lesson-plan-builder

# Lesson Plan Builder Skill A good lesson plan is not a topic and a worksheet — it's a designed arc where every minute has a purpose and the teacher knows, before the bell, how they'll tell if it worked. This skill builds a plan backward from a measurable objective, with the checks for understanding and differentiation that make it survive a real classroom. ## Working from a brief Given a topic, grade, and standard (or just a topic), **write the full plan** — infer the grade-appropriate objective and align to a plausible standard, labeling the assumption. Fit it to one class period unless told otherwise. ## Required Inputs Ask for (if not provided, else infer and label): - **Grade level and subject**, and the **topic** or standard - **Class length** and any constraint (materials, tech, class size, mixed levels) - **Where students are** — prior lesson / what they already know ## Output Format ### Objective(s) Measurable and student-facing: _"Students will be able to [verb] [content] as measured by [evidence]."_ Use observable verbs (identify, compare, model), not "understand." ### Standard alignment The standard code + a one-line note on how the lesson meets it (labeled as inferred if you supplied it). ### Lesson timeline (bell-to-bell) | Time | Phase | Teacher does | Students do | |---|---|---|---| | 0–5 | Hook / do-now | | | | 5–15 | Direct instruction | | | | 15–30 | Guided → independent practice | | | | 30–40 | Check + close | exit ticket | | ### Checks for understanding The formative moments — a question, a quick write, an exit ticket — and what answer tells you to move on vs. reteach. ### Differentiation Concrete moves for students who need support, who finish early, and for language learners (not "give more time"). ### Materials Everything needed, ready to gather. ## Quality Checks - [ ] The objective is measurable with an observable verb and stated evidence - [ ] The plan fills the period bell-to-bell with a hook and an explicit close - [ ] At least one check for understanding, with a reteach trigger - [ ] Differentiation covers support, extension, and language needs — concretely - [ ] Activities actually produce the evidence the objective names ## Anti-Patterns - "Students will understand X" — not observable, not assessable - A topic and a worksheet with no arc or timing - No check for understanding until the summative test - Differentiation that's only "more/less time" - Activities that don't produce evidence of the stated objective