ABSTRACT
WHY HAVE WRITTEN LESSON PLANS?
Attitudes about formal lesson plans vary widely among social studies teachers, as do ideas about what needs to be included. In some school districts, lesson planning is treated as if it were a teacher’s primary professional responsibility. Frequently, districts or departments insist that teachers use a standard lesson plan format and supervisors regularly examine teacher plan books to monitor the general quality of lessons. Supervisors also check whether curriculum goals are being met, ensure
that departmental lesson calendars are being respected, and, some teachers suspect, guard against innovation and the introduction of controversial ideas into classroom discussions. Rationales for this approach to lesson planning include the ideas that quality lessons flow from quality lesson plans, that standardized lesson plan formats promote high-level and uniform instruction, and that the regular review of lesson plans is a way to ensure teacher accountability.
