Three Types of Lesson Plans - Examples

The section below presents examples of a detailed, a semi-detailed, and a brief lesson in this
order. Take note of the differences among the three.

A. Sample detailed lesson plan

__________________________________________________________________________

Sample Detailed Lesson Plan in Grade 8 Science

Subject Matter/Topic: The cell membrane

Target audience: Grade 8
I. Learning Competency: The learners will describe how substances enter and leave the
cells. (S7LT-IIe-5)
II. Learning Objectives:
At the completion of the lesson, the students are expected to:
1. Describe the structure of cell membranes;
2. Describe how the structure of the cell membranes relates with their functions;
3. Explain the orientation of phospholipids;
4. Describe the functions of cell membrane proteins;
5. Justify the presence of cholesterol, glycoproteins, and glycolipids in the membranes.
III. Learning Content/Materials/References
Content/Topic: Substance transport in Cells -
Materials: 3-D model of a cell membrane, Illustrations of phospholipids
References:
Campbell, N. (1994). Biology Concepts and Connections. California: The Benjamin/Cummings
Publishing Company, Inc.

Greenwood, T. & Allan, R.. (2004). Senior Biology 1 and 2. Student Resource and Activity
Manual. New Zealand: BIOZONE International Ltd.

Kent, Michael. (2000). Advanced Biology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

IV. Procedure
TEACHER’S ACTVITY STUDENT ACTIVITY
A. Preliminaries
1. Routine activities: Greetings,
housekeeping, attendance checking
2. Review:
a. Divide the class into three groups, 2a. Students comply as necessary
according to columns. One group will
 represent the prokaryotes and the
remaining two will represent plant cells
and animal cells. 2b. Students stand or seat depending on the
b. Instruct the group to stand when a cell organelle mentioned.
organelle is found in them, and seat when
these organelles are absent. 2c. i. City hall – nucleus
c. Revisit the cell - city analogy. Ask the ii. Factories – ribosomes
organelle equivalents of the following: iii. Recycle bins – lysosomes
i. City Hall iv. Power stations – mitochondria
ii. Factories v. City walls and gates – cell wall, cell
iii. Recycle bins membrane
iv. Power supplies
v. City walls and gates
3. Set induction:
a. Expand the city-cell analogy by asking if 3a. Possible answers – Yes, cities interact
the city can interact with adjacent cities. with other cities.
b. Further ask if the city can exchange 3b. Expected answers – Yes they do.
products with adjacent cities.
c. Lead students to realize that like cities, 3c. Answers should include water, oxygen,
cells enable materials to be brought in food, wastes, etc.
and out of them. Probe by asking what
materials must a cell transport?
4. Lesson preview:
a. a. Let students to recall the cell 4a. Expected answers might be protection,
membrane functions. boundary.
b. Introduce the lesson, saying “Cells must
exchange materials with the external
environment to maintain its normal state.”
c. Mention that the cell membrane, or plasma
membrane is important for homeostasis.
d. Ask the class if they encountered the word
homeostasis before. If not, define
homeostasis as the condition of being
“normal”.
e. Emphasize that in order for a cell to
maintain homeostasis, it must bring in
some materials, and release others.
f. Ask: “What substances must enter cells for 4f. Expected answers might be food, water,
these cells to remain normal?” oxygen.
g. Further ask: “What substances must leave 4g. Expected answers might be wastes,
cells?” carbon dioxide, etc.
h. Mention that substances enter or leave the
cells through the cell membrane.
i. Introduce the lesson objectives and
objective purpose. Emphasize that the
knowledge to be gained in the lesson will
enable them to appreciate one of the
major themes in biology, i.e., the
complementarity of structure and function.
5. Lesson Proper
a. Introduce the term selective permeability,
 or semi permeability, or differential
permeability to refer to the ability of a
material to allow some materials to pass
through, but not others.
b. Emphasize that cell membranes are
selectively permeable, allowing some
materials to enter but not others.
c. Ask: How will you make your windows 5c. Possible answers might be placing a
selectively permeable?” screen on the window.
d. Say: “The selective permeability of cell
membranes can be explained by their
architecture.”
e. Introduce the word fluid-mosaic model as
the latest model used to explain selective
permeability of membranes.
f. Provide a labeled illustration of a cell
membrane. Ask the learners to observe
the structure.
g. Ask: “What two structures comprise most 5g. Possible answers might be phospholipids
of the cell membrane?” and proteins.
h. Ask students to describe a phospholipid. 5h. Accepted answer: It has a head and two
tails.
i. Mention that the head is phosphate and the
tails are lipids.
j. Ask: “How many layers of phospholipids 5i. Answer: two
are there?”
k. Ask: “How are the phospholipids arranged 5i. Possible answers: The heads are
or oriented from the inside or outside the oriented towards the cell exterior and
cell?” interior. This means that the lipid tails
occupy the inner layer of the membrane.

l. Ask: “Why is the orientation such?” Hint 5l. Accepted answers: The heads must be
that the cell’s external and internal attracted with water while the lipids must
environments are made up mostly of be repelled by water.
water. 5m. Accepted answers: the heads are
m. Introduce the words hydrophilic (water- hydrophilic and the tails are hydrophobic.
loving) and hydrophobic (water-fearing).
Ask: “Which part of the phospholipid is
hydrophilic and which is hydrophobic?”
n. Mention that the phospholipids can move
slightly away from each other. They are
not rigid. Instead, they are fluid.

o. Ask: “How are proteins arranged among 5o. Accepted answer: The membranes are
the phospholipids?” positioned randomly along the
p. Mention that the accepted model for the phospholipids.
structure of cell membranes is the fluid-
mosaic model.
q. Ask: “What is described in the words fluid 5q. Accepted answers: The fluidity of the
and mosaic?” phospholipid and the arrangement of the
proteins.
 r. Present the various types and functions of
membrane proteins – transport proteins,
glycoproteins (cell-to-cell recognition),
scaffold proteins (maintain cell shape),
and receptor proteins (control chemical
signaling).

s. Emphasize on the role of cholesterol in

maintaining membrane integrity.
6. Synthesis:
a. Let students summarize the lesson by 6a. Possible answer: The cell membrane is a
describing the cell membrane in terms of double layer of phospholipid, with
the fluid mosaic model. proteins, and other molecules embedded
in the layers.
b. Let learners describe the phospholipids b. Possible answer: The phospholipid is
and how they are oriented. consists of a single hydrophilic head and
two hydrophilic tails. They form two
layers, with the lipid layers occupying the
interior of the membrane.
c. Let students identify and describe the c. Possible answers – Scaffold proteins
functions of the other types of membrane maintain cell shape, glycoproteins allow
proteins. cells to recognize each other, and
receptor proteins receive chemical
d. Let students describe the function of the signals.
cholesterol in cell membranes. d. Possible answer: Maintains membrane
stability

V. Valuing and life applications:

A. Complementary between structure and functions. In any biological entity, structure fits
function. Things are designed according to functions.

B. People must act or behave according to how they are planned or designed.

VI. Assessment:
1. Label the parts of the cell membrane shown:
2. Define the following terms:

a. selectively permeable : _______________________________________________________

b. hydrophobic: _______________________________________________________________
c. hydrophilic: ________________________________________________________________
3. Name the membrane-associated proteins and give their functions.
_______________________________________________________________________

B. Sample semi-detailed lesson plan

Sample Semi-Detailed Lesson Plan in Grade 8 Science

Subject Matter/Topic: The cell membrane

Target audience: Grade 8
I. Learning Competency: The learners will describe how substances enter and leave the
cells. (S7LT-IIe-5)
II. Learning Objectives:
At the completion of the lesson, the students are expected to:
1. Describe the structure of cell membranes;
2. Describe how the structure of the cell membranes relates with their functions;
3. Explain the orientation of phospholipids;
4. Describe the functions of cell membrane proteins;
5. Justify the presence of cholesterol, glycoproteins, and glycolipids in the membranes.
III. Learning Content/Materials/References
Content/Topic: Substance transport in Cells -
Materials: 3-D model of a cell membrane, Illustrations of phospholipids
References:
Campbell, N. (1994). Biology Concepts and Connections. California: The Benjamin/Cummings
Publishing Company, Inc.

Greenwood, T. & Allan, R.. (2004). Senior Biology 1 and 2. Student Resource and Activity
Manual. New Zealand: BIOZONE International Ltd.

Kent, Michael. (2000). Advanced Biology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

IV. Procedure
A. Preliminaries
1. Routine activities: Greetings, housekeeping, attendance checking
2. Review:
a. Divide the class into three groups, according to columns. One group will represent the
prokaryotes and the remaining two will represent plant cells and animal cells.
b. Instruct the group to stand when a cell organelle is found in them, and seat when these
organelles are absent.
c. Revisit the cell - city analogy. Ask the organelle equivalents of the following:
i. City Hall
ii. Factories
iii. Recycle bins
iv. Power supplies
v. City walls and gates
3. Set induction:
a. Expand the city-cell analogy by asking if the city can interact with adjacent cities.
b. Further ask if the city can exchange products with adjacent cities.
c. Lead students to realize that like cities, cells enable materials to be brought in and out of
them. Probe by asking what materials must a cell transport?
4. Lesson preview:
a. a. Let students to recall the cell membrane functions.
b. Introduce the lesson, saying “Cells must exchange materials with the external environment
to maintain its normal state.”
c. Mention that the cell membrane, or plasma membrane is important for homeostasis.
d. Ask the class if they encountered the word hypothesis before. If not, define homeostasis
as the condition of being “normal”.
e. Emphasize that in order for a cell to maintain homeostasis, it must bring in some materials,
and release others.
f. Ask: “What substances must enter cells for these cells to remain normal?”
g. Further ask: “What substances must leave cells?”
h. Mention that substances enter or leave the cells through the cell membrane.
i. Introduce the lesson objectives and objective purpose. Emphasize that the knowledge to
be gained in the lesson will enable them to appreciate one of the major themes in biology,
i.e., the complementarity of structure and function.
5. Lesson Proper:
a. Introduce the term selective permeability, or semi permeability, or differential permeability
to refer to the ability of a material to allow some materials to pass through, but not others.
 b. Emphasize that cell membranes are selectively permeable, allowing some materials to
enter but not others.
c. Ask: How will you make your windows selectively permeable?”
d. Say: “The selective permeability of cell membranes can be explained by their architecture.”
e. Introduce the word fluid-mosaic model as the latest model used to explain selective
permeability of membranes.
f. Provide a labeled illustration of a cell membrane. Ask the learners to observe the structure.
g. Ask: “What two structures comprise most of the cell membrane?”
h. Ask students to describe a phospholipid.
i. Mention that the “head” region is phosphate and the “tails” are lipids.
j. Ask: “How many layers of phospholipids are there?”
k. Ask: “How are the phospholipids arranged or oriented from the inside or outside the cell?”
l. Ask: “Why is the orientation such?” Hint that the cell’s external and internal environments
are made up mostly of water.
m. Introduce the words hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-fearing). Ask:
“Which part of the phospholipid is hydrophilic and which is hydrophobic?”
n. Mention that the phospholipids can move slightly away from each other. They are not
rigid. Instead, they are fluid.
o. Ask: “How are proteins arranged among the phospholipids?”
p. Mention that the accepted model for the structure of cell membranes is the fluid-mosaic
model.
q. Ask: “What is described in the words fluid and mosaic?”
r. Present the various types and functions of membrane proteins – transport proteins,
glycoproteins (cell-to-cell recognition), scaffold proteins (maintain cell shape), and
receptor proteins (control chemical signaling).
s. Emphasize on the role of cholesterol in maintaining membrane integrity.
6. Synthesis:
a. Let students summarize the lesson by describing the cell membrane in terms of the fluid
mosaic model.
b. Let learners describe the phospholipids and how they are oriented.
c. Let students identify and describe the functions of the other types of membrane proteins.
d. Let students describe the function of the cholesterol in cell membranes.

V. Valuing and life applications:

A. Complementary between structure and functions. In any biological entity, structure fits
function. Things are designed according to functions.

B. People must act or behave according to how they are planned or designed.

VI. Assessment:
1. Label the parts of the cell membrane shown:

2. Define the following terms:

a. selectively permeable : _______________________________________________________
b. hydrophobic: _______________________________________________________________
c. hydrophilic: ________________________________________________________________
3. Name the membrane-associated proteins and give their functions.

_______________________________________________________________________

C. Sample brief lesson plan

Brief Lesson Plan in Grade 8 Science

Subject Matter/Topic: The cell membrane

Target audience: Grade 8
I. Learning Competency: The learners will describe how substances enter and leave the
cells. (S7LT-IIe-5)
II. Learning Objectives:
 At the completion of the lesson, the students are expected to:
1. Describe the structure of cell membranes;
2. Describe how the structure of the cell membranes relates with their functions;
3. Explain the orientation of phospholipids;
4. Describe the functions of cell membrane proteins;
5. Justify the presence of cholesterol, glycoproteins, and glycolipids in the membranes.
III. Learning Content/Materials/References
Content/Topic: Substance transport in Cells -
Materials: 3-D model of a cell membrane, Illustrations of phospholipids
References:
Campbell, N. (1994). Biology Concepts and Connections. California: The Benjamin/Cummings
Publishing Company, Inc.

Greenwood, T. & Allan, R.. (2004). Senior Biology 1 and 2. Student Resource and Activity
Manual. New Zealand: BIOZONE International Ltd.

Kent, Michael. (2000). Advanced Biology. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

IV. Procedure
A. Preliminaries
1. Routine activities: Greetings, housekeeping, attendance checking
2. Review:
a. Difference between prokaryotic, plants and animal cells
b. Cell organelles and their function
3. Set induction:
a. Expand the city-cell analogy by asking if the city can interact with adjacent cities.
b. Further ask if the city can exchange products with adjacent cities.
c. Lead students to realize that like cities, cells enable materials to be brought in and out of
them. Probe by asking what materials must a cell transport?
4. Lesson preview:
a. Preview the lesson by sharing the objectives and the objective purpose
b. Ask questions that lead to the understanding on why cells need a cell membrane. Let
student realize the need for cell membranes to be semi-permeable/selectively
permeable/differentially permeable.
5. Lesson Proper:
a. Introduce by defining the terms selective permeability, or semi permeability, or differential
permeability.
 b. Emphasize selective permeability as an important property of biological membranes.
c. Relate selective permeability in membranes with cell membrane architecture.
d. Provide a labeled illustration of a cell membrane. Ask the learners to observe the
structure.
g. Ask: “What two structures comprise most of the cell membrane?”
h. Ask students to describe a phospholipid.
i. Through prompting and probing, students with be lead to the structure of cell membranes.
questioning and
k. Introduce the words hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (water-fearing). Ask:
“Which part of the phospholipid is hydrophilic and which is hydrophobic?”
l. Let students relate the arrangements of phospholipids with their orientations/arrangements
in the cell membrane.
6. Synthesis:
a. Let students summarize the lesson by describing the cell membrane in terms of the fluid
mosaic model.
b. Let learners describe the phospholipids and how they are oriented.
c. Let students identify and describe the functions of the other types of membrane proteins.
d. Let students describe the function of the cholesterol in cell membranes.

V. Valuing and life applications:

A. Complementary between structure and functions. In any biological entity, structure fits
function. Things are designed according to functions.

B. People must act or behave according to how they are planned or designed.

VI. Assessment:
1. Label the parts of the cell membrane.

2. Define the following terms:

a. selectively permeable : _______________________________________________________
b. hydrophobic: _______________________________________________________________
c. hydrophilic: ________________________________________________________________
3. Name the membrane-associated proteins and give their functions.
________________________________________________________________________

Some Advice in Planning (From Guillaume, 2000)

For an effective planning, the following advice should be followed:

1. Focus on thorough treatment of the content. Do not feel that you are pushed along by the
hands of the clock. Rather than simply mentioning topics without explaining them in depth,
consider cutting out topics that you cannot fully explore. Devote your planning efforts to
encouraging lasting and meaningful learning.
2. Plan with a partner or team. Experience and rich supply of ideas help.
3. Anticipate students’ varying responses. Develop alternative plans to address the things that
may go awry.
4. Rehearse, especially if it is the first time you have taught the lesson or if you have a tough
audience.
5. Prepare your materials so you are ready to go. Have your materials at your fingertips so that
you feel clam and prepared as you begin your lesson.

For the specific parts of the lesson plan, the following suggestions are deemed very
important:

Set induction or Motivation:

The set induction or motivation should:
 Arouse and sustain learners’ interest
 Connect to the aim of the lesson
 Challenge students
 Relate to students’ experiences
 Manifest easy transition to the lesson

Review:
In giving the review the teacher should:
 Review prior knowledge or learning at the outset.
 Stop to review after a difficult material is presented.
 Provide a medial review (in the middle of the lesson).
 Provide a summative review.
 Allow students to explain what they know.
 Check for understanding.

Homework:
Strive so that you homework will:
 Grow out of the lesson.
 Be specific and well-defined.
 Varied – option driven.
 Differentiated – allow for different abilities
 Explained and understood