The Importance of Lesson Planning

    Lesson planning is very important in science. In order for teachers to provide meaningful and effective instruction, they need to think about the lessons and activities they want to teach before they present them to students. Teacher need to make sure that they have the materials and technological resources necessary for the activity and need to make sure that the activity is going to be appropriate (doable) for the intended students. It may even be beneficial for teachers to act out the lesson ahead of time to help foresee and improve any suspected problem areas within the lesson; thus making the presented lesson more effective.

    Planning a lesson (or developing a lesson plan) also helps teachers organize their thoughts and ideas which allows teachers to remember what they want to teach. This ultimately aids teachers in staying on task (or at least closer to it) and helps them present more meaningful instructions/activities. Preparing a lesson plan for science also helps teachers think about the content and process skills that they would like to teach in a specific lesson/activity as well as how they intend to assess the students understanding and progress.


    The most important thing that I think teachers should consider when developing an elementary science lesson plan, is the safety of the students. Teachers should ask themselves: "Is this activity/experiment safe for students this age?" "What are the possible dangers associated with this lesson?" "How can we prevent the activity from becoming dangerous/unsafe?" and "What do I need to tell my students before starting the lesson to ensure their safety".
    Another thing that I feel is important for teachers to consider when devising a lesson plan is the materials and resources that they have access to. A teacher may be able to create this great activity in their head and then come time to do the activity, realize that they are lacking necessary materials and resources. This can be both frustrating for the teacher and the students so it is best to think ahead and make sure that you have all of the necessary materials.
    Lastly, I feel that it is important for teachers to consider the prerequisite skills and prior knowledge that the students need to have in order to conduct the lesson/activity. Although this may often be overlooked, it is important to consider what the students already know and need to know in order for the lesson to be successful and effective. If the students don't understand what they are doing or why they are doing it, the lesson is going to be unsuccessful and is going to leave the students more confused and discouraged. Also, if you are presenting information using language that the students can't relate to or understand, than the lesson is going to fail/be ineffective. As a result, it is important to get to know your students and understand what their skill sets are, as well as their level of vocabulary in order to create the most effective and meaningful lessons. If the students are given appropriate instructions and have the materials to explore/experiment with, they will become excited and will have fun with science, which ultimately makes the lesson and entire planing process worthwhile!!