The Five Lesson Planning Criteria
The student has to demonstrate an ability to:
● write detailed, clearly stated and appropriate main aims, subsidiary aims, aims for individual stages in the lesson and
personal aims
● give adequate details of the different components of a lesson plan such as information about the class; procedures;
timing; interaction patterns; activities and tasks.
● give details of stages, activities and tasks which are logically ordered and which are appropriate to the learners and the
lesson aims ​
● analyse target language, including aspects of form, meaning and phonology.​
identify appropriate strategies to develop the target skills/ subskills.​
● plan the use of appropriate (referenced) materials and/or resources to be used. ​
​
Assessment criteria
Ways in which the assessment criteria may be achieved (the suggestions may not all be relevant to
every lesson)
a ​The student demonstrates ability to write Students need to:​
detailed, clearly stated and appropriate
•
write clear overall aims for the lesson​
main aims, subsidiary aims, aims for
•
write clear subsidiary aims which include other skills or language covered in the lesson​
individual stages in the lesson and
•
write aims for individual stages of the lesson showing the reasons for including each stage
personal aims.
•
write personal aims which are appropriate for the lesson type.
b ​The student demonstrates ability to give
adequate details of the different
components of a lesson plan such as
information about the class; procedures;
timing; interaction patterns, activities and
tasks.
Students need to:
•
provide information about the class, including relevant information about the learners and the
lesson ​
•
give details of the lesson procedures, stating what the teacher will do and what the learners will do
in the lesson ​
•
provide timings for each stage of the lesson indicating how long each stage will take ​
•
provide interaction patterns for each stage of the lesson
c ​The student demonstrates ability to give
details of stages, activities and tasks which
are logically ordered and which are
appropriate to the learners and the lesson
aims.
Students need to: ​
•
divide the procedures of the lesson plan into appropriate stages ​
•
order the stages, activities and the tasks in the lesson in a logical way so that one stage builds on
the previous stage and the aims of the lesson are achieved.
d ​The student demonstrates ability to
analyse target language including aspects
of form, meaning and phonology.
The student demonstrates ability to identify
appropriate strategies to develop the
target skills/subskills.
​
For lesson stages which have a language focus, students need to: ​
•
complete the language analysis table in the lesson plan template, analyzing the language to be
taught with attention to form, meaning and phonology ​
•
list possible problems and solutions relating to the analysed language ​
•
show how the problems listed will be dealt with.
For lesson stages which have a skills focus, students need to: ​
•
complete the skills analysis table in the lesson plan template, listing the productive/ receptive skills
and subskills to be focused on in the lesson
•
identify appropriate strategies to be used in the lesson to develop the target skills and subskills
•
list possible problems learners may have with skills wor
•
state how the problems listed will be dealt with.
e ​The student demonstrates ability to plan
the use of appropriate (referenced)
materials and/or resources to be used.
Students need to: ​
•
choose resources, materials, tasks and activities from coursebooks and other sources that match the
lesson aims ​
•
choose resources, materials, tasks and activities which provide variety and maintain a
•
•
•
communicative focus ​
create extra materials and tasks when appropriate ​
present materials for use in the classroom in a professional way, making sure that they can be read
by learners ​
make sure that they have stated where published material comes from to keep with in copyright
laws. ​
RUBRIC TO ASSESS LESSON PLANS
BAND 1
Basic aims are stated
but may be
Aims
inappropriate for the
learner group, poorly
worded and/or there
may be confusion
between aims and
activities.
Some components of the
lesson plan may be
satisfactory while others
Lesson
may show a lack of
components awareness. There may
be some significant
gaps. Suggested timings
may be unrealistic.
Stages,
activities,
tasks
Language
and skills
analysis
BAND 2
Aims are stated but may
be very general,
inappropriate for the
learner group and/or
unclear.
BAND 3
Appropriate aims
are stated and are
generally clearly
expressed. Minor
improvements may
be needed.
BAND 4
Aims are
appropriate and
clearly and fully
expressed.
Most components of the
lesson plan have been
completed satisfactorily.
Some need more detail.
Some timings may be
under or overestimated.
All lesson plan
components have
been completed.
Most are adequately
completed; there
may be occasional
lack of clarity and/
or need for more
detail. Timings are
mostly realistic.
The lesson plan
components have
been completed
and are
appropriately
clear and
detailed. Timings
are realistic.
Individual stages and
activities are included
but may not be
consistently logical or
may not always reflect
the stated aims.
Stages are generally
logical but may not be
fully described or
thought through. Suitable
activities are included
but may lack variety.
Stages are generally
logical and link well
to aims. Activities are
generally
appropriate and
clear, and variety is
provided.
There is a good
balance and
variety of
logically staged
activities which
link clearly to the
stated aims. The
planned lesson is
very clear to the
reader.
The student has selected
materials for skills
development but tasks
may not be present or
appropriate;
terminology may not be
The student selects some
appropriate tasks for
skills development but
may not use terminology
accurately.
The student’s
selection of tasks
demonstrates a good
understanding of
skills development.
There may be
The student’s
selection and
description of
tasks demonstrate
good
understanding of
used accurately.
Use of
materials
Materials have been
selected and are
included with the plan
but may be
inappropriate or poorly
exploited; planned use
may be unclear.
Appropriate materials
have been selected and
are included with the
plan and there is some
evidence of the ability to
exploit materials.
Planned use may not be
fully clear.
occasional mismatch
between description
and task.
skills
development.
Appropriate
materials have been
selected and
included with the
plan and there is
evidence of the
ability to exploit
materials well.
Planned use is
generally clear.
Materials are
appropriate and
well selected and
are exploited to
engage and
actively involve
learners. Some
creativity will be
evident.