5 Time-Saving Hacks to Streamline Your Lesson Planning

Planning Lessons Doesn’t Have to Take All Weekend – Here’s How!

As a fellow teacher, I know you know how quickly lesson planning can take over our evenings and weekends. It seems never ending. But you know what? It doesn't have to be this way!

With a few simple strategies, you can streamline your planning and get back some valuable time.

Here are five game-changing hacks to help you plan faster and more efficiently:

Hack #1: Batch Plan Lessons by Unit or Topic

Instead of planning one lesson at a time, try planning an entire unit or topic in one go. This way, you maintain continuity in the lessons and save time by focusing on a single subject area.

Here's what I recommend:

• Break down the unit into key lessons and subtopics.
• Map out what you need to cover over a term or month, so you can identify overlapping resources and ideas.
• Pre-plan starter activities and exit tickets for each lesson in the unit.
• Create a template for your lessons that can be quickly filled in with content.

Have you ever tried batch planning your lessons? Give it a try, and let me know how it works for you!

Hack #2: Use Pre-Made Resources and Adapt Them

Don’t reinvent the wheel. There are thousands of high-quality lesson plans and teaching resources available online. Find one that suits your style and adapt it to your class's specific needs.

Here's what I recommend:

• Utilize platforms like TES, Teachers Pay Teachers, or even subject-specific forums.
• Slightly tweak pre-made resources rather than building your own from scratch.
• Save all adapted resources for future use; you can make them even more efficient the next time you use them.

Where do you currently get your lesson resources? If you’re struggling to find good ones, check out my ready-made A-Level biology lesson bundles!

Hack #3: Use Templates for Repetitive Tasks

For lesson structures or tasks that you frequently repeat—like starter activities, plenaries, or homework—create reusable templates. This reduces the time spent planning these parts and ensures consistency.

Here's what I recommend:

• Design a few go-to lesson formats that you can modify quickly.
• Create templates for homework assignments, worksheets, or quizzes that can easily be tailored to different topics.
• Have a checklist of lesson components (e.g., objectives, starter activity, main content, plenary) to speed up the process.

Hack #4: Use AI Tools to Help with Lesson Ideas and Planning

Leverage technology and AI tools like ChatGPT to generate ideas, simplify tasks, and even create differentiated activities or lesson outlines.

Here's what I recommend:

• Use AI to generate creative lesson ideas or prompts for student activities.
• Ask AI tools to help generate multiple-choice questions, writing prompts, or discussion topics.
• Use text-based AI tools to summarize difficult topics into simpler language for struggling students.

Curious about how AI can fit into your lesson planning routine? Check out my free ChatGPT prompt sheet for teachers to explore how you can save even more time!

Hack #5: Plan with Flexibility in Mind

Not every lesson will go exactly to plan, and that’s okay! Build flexibility into your lesson plans by having quick extension activities for early finishers and backup tasks for when things go wrong.

Here's what I recommend:

• Have an "emergency activity" for days when your tech doesn’t work or things go off-track.
• Keep a few flexible, open-ended discussion questions or tasks that can be used in various lessons.
• Design activities that can be shortened or expanded depending on how much time you have left.

What are your go-to backup activities when a lesson doesn’t go to plan? Commend below and share your ideas!

Overall, lesson planning doesn’t have to take over your life. By using these five hacks, you can streamline your process, reduce stress, and reclaim your time. Which of these will you try first? Comment and let me know!

P.S. If you want even more time-saving tips, resources, and lesson plans, check out my A-Level and GCSE biology bundles, or consider joining my coaching program to find out how you can make even bigger changes to your teaching workload!

P.S. Stay tuned for next week’s blog, where I’ll be sharing creative ideas for how teaching Biological Molecules!