Timing a lesson
The minutes are a starting split made for this tool. They are a rule of thumb, not a college rule.
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A plan with its minutes
Write a number beside each part before the lesson, and give the Demonstrate its minutes first. Here is the renewable energy lesson from A lesson in , as an hour. The last line is the one thing you will drop if you are behind, chosen now while you are calm.
The handout
Renewable energy: 60 minutes
Written on the plan before the lesson, beside each part.
| Part | Minutes | Learners are |
|---|---|---|
| Launch | 5 | Sorting six pictures |
| Establish | 20 | At four stations |
| Apply | 25 | Advising the council |
| Demonstrate | 10 | Answering, one minute each |
- If I am behind at 25 minutes, I drop: the Hydro station.
Your jobSay how long the lesson is and where the time went, and get minutes for each part.
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How long is the lesson?
A number beside each part, a line at the clock, and one thing ready to drop.
Why this works in your room
A number beside each part is what gets you to the end of the lesson.
For your learners: They get to the part where they show what they have learned, which is the part that usually goes missing.
For you: You find out you are behind at the halfway point, with one thing ready to cut, and not with two minutes left.
Before
On the plan
A number beside each part. The Demonstrate's minutes first.
The one thing you will drop if you are behind.
On the board
So the line is no surprise
The time for each task, and when the Demonstrate starts.
At the clock
Same words every lesson
“That is enough from me. You try it now, and I will come round.”
“You are halfway.” “Pens down. One question each.”
Watch out for
It is nearly always the Establish
Explaining feels like teaching, so it is the hardest part to stop.
If you are behind
At the end of the Establish
Cut one thing whole. Make the Demonstrate smaller. Never drop it.
Next step
Ten minutes tomorrow
Put a number beside each part of your next plan. Check the clock at the Establish.
Elsewhere in Bradford ThreadWorks
Big 4Copilot: writing a simple prompt and asking for a draft, such as a summary, a starter or a quiz.Open Big 4 (opens in a new tab)
Lesson WeaverBuild a LEAD lesson plan, or start from the blank LEAD template.Open Lesson Weaver (opens in a new tab)
Prompts to paste into Copilot
Two prompts to paste into Copilot. They are our own wording, not Big 4 training. Change what is in brackets, and leave out learners' names.
Put times on my plan
Here is my lesson plan for a [length] minute [subject] lesson with [level] learners: [paste your plan]. Put a number of minutes beside each part. Keep the last ten minutes for learners to show what they have learned. Tell me which part is most likely to run over, and why.
What could I cut?
Here is my lesson plan: [paste your plan]. If I am ten minutes behind halfway through, what one thing could I leave out whole, so that learners still meet the outcome? Give me two options and what each would cost.
Checking what they learned
Rosenshine's review of what the most effective teachers do includes checking that every learner has understood. That check is the Demonstrate. Giving it its minutes first is our advice to protect it. Rosenshine does not say to plan it first.
Rosenshine, Principles of Instruction, 2012 (opens in a new tab)Planning from the end
Planning backwards from the evidence that learners have learned is the idea behind Understanding by Design. It is a planning method, not research on lesson timing.
Wiggins and McTighe, Understanding by Design
How sure is this?
Not very, for the minutes. The split is a rule of thumb made for this tool. It is not a college rule and it is not from research. The advice to protect the Demonstrate is better supported than the numbers.
No source claimed