Teaching resources
Blog & resources
Practical guides on lesson planning, differentiation, assessment, and instructional strategies — written for teachers who are short on time and long on standards to cover.
How to Differentiate a Lesson Plan: A Practical Guide for Teachers
Differentiation doesn't mean creating three separate lessons. It means building one strong plan with built-in flexibility. Here's how to do it practically.
Block Schedule Lesson Planning: How to Fill 90 Minutes Without Losing Students
Block schedules give you more time, but that extra time can become a liability if the lesson drags. Here's how to structure 90 minutes so every segment earns its place.
The 5E Lesson Plan Model Explained: When to Use It and How to Adapt It
The 5E model is everywhere in science education, but it works across subjects when you understand its logic. Here's how to use it — and when to deviate.
Lesson Planning for New Teachers: A No-Nonsense Starter Guide
Your first year of teaching is overwhelming enough without spending 3 hours on every lesson plan. Here's what actually matters and what you can skip.
Formative Assessment Strategies That Actually Inform Instruction
Formative assessment only works if you actually use the data to change what happens next. Here are strategies that give you actionable information, not just data points.
Scaffolding Strategies for Mixed-Ability Classes
Every class is mixed-ability. The question isn't whether to scaffold — it's how to scaffold without creating a separate lesson for every student.
Sample Lesson Plans with Timing: Real Examples Teachers Can Adapt
If you want to see what a complete lesson looks like before creating your own, these sample lesson plans show real pacing, section flow, and assessment criteria.
AI Lesson Plan Generators: What Teachers Actually Need to Know
AI lesson plan generators are everywhere now, but most teachers aren't sure what they can actually trust. Here's a clear-eyed look at what works, what doesn't, and what to look for.
How to Write Lesson Plan Objectives That Actually Guide Your Teaching
A strong objective isn't just an admin checkbox — it's the anchor that holds your entire lesson together. Here's how to write one that actually helps you teach.
Classroom Management Strategies That Support Instruction, Not Just Control
Good classroom management isn't about silence — it's about structure that makes learning possible. Here are strategies that actually work during instruction.
Weekly Lesson Planning: A Template and Process That Saves Hours
Sunday-night planning panic is optional. Here's a weekly planning process that takes under an hour and produces plans you can actually teach from.
Project-Based Learning Lesson Plans: Structure Without Killing the Inquiry
Project-based learning fails when it's all freedom and no structure. It also fails when it's all structure and no freedom. Here's how to find the sweet spot.
The Sunday Night Lesson Planning System That Cuts Prep Time in Half
You don't need more hours — you need a better system. Here's a Sunday planning routine that gets the whole week prepped in under 60 minutes.
Unit Plan vs Lesson Plan: What to Write and What to Skip
A unit plan and a lesson plan serve different purposes. Confusing the two means you either over-plan daily lessons or under-plan the unit arc.
How to Write a Lesson Plan in 15 Minutes
You don't need an hour per lesson. With the right sequence, you can write a plan that's structured, differentiated, and assessable in 15 minutes flat.
Minute-by-Minute Lesson Plans: When They Help and When They Hurt
Minute-by-minute pacing is powerful for new teachers and observations. But over-scripting every lesson can make you rigid when students need flexibility.
Differentiation Strategies for ELL Students That Don't Add Prep
Supporting ELL students doesn't require a separate lesson. It requires strategic moves embedded in the lesson you're already planning.
IEP and 504 Accommodations: How to Bake Them Into Your Lesson Flow
Accommodations on paper mean nothing if they don't show up in the lesson. Here's how to plan so IEP and 504 supports are built into the flow, not bolted on.
Formative Assessment Exit Tickets: 25 Prompts by Subject
The best exit ticket is one question, tied to today's objective, that tells you who got it and who didn't. Here are 25 ready-to-use prompts by subject.
The "Do Now" Bank: Starters That Create Momentum
The first 3 minutes of class set the tone for everything after. A strong Do Now gets students thinking before you even start teaching.
Bell Ringers That Actually Lead Into the Lesson
A bell ringer should be a bridge to the lesson, not a time-filler. Here's how to design starters that build directly into your instruction.
45-Minute Lesson Plan Template for Middle School
Forty-five minutes is tight. Every segment needs to earn its place. Here's a template that fits a complete lesson — opening, instruction, practice, and assessment — into a realistic middle school period.
30-Minute Lesson Plan Template for K–2
Young learners need short segments, movement, and clear routines. This 30-minute template keeps K–2 students engaged from carpet time to closure.
Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Template That Includes Checks for Understanding
Direct instruction gets a bad reputation, but when it includes checks for understanding and gradual release, it's one of the most effective structures for teaching new content.
Discussion Lesson Plan Template: Protocols That Prevent Dead Air
Discussion-based lessons fail when students don't know how to discuss. The fix isn't more enthusiasm — it's better protocols.
Review Day Lesson Plans That Don't Turn Into Chaos
Review days don't have to be a free-for-all. With the right structure, they become the most productive day of the unit.
Classroom Routines to Include in Every Lesson Plan
The routines you plan are more important than the activities. When routines run smoothly, the lesson teaches itself.
Planning for Student Behavior: Transitions That Reduce Disruptions
Most behavior problems happen during transitions. Plan the transition, and the behavior takes care of itself.
Science Lab Lesson Plan Template: Safety, Roles, and Data
Lab days require more planning, not less. Safety, roles, data collection, and clean-up all need to be in the plan before students touch any equipment.
CER Writing Lesson Plan Template for Science
CER writing is how scientists think. Teaching it requires explicit modeling, sentence frames, and practice with real data — here's how to plan for it.
ELA Close Reading Lesson Plan Template With Annotation Checkpoints
Close reading isn't just 're-read it.' It's a structured process of reading, annotating, discussing, and analyzing — and each step needs to be in the plan.
Persuasive Writing Lesson Plan: Claim–Evidence–Reasoning Scaffolds
Persuasive writing is a skill students will use forever. Teaching it well means scaffolding the claim, the evidence selection, and the reasoning — not just the essay format.
Math Lesson Planning: Where Students Get Stuck and How to Plan for It
Great math lessons anticipate mistakes. When you know where students will get stuck, you can plan the scaffolds, examples, and checks that prevent frustration.
Social Studies Primary Source Lesson Plan Template
Primary sources bring history to life — but only if students know how to read them. This template structures the analysis so students think like historians.
PE Lesson Plan Template With Modifications for All Fitness Levels
PE lesson plans need the same structure as academic lessons: a warm-up, instruction, practice, and assessment. Plus modifications so every student can participate.
World Language Speaking Lesson Plan Template With Sentence Frames
Speaking practice is the hardest skill to plan for because it requires structured input before students can produce output. Here's how to sequence a speaking lesson.
How to Build a Shared Lesson Template for Your Department
A shared template doesn't mean cookie-cutter lessons. It means a common structure that makes collaboration easier and supports the teachers who need it most.
Free vs Paid Lesson Plan Generator: What Teachers Actually Get
Free tools can be enough for some classrooms, but not all. Here's how to evaluate when free works and when paid features actually pay for themselves.
ChatGPT vs LessonCraft for Lesson Planning: Which One Saves More Teacher Time?
Both tools can generate lesson ideas. The real difference is how much work is left for the teacher before class starts.
How to Plan ELL, IEP, and Gifted Supports in One Lesson
Inclusive planning is not three different lessons. It's one objective with deliberate supports, accommodations, and extensions mapped to the same core task.
How to Reduce Sunday Lesson Planning Time Without Lowering Quality
Most Sunday planning overload comes from repeated decisions. Here's a weekly system that protects quality and gives you your weekend back.
Lesson Plan Templates by Subject and Grade: What to Use and When
Not every lesson template works for every classroom. Match your template to subject demands, grade-level attention span, and assessment goals.
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