesson topic

    • A narrower focus that makes it clear what the specific lesson will cover.
    • Helps readers quickly identify the focus and what will be taught in the lesson.

  • Keywords and concepts

    • Introduce new vocabulary during the lesson.
    • Content-specific vocabulary or academic vocabulary depending on the age group.
    • For primary settings, limit to a maximum of four words to keep it manageable.

  • Key questions

    • Open-ended, big-idea questions that guide students’ thinking.

  • Links to prior learning

    • Can be tricky to write before meeting students; for Lesson 1, you may leave blank.
    • Lesson 2 should build on Lesson 1 (e.g., if Lesson 1 covered brainstorming adjectives for describing people, Lesson 2 can reference that knowledge).
    • Avoid assuming specific prior-year content from the curriculum; student attainment varies.

  • Links to the curriculum

    • Not limited to content descriptors; include achievement standards, content descriptors, and other relevant curriculum parts.
    • Achievement standards describe what students should demonstrate by the end of the year (student learning).
    • Content descriptors describe what the teacher delivers (teaching focus).
    • For a single lesson, include no more than two content descriptors to stay aligned with the lesson focus and time constraints.
    • You may insert parts of the achievement standard and highlight the sections aligned to your content descriptors.
    • Example framing: if the lesson focus is speaking and listening, and the exit task is writing a sentence, the content descriptor should align with speaking/listening, not writing, unless the lesson explicitly targets writing in that context.
    • If the whole achievement standard is relevant, you can reference it but highlight only the portions that align with the lesson content descriptors.
    • The curriculum also includes general capabilities and cross-curriculum priorities; plan to link intentionally rather than listing them ad hoc.
    • The links section sets up reader expectations about lesson intentions.

  • Resources and equipment (last box in this section)

    • List all materials, resources, and equipment needed to run the lesson.
    • Include logistics: who will organize or distribute resources, and how resources will be prepared (e.g., teacher prepares 10 paddle cups beforehand, secured with a rubber band).

  • Learning intentions (split approach)

    • Define what students will learn (knowledge), what they will be able to do (skills), and the learning assets/attitudes they will develop.
    • Example structure:
    • We are learning about: the knowledge (e.g., key concepts or vocab).
    • We are learning to do: the skill (e.g., a specific task or procedure).
    • We are learning to be: the learning asset (e.g., active listening, critical thinking).
    • This clarifies expectations for both teacher and students.

  • Success criteria

    • Must be very clear, specific, and observable.
    • Examples:
    • Students can demonstrate active listening using whole-body engagement.
    • Students can generate ideas about a topic.
    • You should be able to recognize when learning is occurring and what to look for during the lesson.

  • Assessment (diagnostic, formative, summative)

    • Describe the strategies you will use to determine whether students have met the learning intentions and success criteria.
    • Be specific about what you will observe or measure (e.g., a checklist, work samples, exit tickets).
    • The assessment plan should connect to the success criteria and learning intentions.
    • Include notes about where assessment evidence will be collected (and later included in the appendix).

  • Lesson sequence (learning experiences/engagements)

    • This section focuses on learning, not merely activities.
    • Timing: break down how long each component will take to balance the lesson.
    • Example timing structure: introduction 12–15 minutes; orientation 3–4 minutes; activating prior knowledge 5–6 minutes; check for understanding 2–3 minutes.
    • A general rule of thumb: primary-age students’ attention tends to be about twice their age in minutes before a break.
    • Include brain breaks and movement as needed.
    • Lesson content: specify the content for each sequence block, including vocabulary and ideas.
    • Lesson sequence should explicitly detail what learners do, why, and how.
    • Consider Universal Design for Learning (UDL): multiple means of representation, engagement, and expression.
    • Differentiation: plan for diverse learners from the start (below standard, at standard, above/gifted).

  • Introduction (orientation, activating prior knowledge, tuning in, checking for understanding)

    • Timing, content, teaching strategies, and differentiation should align with the introduction’s purpose.

  • Concept development (input/presentation, modeling, guided practice, gradual release)

    • Plan how learning intentions will be achieved through activities and experiences.
    • Include gradual release of responsibility: I do, we do, you do together, you do independently.
    • Ensure there are opportunities for modeling, guided practice, and independent practice.

  • Closure

    • Check for understanding and assess relevance to students.
    • Plan for independent practice and reflect with students on their learning.
    • Decide whether assessment was ongoing or placed at closure.
    • Align closure with the direct explicit instruction elements.

  • Lesson reflection / evaluation

    • For the assignment, this section may be empty; on placement, reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and ideas for future practice.
    • Consider evidence of success criteria attainment, mentor feedback, and practical improvements.
    • Reflective notes may emerge from conversations with a mentor teacher.

  • References

    • Include a reference list; it’s acceptable to derive ideas from other sources, but you must acknowledge them with citations.
    • Full citations help you backtrack to original resources when needed and avoid plagiarism.

  • Appendix

    • Include any assessment checklists, blackline masters, or other resources required to run the lesson.
    • The appendix should enable another teacher to deliver the lesson with the provided materials.
    • If you have a song, include a link and lyrics in the appendix as an example of how resources might be documented.

  • Submitting the lesson plan (blue prompts)

    • In your submission, replace all text shown in blue (prompts) with your own writing.
    • The blue text exists only to prompt you to draft your plan; remove it before submission.

  • Real-world application and expectations

    • Lesson plans should be adaptable for placements and future use.
    • You may use ideas from other sources, but you must reference them to avoid plagiarism and to support future use.

  • Quick synthesis of the main workflow

    • Start with class, date, and name.
    • Identify learning area, topic, keywords, and key questions.
    • Establish links to prior learning and to the curriculum (achievement standards, content descriptors, general capabilities, cross-curriculum priorities).
    • Define resources, learning intentions (knowledge, skills, learning assets), and success criteria.
    • Plan the assessment approach (diagnostic, formative, summative) and the specific observation strategies.
    • Design the lesson sequence with precise timing, content, strategies, and differentiation (UDL).
    • Develop introduction, concept development, and closure with explicit gradual release and reflection.
    • Include an appendix and references for transparency and reuse.

  • Example to illustrate alignment (conceptual)

    • If the lesson topic is speaking and listening, an exit task might involve writing a sentence; the content descriptor should align with speaking/listening (not writing) unless the lesson explicitly targets writing.
    • For a short lesson (e.g., 40–60 minutes), limit to 1–2 content descriptors to maintain depth over breadth.

  • Final note

    • The template is designed to prompt thoughtful planning and to support clear communication of teaching intentions and methods.

  • Best practice tip

    • When planning for placement, explicitly document how you will differentiate for diverse learners from the outset and how you will collect evidence of meeting learning intentions throughout the lesson.

  • Miscellaneous reminders

    • The curriculum is broader than just learning areas; consider cross-curriculum priorities and general capabilities as deliberate connections.
    • The lesson plan should be coherent, with each section supporting the overall learning goals and practical execution in a classroom context.

  • Ethical and professional implications

    • A well-documented plan supports accountability, reflective practice, and ongoing professional development.
    • Proper citation and acknowledgment of sources reflect academic integrity and professional respect for original ideas.

  • Symbols and formatting note

    • When including numerical or mathematical references, present them using LaTeX in double dollars, e.g. 12−15 minutes12-15\ \text{minutes} or 2×age2\times\text{age} where appropriate.

  • Summary

    • This transcript outlines how to construct and fill a comprehensive lesson plan aligned with the Australian Curriculum, with explicit guidance on content descriptors, achievement standards, assessment, differentiation (UDL), and reflection, plus practical tips for submission and reuse in future teaching contexts.