English lesson plan development is critical and key to the qualitative teaching and learning of the English language in our schools, and most importantly the elementary schools. This is for the fact that the English language as one of the most popular languages in the world is gradually and seriously rising to become the most effective means of communication globally.
BACKGROUND OF ENGLISH LESSON PLAN
Apart from enhancing comprehension in communication, proper articulation of the phonemes of the English language also ensures effective communication. Regrettably, nowadays, this primary essence is almost getting eclipsed due to interference from the mother tongue. And with the laissez-affaire attitude of speakers of the English language to ensure efficiency in communication, the problems continue unabated. This is where an effectively and comprehensively developed weekly English lesson plan is key and must not be joked with by the education supervisory and curriculum development and regulatory bodies.
Seriously speaking, planning English language lessons for many teachers is a serious issue for most teachers in our schools today. There are lots of mix-ups in the entire scenario. This is the root cause of massive failure in English language examinations in our, internal, external, and professional examinations. The essence of this article is to educate teachers of the English language on how best to plan English lessons to achieve effective and efficient teaching and learning in our primary schools.
IMPORTANCE OF A WELL DEVELOPED ENGLISH LESSON PLAN
The importance of a well-organized and developed weekly English language lesson plan cannot be over-emphasized. This note is most important for primary school teachers. It should serve as reference material for all elementary English teacher who really desires to effectively, qualitatively, and efficiently deliver their English lessons to the understanding, and admiration of learners at this level of education.
Here are key beautifies of a well-developed English lesson plan:
- An English lesson plan is beautiful amazing documentation designed for extensive and intensive use in the academic field beginning from the kindergarten through higher education for effective and efficient lesson delivery
- The English lesson plan enables English teachers to plan what happens in the classroom during a specified or stipulated period of time in the school timetable providing step-by-step, moment-by-moment details of the lesson taught.
- The weekly English lesson plan enables the teacher to carefully analyze and break down larger topics into sub-topics for easier and more impactful teaching and learning.
- A well-developed English lesson plan gives the teacher the opportunity to adequately prepare for the lesson by putting in place the best instructional materials, instructional techniques, and set inductions to apply during the lesson delivery.
- Fact that you are dealing with children within the age brackets of 2-12 years, a carefully designed English lesson plan can help arouse the learner’s interest in the topic of interest.
- The African English language learning and teaching are so peculiar due to the fact that the English language is more like a borrowed language and our mother tongue has this conflicting effect on every average African child. This is the real reason why a good English lesson plan is necessary.
IMPORTANT FACTS YOU MUST UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN AFRICAN SCHOOLS
There are critical facts about English language learning and teaching in Africa you must appreciate and understand before we proceed into showing you how you can possibly plan your English lesson:
- The English language is a major subject learned in our schools.
- With the English language being a major communicating lingua franca in our school much importance is attached to its teaching and learning.
- That English language is allotted a minimum of five [5] periods per week in our school’s timetable running from Mondays-Fridays.
- That English language is supposed to be taught at least five [5] times a week.
- To teach the English language effectively well, there are styles, skills, and techniques you must observe as an English teacher. These skills and techniques revolve around careful breakdown and planning, and they must be carefully followed.
5 EXCELLENT STEPS ON HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR ENGLISH LESSON PLAN
I am going to carefully enlist and possibly break down, down and structure your English lesson plan such that it can cover the five days in a week. I will try to analyze it in such a way that you can easily comprehend the whole concept. Here are how you should structure your English lesson plan for effective teaching and learning. Don’t forget that it’s taught five [5] times in a week, thus, it should run this way:
- MONDAYS – TREATMENT OF NEW WORDS
It should be established here that every school has English and literature textbooks, scheme and curriculum RECOMMENDED AND APPROVED by the government for schools. It is expected that you, together with your learners should pick out those new and difficult words found in your study passage or module under study. To treat the new words from the passage, do this:
- Allow your learners to identify these words by themselves or help them to identify them early on Fridays and give it to them as a take-home assignment so they can study them before you treat together with them on Mondays.
- Drill your learners on the right spellings and pronunciation of those difficult words.
- Use the repetition, memorization, and dramatization techniques. Use flashcards as one of your instructional materials.
- Discuss the meaning of those words with your class
- Determine their parts of speeches
- Allow them to form or make new sentences using those words.
- Evaluate them by giving them classwork to do.
- TUESDAYS – READING AND COMPREHENSION
What this means is that on Tuesday, you are expected to read the comprehension passages in the module you are creating together with your learners. After a comprehensive reading, comprehension passages can be read with the class grouped into smaller groups to encourage teamwork and better understanding. Give classwork and mark immediately.
- WEDNESDAY – TREATMENT OF EXERCISE
By Wednesday, you are expected to treat the follow-up exercises. The exercises contain the lexis and structures, phonetics, etc. make sure your class is well drilled and can comfortably handle any evaluation/ assignment on their own. Be very sure to start from the known to the unknown. This will certainly enhance their cognitive and affective domain.
- THURSDAY – TREATMENT OF EXERCISES CONTINUES
BY Thursday, you are expected to continue with the treatment of exercises and make sure the lesson is delivered with enough samples to help drive home the specific objectives of the lesson. Make sure the exercises are carefully exhausted. Remember, you cannot and you must not teach what you are not too sure of to avoid further confusing your learners. This is what a good English lesson plan is all about.
- FRIDAY – EVALUATION
Use your Friday period on the English language to run a comprehensive evaluation of the entire lesson taught as contained in your English lesson plan of work. By doing this, you should be able to determine whether you achieved your specific objective.
If your English lesson plan is structured in the format discussed above, I can guarantee you quality teaching and learning in our schools. Our next step should be to sketch out an excellent English lesson plan sample. This I believe will go a long way to boost your understanding of the English language lesson plan.
ENGLISH LESSON PLAN AMAZING SAMPLE
Let it be on record that lesson plans are best presented in tabular format. This enables the presenter to present a clear, clean, simple, and precise English lesson plan. Here is how an English lesson plan for the primary/elementary schools should be presented for further development into a standard weekly lesson note:
PROPOSED SCHEME OF WORK [ENGLISH LESSON PLAN] FOR THE 10TH WEEK ENDING _1ST APRIL 2022
| SUBJECT | CLASS | PERIOD | TOPIC/CONTENT BREAKDOWN |
| ENGLISH LANGUAGE | PRIMARY 3 | 5 | Reading: Eze goes to school [New Oxford – Module 10] |
| [i] | Treatment of new words | ||
| [ii] | Reading and comprehension [pg. 2&4 | ||
| [iii] | Treatment of Exercises | ||
| [iv] | Treatment of exercise contd. – Grammar | ||
| [v] | Test | ||
| MATHEMATICS | 5[i] | ||
| [ii] |
CONCLUSION
You may be wondering why we had Mathematics included in the proposed English lesson plan as reflected above. The reason is that teacher’s weekly proposed scheme of work is a compendium of all the subjects/topics handled by a teacher whatever category you are handling. Your ability to properly break down your lessons into sub-topics and units will make the delivery more quality and effective.
