Lesson planning is essential to success in the classroom, but sometimes plans need to change if you’re not getting the desired result or if things outside your control change. Always have a backup plan. Many times I’ve been told minutes before class is about to begin that there will be a 15 minute presentation to all students about the Giving Tree, Rice Bowls or Youth Camp, etc. This means I now have to fit a 60 minute lesson plan into just 45 minutes. There could also be technical difficulties, even traffic and weather issues that impact your class, so flexibility can be key. Be prepared in advance to know where you can shorten your presentation without losing any of the fundamental learning objectives.
Also, be prepared with activities to fill time if need be. I like to carry a packet of jeopardy style questions that I can pull out if we have extra time at the end of the lesson. Other things you can do to stretch time:
- Quiz the students on who can recall Sunday’s gospel reading, and then discuss its meaning in more detail.
- Ask students if they would like to share their community service experiences with the class.
- Have prepared filler segments like, “Why do Catholics Do That?” to explain to the class why Catholics genuflect, bless themselves with holy water, say the rosary, use incense, etc.
- If the Church or the Pope is in the news, you may want to spend a few minutes discussing current events within the Church.
- Introduce a new prayer to your class, share its background and history, and then pray it together.
- Teach the students about a saint.
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