Types of Lesson Plan Activities

There are two main categories for items to include in your lesson plans: Lesson Activities and Assessments.  While assessment may well be occurring throughout an activity, and an activity may be in the form of an assessment, we will use this breakdown to help format our lesson plan in CTE Online.

Lesson Activities

Hook Activity or Anticipatory Set

How can you "hook" students at the start of your lesson, focusing their attention so that they are ready to learn?  Start by thinking about your main idea.  What aspect of it could be particularly interesting to the students in your class?  Things that surprise, excite, intrigue, or raise questions are all good starting points.

Some examples include:

• Presenting a short video that grabs the students’ attention
• Asking trivia questions or participating in a  “guessing game” about the topic
• Telling a surprising story
• Carrying out an intriguing demonstration
• Having students observe a process that raises questions

Lecturing Activity

A lecture provides information to students through brief, direct instruction so that they may gain knowledge or a skill.

In this kind of activity, a teacher should:

• State the primary objectives of the lecture in easy, accessible language
• Introduce requisite vocabulary
• Identify how students will be ultimately assessed on their skill and/or knowledge
• Provided a detailed overview of the skill or process
• Illuminate how this skill or information may be applied in the field

Demonstration / Modeling Activity

Through demonstration or modeling, a teacher “shows” how a process works so that students may better conceptualize the material or even model the process themselves.

In this kind of activity, a teacher should:

• Explain all critical aspects of the process
• Reinforce understanding through labeling, categorizing, explaining, and comparing
• Try to balance talking with showing

In this kind of activity, students should:

• Be made to follow along closely
• Be permitted to ask questions
• Take notes or diagram a sequence
• Mimic or follow along themselves by performing the same steps

Guided Practice (Group Work or Lab/Shop) Activity

Guided practices provides students the opportunity to work through an activity or exercise under the teacher's direct supervision and support.

In this kind of activity, a teacher should:

• Guide the whole group, or move through the room to provide one-on-one support
• Continuously monitor for participation
• Remind students of the required elements for eventual evaluation

In this kind of activity, students should:

• Go through all steps of the process or items to be learned
• Have assistance from teacher and/or peers
• Be monitored for participation, but not necessarily evaluated

Independent Practice (Lab/Shop) Activity

Once pupils have gained proficiency with the content or skill, it is time to provide for reinforcement practice!  Depending upon the length of the class or the number of periods this lesson covers, this may happen during class or be extended as homework.

In this kind of activity, a teacher should:

• Define proficiency and mastery
• Provide assistance but less direct guidance and intervention (as deemed safe and appropriate)
• Provide clear conditions governing performance, timelines, expectations, and evaluation elements (such as the use of a rubric)

In this kind of activity, students should:

• Work independently
• Use their notes and materials to assist with their recall and performance
• Monitor closely their own gaps in understanding in relation to what will be expected of them on the final assessment

Closure Activity

A closure activity is typically the last activity in a lesson, designed to “bring it all together” by helping students make sense out of what has just been taught, modeled and guided.

In this kind of activity, a teacher should:

• Provide an informal review of proficiency and identify if any gaps in understanding exist on behalf of individuals or the class
• Identify any real applications of the skill(s) learned for a given trade
• Share how today’s lesson leads into future goals

In this kind of activity, students should:

• Assess their own performance or learning, individually or in pairs
• Identify gaps in their understanding by grading or evaluating themselves and/or asking questions of the instructor
• Review steps, procedures, and information to increase performance on Independent practice
• Identify relevant or practical applications of the skill beyond the classroom

Assessments

Checking for Understanding

Throughout the lesson, teachers should determine whether students are “getting it” before proceeding.  It is important to find times throughout the lesson to check for understanding, not just at the very end!

In this kind of activity, a teacher should:

• Move around the room to ask students individually to summarize the lesson’s objectives
• Engage in small-group or whole-class discussions
• Utilize a system to check for understanding at a glance (“thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down”)
• Clarify the lesson’s expected learning objectives

Projects

Individual and group projects are often known as “informal assessments,” allowing students to provide evidence of their proficiency through activities such as experiments, oral presentations, and portfolios, or assignments such as or journals, essays, and reports. 

In this kind of activity, a teacher should:

• Provide clear expectations by providing students with a rubric and/or guidelines for performance
• Use strategies to ensure that group projects engage all of the students involved
• Look for ways to exhibit student work beyond the classroom for authentic feedback

Formal Assessment

Formal assessments are a systematic way to evaluate how well students are progressing at specific times throughout a lesson, unit or course. These assessments include quizzes and exams.

In this kind of activity, a teacher should:

• Utilize a combination of strategies, such as multiple-choice, True/False, short answer and essay
• Provide questions that are clear and unambiguous (no “trick” questions)
• Review the answers with students after completion to clear up any misunderstandings