Setting the right steps: Tips for teachers on primary school lesson planning

by Seamus Gibbons & Emma Lennard

The motivation for writing Sequencing the Primary Curriculum originates from my experiences as a new teacher. Thinking back, I will never forget that warm August day (more years ago than I’d like to admit!) when I first stood in my new classroom. I arrived at school with the intention of backing my classroom boards but soon realised the generic staples I bought didn’t fit my staple gun (who knew you needed specific sizes!). Despite this minor setback, the excitement of finally having my own class was too strong to shake. I read through my class list of new children; familiarised myself with their paperwork; gave up on trying to log onto a sluggish computer; learnt how to unblock the photocopier; discovered I couldn’t access the stationery cupboard until the admin team returned; read countless policies...the list seemed endless.

Before I knew it, I was on my way to the playground to collect 30 children – as prepared as I could be, except for one important aspect. I hadn’t committed the time to understanding the curriculum I would be teaching my class. I knew the topic – Tudors – and I knew everything needed to link through this, but I didn’t know how to sequence what the children should learn, nor did I give careful thought to the individual subjects I would be teaching my Year 4 class through the lens of this topic. What would they know at the end of studying this topic? I wasn’t sure! Instead, I focused on activities: portraits of Henry VIII in art; some Tudor dancing I found online for P.E.; read some Horrible Histories in English...the list continued like this.

When I reflect on my experience, it is easy now for me to recognise how overloaded my working memory was and I lacked guidance from someone more expert. I really needed a book like Sequencing the Primary Curriculum to guide me and help me understand how I should shape my thinking about the curriculum. So, what advice and tips would I give anyone about to embark on their teacher training or their first year of teaching when it comes to curriculum?

Understand what your school already has in place – what existing planning does your school have? Are there any subscriptions to curriculum materials you can review? Can you speak with the person who taught your year group last year?
Know what children need to know before they learn what you are going to teach – what do they need to be able to do already to access your lesson? How can you check this at the start or before your lesson? If they can’t demonstrate this knowledge, don’t be afraid to spend time teaching this as it is essential.
Simplicity is key – always ask yourself, ‘What do I want my children to learn in this lesson?’ and then think ‘What is the easiest way to explain this to the children?’ Avoid including activities which will distract from what you want them to learn.
You can’t know everything, focus on the subject knowledge relating to the year group you are teaching.
Know what resources are available and where you can find them. Don’t leave this until right before you teach your lesson. When choosing resources, think carefully about how they will support what you want them to learn.
If you don’t know much about something you need to teach – ask! Find out who the subject leaders are in your school, they will happily support you.

Sequencing the Primary Curriculum was written to guide you through curriculum thinking in each subject area we are responsible for in primary schools. It has been designed to be used in small manageable chunks, you can dip into it, find the information you need and then apply it to your planning, teaching and learning. I hope it will be a useful tool for you to use as you shape your curriculum. I see the primary curriculum as a journey for the children we teach. As their teachers we must know the beginning, middle and end of that journey so we can guide our children effectively towards the success they all deserve.

Sequencing the Primary Curriculum by Seamus Gibbons & Emma Lennard

“Sequencing the primary curriculum offers clarity in the complex realm of primary education. For newcomers, it's a guiding light. For experienced educators, it’s a resourceful handbook. It does a great job of encapsulating the essential insights of the primary curriculum, and with justified and widespread concern about how overcrowded it is, that is no mean feat.” - Emma Cate Stokes, Schools Week Ed. 340