Name : Luxolo

Surname:Dabula
Student number : 221632166
Subject : Life Sciences teaching 11 FET
Assessment type : assignment
The value of lesson planning
Creating a lesson plan is an important part of the educational setting because it helps
educators to be well prepared to deliver a lesson for the learners. It helps them to predict
the outcomes of the lesson and conduct a clear lesson with little or no mistakes. Below
are the steps involved in preparing a lesson plan :-
 Define learning objectives : You start by stating what you want to achieve by the
end of the lesson or how far do you want your learners to go when they
accumulate knowledge before the end of your lesson. Your aims should be
specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART).
 Research the topic : Research about the topic and collect data using various
sources of information. You should also research and know about the references
of the data you have collected.
 Plan the lesson structure : The structure of the lesson should include
introduction, content and conclusion.
 Develop activities : You should create class works, home works or class tests
that are in sync with the learning objectives of the lesson plan. These activities
helps the educator to see how far the learners have gone with the lesson and
predict how they can perform for the next tasks.
 Prepare materials : List all the materials that you will need during the lesson.
Preparing Learner teacher support material (LTSM) is a basic part of the
preparation for the lesson.
  Assessment : Determine how will you check whether the students have
understood the lesson or not. This can be done through quizzes ,discussions or
practical tasks.
 Harvard referencing : You should use in-text citations to show sources of the
data you have collected e.g the name of an author or publisher and the year in
which the information was published.
 Compile a reference list : Write down the reference list at the end of the lesson
plan. The reference list should include author’s surname and initials , year of
publication, title of the work and place of publication. References should be
written in an alphabetical order e.g if the last entry started with H, the next one
below will start with I.
 Review and revise : You should check if your lesson plan and references are
correct and make sure that it meets the objectives of your lesson plan. Your
references must be written according to Harvard style of referencing.
 Feedback : After the lesson you should outline the mistakes that occurred
during the lesson and decide how can you correct them or help the learners to
improve in order to meet the desired results.

A productive lesson in Life Sciences includes the following components :

 Clear learning objectives : Students should be given a clear understanding of what they
are expected to learn and achieve by the end of the lesson because that makes the process
clear for both teaching and learning.
 Engaging instructional strategies: This involves using variety of teaching strategies to
accommodate different learning styles and cognitive levels which make the lesson
successful.
 Assessment for learning: Assessment is important to check the learner’s progress and it
should be done regularly to make the lesson successful.
 Formal assessment: This includes tests and assignments that contribute to final marks and
it helps teachers to check the learner’s knowledge and skills.
 Practical skills integration: Practical skills should be taught to ensure that students can
apply their knowledge to real life.
  Feedback and reflection: Regular feedback helps both the teachers and students to realize
the areas to improve.
 Content coverage: All the subject matter should be covered and it should correspond with
the curriculum to provide good understanding of the subject matter.
 Cognitive skill development: Teachers should give tasks that cater for different cognitive
skills to develop problem-solving skills.

Below are the challenges in designing an accommodating lesson plan:

 Resource limitations: There may be few or no good resources to cater for different
learning needs.
 Time management: It takes much time to design a successful lesson plan .
 Learning environment: Creating an accommodating classroom environment is hard and
this disables successful lesson.
 Diverse learner profiles : Teachers should consider different academic levels and
backgrounds for students. This makes the lesson planning difficult.
 Assessment challenges: Designing assessments that are accommodating for different
learners is difficult because it involves creating different types of assessment.

In conclusion, life science teachers should understand that Life Sciences is more about
understanding structures and their adaptability to perform their function when designing a lesson
plans. Understanding these structures can help students to define concepts in Life Sciences and
deal with practical tasks. These lesson plans should be done regularly and correct because Life
Sciences is a complicated subject and it needs enough preparation.
References

• Department of Basic Education, South Africa. (2018). Life Sciences Section 4. [Online]
Available at: education.gov.za (Accessed: 31 May 2024) 1

• Department of Education. (2008). Adaptation of Learning Programmes, Work Schedules

and Lesson Plans to Accommodate All Learners in an Inclusive Education System 2

• Department of Basic Education, South Africa. (2020). Life Sciences Grade 11 Teacher’s
Guide. [Online] Available at: education.gov.za (Accessed: 31 May 2024) 2

• Monakali, B. (2024) ‘Value of lesson planning essay’, Studocu. Available at: studocu.com
(Accessed: 31 May 2024) 2

• Olinghouse, N. (2008).Accommodating and Modifying Lessons for Diverse Learners 1

• Padayichie, K. (2022) ‘The Value of Lesson Planning’, Structural Learning. Available at:
structural-learning.com (Accessed: 31 May 2024) 1

• SchoolNet South Africa. (2007). Life Sciences. [Online] Available at: schoolnet.org.za
(Accessed: 31 May 2024) 3

• William & Mary School of Education. (2022) ‘The Importance of Lesson Planning’,
William & Mary. Available at: education.wm.edu (Accessed: 31 May 2024) 3