Do you need to learn how to write an effective lesson plan for the LOTE 613 exam?

The lesson plan is 4 percent of the exam. Although that is not a large percentage, every bit counts to help you score a 240 or higher and pass your exam. You have only 35 minutes to write both the lesson plan and the instructional practices essay in English. I recommend allowing 20 minutes for the lesson plan, and 15 minutes for the essay.

Do you need to see an example of the LOTE lesson plan? Download some free lesson plans here.

Check out the Texas NESINC manual rubric (go to that link and scroll down) to learn how to earn a perfect score on the lesson plan.

Keep in mind the lesson plan is only 4 percent of the test, while the pedagogy/instruction and assessment questions are 26.6 percent of the test. Be sure to study for the pedagogy section so you can maximize your chance of passing.

Tips from the Pearson Manual (but modified for Texas Teacher Today)

  • Be sure your lesson plan addresses the objective and that it fully and appropriately addresses the prompt.
  • Your lesson plan must include all the required information (vocabulary your lesson plan will use, materials the lesson will require, a detailed description of the activities and procedures that will be part of the lesson, at least one informal or formal assessment or evaluation of the students’ learning).
  • You should write a minimum of 200 words, but I would recommend at least 250 words.

Helpful Tips from Texas Teacher Today for the LOTE Lesson Plan:

  • All lesson plans should be STUDENT-CENTERED or LEARNER-CENTERED.  That means the activities should have the students actively participating.  Education is no longer teacher-centered, where the teacher lectures for long periods of time.  Of course, a short lecture may be necessary, but students should have hands-on activities and the teacher should be the facilitator.
  • Plan at least three activities in order to address the needs of all types of learners (visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learners).  For visual learners, some pictures, posters, or a video are often effective.  For auditory learners, a catchy song, rhyme, or interesting verbal explanation are useful.  Kinesthetic learners learn by doing, so you need to use manipulatives and hands-on activities.   Some examples of manipulatives are counters to help students learning to add or subtract, or magnetic letters for students to practice spelling.  
  • Always DIFFERENTIATE INSTRUCTION.    This means you plan your instruction and/or evaluation according to the different readiness levels, interests, and needs of students.  You can assign books or worksheets that are different levels of difficulty according to the students’ different ability levels.  When assigning projects, you can give students three or four options to choose from.  When assessing students, use different methods to be sure to notice the different strengths of students.  For example, some students may not be confident at oral presentations, but their written speech may be very effective.  Of course, they should still be required to present, but teachers can count their written speech for part of the grade.  If other students are stronger at presenting, the teacher can focus more on that and less on the writing.  Teachers can find ways to help students capitalize on their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
  • If you don’t know yet, you really need to learn where to put accent marks!  Correct spelling is also important.   Incorrect use of accent marks and spelling, or leaving off accent marks, will really cost you points.
  • You are only required to use one evaluation (formal or informal), but I recommend you include one of each.  If appropriate, explain how you can cater the evaluation to students who are struggling with certain concepts.  Formal assessments include tests, quizzes, and essays.  Informal assessments include projects, oral presentations, reading logs, portfolios, or even the teacher asking students questions and keeping track of their responses.  Both formal and informal assessments are important.  Some students do not perform well under the pressure they feel taking a formal assessment, and an informal assessment may give the teacher more information about what the student actually knows.  For more information, read this article about formal and informal assessments.
  • Be careful to use your time wisely.  You only have 35 minutes to write the lesson plan and the opinion/position essay.
  • Proofread your lesson plan and correct any mistakes.
  • The lesson plan is 4% of the test, so it’s important to learn strategies to prepare for the entire exam.

Published by Courtney Schonefeld

Courtney Schonefeld holds a Standard Certificate to teach in Texas. She has passed the LOTE Spanish, Core Subjects EC-6, Bilingual Education Supplemental, ESL Supplemental, TOPT, and more. She enjoys helping people pass their teaching certification exams to land their dream job. She has over 10 years of experience tutoring and knows how to teach you the pedagogy for the LOTE exam in a simple, clear way.