Lesson Plan Templates

A lesson plan template gives the teacher a structure to fill in. Many templates exist. Compares three:

1. Hunter template (USA, 1984)
2. John template (UK, 2004)
3. Tru template (Canada, 2008)

Hunter’s template (1984)

Madeline Hunter’s lesson design model dates to 1984. It became the dominant template in American teacher education and is still used widely today, often in modified form. The template has nine components.

1. Materials and resources. What the teacher needs for the lesson. Listed at the top.

2. Anticipatory set. The opening that captures attention. This is Hunter’s name for what calls a focusing event.

3. Objectives or purpose. What students will learn. Hunter wanted these written in detail with rationale (why these objectives matter).

4. Input. The information the teacher delivers. The content the students need to learn.

5. Model. The teacher demonstrates the skill or concept. Especially important for procedural learning.

6. Check for understanding. Quick assessment during the lesson to see whether students are following.

7. Guided practice. Students try the new skill or apply the new concept with the teacher nearby to help.

8. Closure. The end of the lesson. Summary, connection to next lesson.

9. Independent practice. Homework or follow-up work students do on their own.

Hunter’s template is heavily influenced by Gagné’s nine events. The anticipatory set is Gagné’s gain attention. Objectives match Gagné’s inform of objectives. Input and model match present stimulus and provide guidance. Check for understanding is Gagné’s elicit performance and provide feedback. Closure matches Gagné’s enhance retention.

The template is detailed and prescriptive. A teacher using Hunter writes a relatively long plan with many parts. This works well for new teachers learning to think through every aspect of a lesson.

John’s template (UK, 2004)

John’s template dates to 2004. It was developed in the UK educational context and reflects modern ideas about teaching.

1. Resources. Materials needed. Similar to Hunter.

2. Starter. The opening. John’s name for the focusing event or anticipatory set.

3. Objectives. What students will learn. Less elaborate than Hunter (no separate rationale section).

4. Vocabulary. Specific terms students will need to know. This is unique to John’s template among the three. John’s “input” lives partly in this vocabulary section, with key terms identified explicitly.

5. Main activity. The core of the lesson. What students do.

6. Plenary and assessment of outcomes. Closing the lesson with a whole-class summary and assessment of whether objectives were met.

7. Grouping. How students are organized. Pairs, small groups, whole class. John treats grouping as a deliberate planning decision.

8. Differentiation. How the lesson is adjusted for students of different abilities. This is unique among the three older templates and reflects modern emphasis on equity.

9. Difficulties and successes. A post-lesson section. After the lesson, the teacher notes what went well and what did not.

John’s template puts more weight on grouping and differentiation than Hunter. It also adds the post-lesson section that older templates did not have.

Tru’s template (Canada, 2008)

The Canadian template from Tru is the most recent of the three. It dates to 2008.

1. Resources. Materials needed. Similar to the other two.

2. Introduction. The opening of the lesson.

3. Learning outcomes. What students will learn. Tru uses “learning outcomes” rather than “objectives”, though for most teachers the two terms mean the same thing in this context.

4. Preparation. What the teacher needs to do before class. This is unique to Tru and recognizes that lessons require pre-class work alongside in-class delivery.

5. Teacher-student activities. What happens during the lesson. Tru combines what Hunter separates into Input, Model, and Guided Practice.

6. Closure. The end of the lesson.

7. Extension. Ways to extend the learning beyond the lesson. Connects to other lessons or to home application.

8. Reflections. A post-lesson section. Teacher reflects on the lesson.

Tru’s template emphasizes preparation (before class) and extension (beyond class), recognizing that the 40-50 minute period is part of a longer learning arc.

What the three templates share

Despite their differences, the three templates share core elements.

Resources at the start. All three include a section listing materials needed.

An opening event. Hunter’s anticipatory set, John’s starter, Tru’s introduction. The names differ; the function is the same: capture attention and lead into the topic.

Objectives or learning outcomes. All three include a clear statement of what students will achieve.

Active student engagement. All three include sections where students do something rather than only listen. Hunter’s guided practice. John’s main activity. Tru’s teacher-student activities.

Closure. All three include a closing event.

Assessment. All three include some form of checking whether learning happened. Hunter’s check for understanding. John’s plenary and assessment of outcomes. Tru’s closure (which includes assessment).

The differences are in detail and in what extras each template adds. None of the three replaces the others entirely. A teacher can use any of them and produce a strong plan.

Post-lesson reflection: a modern addition

The most striking difference between Hunter’s classic template and the more recent John and Tru templates is the post-lesson section.

Hunter’s template ends with closure and independent practice. Once the lesson is over, the plan is done.

John adds “difficulties and successes” after closure. Tru adds “reflections”. Both are post-lesson activities. The teacher writes after teaching the lesson, not before.

A lesson plan is more than a delivery script. It is also for reflection. After teaching, the teacher should ask:

1. What worked well in this lesson?
2. What did not work as planned?
3. How did students respond?
4. What changed mid-lesson and why?
5. What would I do differently next time?

The answers feed the next lesson plan. Reflection turns each lesson into an input for the next. Without post-lesson reflection, lessons exist in isolation. With it, they accumulate into a teacher’s growing skill.

The post-lesson section is reflection in action turned into a written habit. The lesson plan document holds the reflection alongside the original plan, making the comparison visible.

A teacher using Hunter’s older template can still add their own reflection section. The principle matters more than the template.

Flashcard

Why do modern lesson plan templates include post-lesson reflection sections that older templates did not?

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Answer

Reflection turns each lesson into input for the next

A lesson plan is more than a delivery script. After teaching, the teacher records what worked, what did not, and how students responded.

These notes feed the next lesson plan. Lessons stop existing in isolation and start accumulating into the teacher’s growing skill.

This is reflective practice (from Schön) made into a written habit.

Choosing a template

A teacher does not have to use any of these specific templates. Many schools, programs, and countries use their own. Sometimes a teacher must use the template their school requires.

The choice matters less than the principles. A good lesson plan, regardless of template:

1. Names objectives clearly.
2. Lists resources needed.
3. Plans an opening that captures attention.
4. Sequences activities thoughtfully.
5. Includes student engagement (active learning).
6. Includes assessment.
7. Closes with summary and connection forward.
8. Includes post-lesson reflection (if not in the template, the teacher adds it).

A teacher who covers all eight of these in any template format produces a strong lesson plan. The structure can vary; the substance must be there.

Flashcard

What eight principles produce a strong lesson plan, regardless of which template a teacher uses?

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Answer

Objectives, resources, opening, sequenced activities, engagement, assessment, closure, reflection

1. Names objectives clearly.

2. Lists resources needed.

3. Plans an opening that captures attention.

4. Sequences activities thoughtfully.

5. Includes student engagement (active learning).

6. Includes assessment.

7. Closes with summary and connection forward.

8. Includes post-lesson reflection.