The Library of Congress

Creating a Lesson Plan

All History is Local

Student Guide: Sample Lesson Plan Outline

Here is a simple outline used by many elementary and junior high teachers for writing lesson plans:

Grade:

Examples: 8 or 10-12.

Objective:

Example: To understand the relationship between population growth and the change from Arkansas Territory (1819) to the State of Arkansas (1836).

Introduction/Background:

Example: Arkansas was part of two other territories--Louisiana, and later Missouri--before it became one itself. At first, the Arkansas Territory included Oklahoma!

Key Terms:

Example: Louisiana Purchase / Louisiana Territory / Missouri Territory / Indian Reservations / Arkansas County of Missouri/ Ordinance of 1787.

Activity:

Examples to be obtained from teachers.

Source Materials:

List the items on your Web page and the relevant entries on your bibliography. List any additional materials and resources the students need to complete the activity.

Closure:

Think of a question about your project that students should be able to answer after completing the activity. Think of other means by which the teacher can ascertain that the students have "mastered" the objective of the lesson.

ADE(Arkansas Department of Education) Curriculum Strand/Objective:

Example: Strand 2: Continuity and Change. Grades 7-12. Objective. 2.1.7:   Investigate the processes and evaluate the impact of change over time in Arkansas using the themes of geography: location, place (human and physical characteristics), movement patterns (people, ideas, goods and services), human-environmental interactions, and regions.