Though necessary, lesson planning can take up a sizable chunk of teachers’ time. According to one study, lesson planning can take up so much time that the average district allows elementary teachers about one class period per day (47 minutes) for lesson preparation and planning, roughly 10% of their scheduled workday.
Many more educators are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help develop their lesson plans and save time. HMH’s 2024 Educator Confidence Report results found that 47% of educators say that AI can help with lesson plan creation.
Regardless of whether it was written with or without AI, effective lesson plans are undoubtedly important. In this article, we will share lesson plan examples for elementary classrooms. But first, let’s delve into the elements of effective lesson plans.
Elements of an effective lesson plan
Effective lesson plans use the available classroom time for more than just delivering the lesson, such as allowing time for students to put into practice what they have learned. The most effective lesson plans contain all the information and steps necessary to teach the lesson, along with the time each step should take.
There is a range of information you can include in your lesson plan depending on your class needs and your school's goals and recommendations. Lesson plans may include the following elements:
- Title
- Duration
- Standard(s)
- Grade level
- Subject
- Topic(s)
- Objectives/learning goal(s)
- Materials
- Vocabulary
- Introduction
- Steps
- Modeling
- Practice
- Differentiation option(s)
- Homework
- Suggested assessment(s)
HMH Classcraft makes planning and preparing for whole-class instruction easy by merging instruction, discussions and formative assessments into a single resource. Educators can quickly review key information like learning goals, instructional segments, and standards before teaching a session.
Sample lesson plans for elementary school
Whether you are a new teacher or just looking for fresh lesson plan ideas, we have plenty of examples. For instance, our science lesson plans on conservation display some of the elements of an effective lesson plan mentioned before.
- Grades 1–2 Science Activities: Conservation
- Grades 3–5 Science Activities: Conservation
- Grades 6–8 Science Activities: Conservation
- Grades 9–12 Science Activities: Conservation
Many programs allow educators to customize pre-made lesson plans. Into Reading has editable lesson plans like the example shown below. The template includes sections for what teachers could cover in foundational skills, reading and vocabulary, and writing and grammar.
Lesson plans can be customized based on the classroom. For example, teachers may want to include options for differentiation in their lesson plans to support a variety of learners. Below are two ELA lesson plan templates that can be used with Into Reading. Each template includes dedicated sections for planning whole-class and small-group instruction, along with space under “Instructional Notes” to document differentiation strategies.
We have plenty of math-specific lesson plans on our site. The lesson plans include elements such as standards covered, materials, prerequisite skills and concepts, preparation, additional steps to cover, wrap-up, and assessment ideas. There are a few examples below, but take a look at the math activities on our blog Shaped for a full up-to-date list.
Try these 7 small-group math activities and lessons to make math learning fun and improve student outcomes
Use this lesson to teach students array multiplication, array division, along with other visual aids to show the relationship between multiplication and division.
A place-value system is one in which the position of a digit in a number determines its value, and a place-value chart is a way to make sure digits are in the correct places.
Though technology will never replace teachers, it can support making lesson plans. Generative AI tools can provide a solid foundation for developing lesson plans, but it's important to critically evaluate their responses and be mindful of potential biases. Writable, HMH's digital writing program, uses AI to create writing prompts and give teachers actionable feedback and recommendations.
Technology can aid lesson planning in other ways, too, such as collecting and assessing data to know where to focus, incorporating interactive polls, playing videos or games, and much more.
Share your favorite lesson plans
Do you have a tried-and-true sample lesson plan for elementary school that you especially love? Share your elementary lesson plan examples ideas with us on Instagram or via email at shaped@hmhco.com.
Explore Shaped for more guidance on how to create lesson plans and free lesson plans.
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This article was adapted from a blog post initially developed by the education technology company Classcraft, which was acquired by HMH in 2023. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of HMH.
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