Time-saving lesson planning tips can make all the difference in creating engaging and organized ESL classes without the stress. Lesson planning is often time-consuming, but with the right strategies, it doesn’t have to be! Whether you’re teaching online or in person, having an efficient approach can save you hours while still delivering high-quality lessons. In this post, we’ll share practical time-saving lesson planning tips to streamline your process and help you maximize your teaching time.
I love delivering fun and engaging lessons to my students and I WISH that I had time to customize my lessons for each and every one of my students but the reality is that I don’t. If I spent time preparing custom lessons for each of my students then I would spend as much or more time preparing as I spend teaching. This would not be the best use of my limited personal time and would mean that I would not have time for other things that I love to do like rug hooking, painting, spending time with friends and family, or camping.
So this sounds pretty strange coming from a curriculum creator. The reality is that I love sharing what I create with other teachers and hearing stories about how their students enjoy the lessons. I love hearing from teachers about a lesson that went well or even a lesson that didn’t go well and their ideas for new games or activities to make the lesson even better. I love when teachers share photos of them using the lessons or photos taken by their students’ parents of the children enjoying the lessons. Every time I teach one of my lessons, I come up with new ways to adjust the lesson to make it even more exciting and most importantly WORK for students.
But the reality is that creating one of the lessons can take hours to build the games and activities and create just the right graphics to make it fun and interesting for students. I spend hours thinking about and researching best practices to ensure that the scope and sequence for my lessons is effective for all students. By doing this, I can create lessons that SAVE YOU time and make your lesson planning quick and easy.
If I Use Structured Lessons Do I Still Need to Plan
But do you still need to plan? Well of course… you need to know what lesson you are teaching each student. You need to know what is coming next and what students have covered. You need to refer to your notes for things that you need to review and reinforce. This is critical to supporting your students’ learning.
But, you do not want to spend all day doing it!! Check out these time-saving lesson planning tips to help you get more time back in your day to spend doing the things that you love.
Why Efficient Lesson Planning Matters
Well-structured lesson plans provide a clear roadmap for both teachers and students. When you plan effectively, you can:
- Reduce last-minute stress
- Increase student engagement
- Ensure lessons align with learning goals
- Create a more enjoyable teaching experience
By implementing these time-saving tips, you’ll be able to focus more on teaching and less on planning!
10 Time-Saving Lesson Planning Tips for ESL Teachers
1. Use a Lesson Plan Template
Having a reusable template keeps your planning process structured and efficient. Include sections for objectives, activities, materials, and assessments.
2. Plan in Batches
Instead of creating lesson plans one at a time, try planning an entire week or month in advance. This approach minimizes decision fatigue and ensures continuity in your lessons. If you are using a structured curriculum from a company such as Florentis Learning, we can help you reduce the time you spend preparing. Looking for even more time-saving lesson planning tips? Check out this article on batch-planning your lessons.
3. Leverage AI Tools
AI-powered tools like ChatGPT can help you generate extra practice activities, discussion questions, and activity ideas in seconds. Simply provide a topic, and let AI do the heavy lifting!
4. Use Pre-Made Resources
Take advantage of ESL worksheets, slides, and interactive activities from trusted sources. Websites such as Florentis Learning and Teachers Together English offer ready-to-use materials to save you time.
5. Implement a Rotating Activity Structure
Instead of planning completely new activities for every lesson, use a set structure that rotates different activities, such as:
- Warm-up (5 minutes)
- Vocabulary practice (10 minutes)
- Reading/listening activity (15 minutes)
- Speaking/writing task (15 minutes)
This consistency reduces planning time and helps students know what to expect.
6. Keep a Digital Lesson Bank
Save your lesson plans, slides, and activities in Google Drive or another cloud-based platform. Reusing and modifying past lesson plans can save hours! This allows you to do a quick keyword search to find a resource that you need to supplement a lesson to support your students’ learning on the fly.
7. Align Lessons with a Curriculum
Following a structured curriculum helps you plan more efficiently and ensures lessons build on previous knowledge. If you don’t have one, check out Florentis Learning or Teachers Together English Curriculum!
8. Use Student Interests to Guide Lessons
Let students’ hobbies and preferences inform your lessons. If students are interested in a topic, they will be more engaged, and planning will feel more natural.
9. Set a Time Limit for Planning
Give yourself a specific amount of time to plan each lesson. Sticking to a deadline forces you to focus on what’s essential.
10. Reflect and Adjust
After each lesson, take a minute to note what worked and what didn’t. Small adjustments over time will make future planning even easier!
Lesson Plan Templates
Another key time-saving lesson planning tips is to use templates to streamline your lesson planning process. Here are some samples. Simply fill in the blanks with your lesson details! Customize them so that they work for you. Consider whether you want a digital template using something such as Notion, a spreadsheet, or whether you prefer to work with good old-fashioned pen and paper.
30-Minute Lesson Plan Template
- Wrap-up & Review (3 min): Quick review or exit ticket
- Objective: What will students learn?
- Warm-up (5 min): Quick activity to engage students (e.g., question of the day, short game)
- Vocabulary Introduction (5 min): Introduce keywords with visuals or examples
- Listening/Reading Activity (10 min): Engage students with a short passage or audio clip
- Speaking/Writing Task (7 min): Apply new vocabulary through discussion or writing
60-Minute Lesson Plan Template
- Objective: What will students learn?
- Warm-up (5 min): Quick engagement activity
- Vocabulary & Discussion (10 min): Introduce keywords and discuss context
- Listening/Reading Activity (15 min): Comprehension task with questions
- Speaking Activity (15 min): Pair or group discussion using target language
- Writing Task (10 min): Short writing assignment to reinforce learning
- Wrap-up & Review (5 min): Final review, feedback, and next steps
Conclusion
Efficient lesson planning doesn’t mean cutting corners—it means working smarter, not harder. By using these time-saving tips, you can create high-quality ESL lessons while freeing up more time to engage with your students.
What’s your favorite time-saving tip for lesson planning? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 🚀
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