As online teachers, we all know that lesson planning can take up a significant amount of time. But what if you could streamline your planning without sacrificing the quality of your classes? In this post, I’ll share five lesson planning hacks that can save you time and keep your lessons engaging and effective—especially when using some fantastic pre-built curricula like Abridge Academy, Young Learners Curriculum, and Teachers Together English.
Why Lesson Planning is Important
Effective lesson planning is the foundation of every great class. It ensures you have a structured approach, helps keep students engaged, and allows you to meet learning goals. But planning doesn’t have to take hours. With the right resources and strategies, you can plan smarter, not harder.
Hack #1: Use Pre-Built Curricula
One of the best ways to save time is by using pre-built curricula. You don’t have to start from scratch every time. Three great options for online teachers are Abridge Academy, Young Learners Curriculum, and Teachers Together English. These are scaffolded curricula designed to support your students’ learning journey.
- Abridge Academy: This curriculum includes level tests to assess each student’s ability and writing courses that help guide students through their writing development.
- Young Learners Curriculum: Specifically designed for younger students, this curriculum includes interactive stories and games, keeping students engaged and entertained while learning.
- Teachers Together English: Offers structured lessons with level tests to ensure each student is learning at the right pace and covers both speaking and writing skills.
By using these curricula, you can reduce your prep time and ensure that each student gets a personalized learning experience.
Source: Abridge Academy Curriculum
Hack #2: Utilize Level Tests to Personalize Lessons
Personalization is key to effective teaching. Both Abridge Academy and Teachers Together English offer level tests to help you determine where each student stands in their language learning journey. By identifying their level, you can tailor your lesson plans to their needs, ensuring you’re not wasting time on content that’s too easy or too challenging.
These tests help you:
- Create a custom learning path for each student.
- Focus on the areas that need improvement.
- Maintain student engagement with content that’s appropriately challenging.
Source: Teachers Together English, Writing Assessment Test.
Hack #3: Incorporate Interactive Games and Stories
For younger learners, it’s crucial to keep things fun and engaging. That’s where the Young Learners Curriculum really shines. It includes interactive stories and games that help reinforce key language skills while keeping kids entertained.
Games and stories not only make learning fun, but they also encourage active participation and build strong language skills through repetition and context. You can use these interactive elements to:
- Reinforce vocabulary.
- Practice sentence structures.
- Encourage critical thinking and problem-solving.
Plus, interactive games are a great way to keep students motivated and reduce burnout during longer lessons.
Hack #4: Stay Organized with Digital Resources
As teachers, we all know how important it is to stay organized. Digital resources are a huge time-saver. Platforms like Twinkl offer ready-made worksheets, flashcards, and lesson plans that you can easily integrate into your teaching. You can use Twinkl’s vast library of resources to:
- Add extra materials to reinforce lessons.
- Keep students engaged with new activities.
- Save time searching for resources.
Staying organized with digital tools like Twinkl not only saves you time but also ensures you always have quality teaching materials at your fingertips.
Hack #5: Repurpose Lesson Plans
Once you’ve put in the effort to create a solid lesson plan, why not reuse it? You can repurpose your lesson plans for different students, making small adjustments based on their individual needs. The pre-built curricula mentioned earlier—Abridge Academy, Young Learners, and Teachers Together English—are all designed with flexibility in mind, so you can reuse them with minimal changes.
Here’s how to repurpose:
- Revisit topics from previous lessons to reinforce learning.
- Switch up activities to keep things fresh and engaging.
- Adapt for different levels using the provided scaffolding in the curricula.
By repurposing lessons, you save time and ensure consistency in your teaching approach.
Hack #6: Use Tools Like Canva, Book Creator, or Genially to Create Your Own Lessons
While pre-built curricula can save you time, sometimes you want to add a personal touch or create custom lessons. Tools like Canva, Book Creator, and Genially make it easy to design visually engaging and interactive lessons.
- Canva: Create custom worksheets, flashcards, and visual aids to complement your lessons. Canva’s drag-and-drop interface and vast library of templates help you create professional-looking materials without any design skills.
- Book Creator: Perfect for creating interactive eBooks or digital books. You can design your own stories, activities, or mini-lessons that students can engage with on their devices.
- Genially: This tool lets you create interactive presentations, quizzes, and games that keep students engaged while reinforcing key learning concepts.
These tools are not only easy to use but also allow you to create personalized, interactive lessons that cater to your students’ needs, making learning more fun and effective.
📌 Related Resource: Teaching Writing Lessons
Conclusion
Lesson planning doesn’t have to be a time-consuming task. By using pre-built curricula like Abridge Academy, Young Learners Curriculum, Teachers Together English, and platforms like Twinkl, you can streamline your planning process while maintaining effectiveness in your classes. Personalize lessons with level tests, keep young learners engaged with interactive stories and games, and stay organized to ensure a smooth teaching experience.
Affiliate Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products and services I trust and use myself.
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