Block Schedule Lesson Planning: How to Fill 90 Minutes Without Losing Students

Teachers new to block scheduling often make the same mistake: they take a 50-minute lesson and stretch it. The result is a lesson that loses momentum around minute 35 and never recovers.

The key insight is that a 90-minute block isn't one long lesson — it's a sequence of 3–4 connected segments, each with its own purpose, pacing, and energy level.

Segment 1 (20–25 min): Opening + direct instruction. Start with a warm-up or hook, then deliver the core content. This is your most teacher-directed segment.

Segment 2 (30–35 min): Practice + application. Students work — in pairs, groups, or independently — on tasks that apply what you just taught. This is the longest segment and should include at least one transition or format change.

Segment 3 (20–25 min): Synthesis + assessment. Students consolidate learning through discussion, writing, or a formative check. End with a clear closure that connects back to the objective.

Every transition between segments needs a clear cue. 'When you hear the timer, turn your chair to face your partner' is better than 'OK, now we're going to do group work.'

Plan transitions as part of the lesson, not afterthoughts. A good transition takes 60–90 seconds and includes a physical or social shift: stand up, move to a new seat, get new materials, or start talking to a new partner.

Student energy follows a predictable curve in a block: high at the start, dipping around minute 30–40, and potentially recovering near the end if the task is engaging.

Plan your most demanding cognitive work for the first 30 minutes. Put collaborative or movement-based activities in the middle when energy dips. Save synthesis and reflection for the final segment when students can process what they've learned.

If you notice the class flagging at minute 35, that's your cue to shift the format — not to push through with more lecture.

When you set your lesson duration in LessonCraft, the pacing adjusts automatically. A 90-minute plan gets more segments with explicit transition cues, and each section shows its time allocation so you can see at a glance whether the lesson is balanced.