Creating and Managing Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans are templated learning activities that can guide both teachers and students in the structure and sequencing of a lesson. Lesson Plans can be added to Projects, Units or Class Pages. 

Lesson Plans can only be built using the Course Builder component on a Unit Page or by using the Course Outline component on a Homepage. Lesson Plans can be shown through the use of the Course Outline on a Homepage.

On this page, you will find the following information:

• Create a Lesson Plan Template (for Superusers)
• Manage a Lesson Plan Template (for Superusers)
• Set up the AI Lesson Plan Generator (for Superusers)
• Create a Lesson Plan on a Unit Page (for school staff)
• Create or modify a Lesson Plan on a Class Page (for school staff)
• Change the location of a Lesson Plan (for school staff)
• Link Activities to a Lesson Plan (for school staff)
   

You can also go back to Overview of Lesson Plans.

As a Superuser, you can create Lesson Plan templates to help your school staff create Lesson Plans. School staff must have at least one Lesson Plan Template to begin creating Lesson Plans.

Note: If you, as a school staff, need to create a lesson plan template, you must contact your school’s Superuser. To help you with the initial set-up of templates, several pre-populated templates are available for you to modify/preview.

To create a lesson plan template:

1. In Schoolbox, go to Administration > LMS > Lesson Plan Templates.
   This opens the Lesson Plan Templates page for you.
    
2. Next, select the icon to create a new lesson plan template.
   Note: You can also select the modify icon to edit an existing lesson plan template. 
    
3.  In Title, enter the main name of the lesson plan. It must summarise the overall topic or focus of the lesson. For example, ‘Introduction to Fractions’.
    
4. In Fields, enter the ‘field title’ which is going to be visible to students if you mark the checkbox. These guide the structure and help the school staff fill in the lesson plan clearly.
   It is the label or heading for specific sections within the lesson plan to organise information by category. For example, Learning Objectives, Materials Needed, Instructional Steps.
    
5. In Field Description, enter a short explanation or instruction that tells you what kind of information to enter in a specific field (section). 
   This will help guide the school staff on how to fill out each part of the lesson plan.
   For example, for the field title ‘Learning Objectives’ you can enter the field description as ‘Describe what students should know or be able to do’.
    
6.  In Body, enter the detailed information for each field — your objectives, steps, materials, etc. 
   For example, for the field title ‘Learning Objectives’  you can enter the text in Body as ‘Students will identify the main idea in a short passage’.
   
   Notes: 
   • To add more fields, you can select +Add a new field and follow steps 4 through 6.
   • To delete any field, select the icon. A Lesson Plan must include at least one field.
   • See how you can Set up the AI Lesson Plan Generator (for Superusers).
      
7. When done, select Save.
   You’ve now created a lesson plan template for your school staff to use.

Superusers can manage Lesson Plan Templates in a school. If you as a school staff want to modify a lesson plan template, you must contact your school’s Superuser to do this for you.

For a Superuser to manage a Lesson Plan Template:

1. In Schoolbox, go to Administration > LMS > Lesson Plan Templates.
   The Lesson Plan Template List page appears.
   
   Note - You can select the template name to preview the details of the Lesson Plan template. Then, select the icon to close it.
    
2. Next, select the icon to edit a Lesson Plan Template.
    
3. When done, select Save.

Notes - 

• To disable the Lesson Plan Template's visibility for school staff, select the 3-dot menu icon for each template and then select Disable visibility.
• To delete a Lesson Plan Template, select the 3-dot menu icon for each template and then select Delete template.

As a Superuser, you can set up the AI Lesson Plan Generator to create a template for school staff, making it easier for them to use the tool effectively.

To set up the AI Lesson Plan Generator:

1. In Schoolbox, go to Administration > System Settings > AI Services. 
   This opens the AI services page for you.
    
2. Next, in OpenAI Model, select from the drop-down list which AI model you wish to use. See AI Feature Availability.
    
3. When done, go to Administration > LMS > Lesson Plan Templates.
   This opens the Lesson Plan Templates page for you.
    
4. Next, select icon to create a new lesson plan template.
   Note: You can also select the modify icon to edit an existing lesson plan template.
    
5. In Title, enter the main name of the lesson plan. It must summarise the overall topic or focus of the lesson. For example, ‘Introduction to Fractions’.
    
6. In Fields, enter the ‘field title’, which is going to be visible to students if you mark the checkbox. These guide the structure and help the school staff fill in the lesson plan clearly.
   It is the label or heading for specific sections within the lesson plan to organise information by category. For example, Learning Objectives, Materials Needed, Instructional Steps.
    
7. In Field Description, enter a short explanation or instruction that tells you what kind of information to enter in a specific field (section). 
   This will help guide the school staff on how to fill out each part of the lesson plan.
   For example, for the field title ‘Learning Objectives’, you can enter the field description as ‘Describe what students should know or be able to do’.
    
8. In Body, enter the detailed information for each field — your objectives, steps, materials, etc. 
   For example, for the field title ‘Learning Objectives’, you can enter the text in the Body as ‘Students will identify the main idea in a short passage’.
   Note: To add more fields, you can select +Add a new field and follow steps 6 through 8.
    
9. When done, select Save.
   You’ve now used the AI Lesson Plan Generator to create the lesson plan template for the school staff to use.
    

Note: To turn off AI for all users, remove the AI token from Administration > System Settings > AI Services and select Save.

A Superuser creates Lesson Plan Templates to help school staff create Lesson Plans. If there are no lesson plan templates available, school staff must contact the school’s Superuser.

To create a Lesson Plan on a Unit Page:

1. Go to the Unit for which you want to create a Lesson Plan.
    
2. Then, go to the Course Builder component.
    
3. Select Create Activity.
    
4. Select Lesson Plan.
    
5. Next, select the template's name to preview it.
    
6. When you’ve decided on the template, select Use template.
   The Create Lesson Plan page appears.
   Note - To use a Lesson Plan Template without previewing it, select the arrow icon next to the template. This opens the Create Lesson Plan page.
    
7. In Title, enter the name of the lesson plan. This is a mandatory field.
    
8. In Curriculum Codes, enter the codes that link your lesson to the required learning goals or standards for a subject and grade level. 
   You can also select Browse to select curriculum outcomes. When you select a curriculum from within a course:
   • The 'Current' tab displays curriculum outcomes that have been assigned at the unit level. For example, when viewing curriculum codes within a unit, this tab will show outcomes that are mapped at the course level.
   • The 'All' tab displays the full list of curriculum outcomes from the selected framework, including those that haven't yet been used, mapped, or linked to any course or activity.
     Note:
     Curriculum outcomes are not automatically mapped - they need to be manually tagged at each level. Each activity can be linked to the relevant curriculum outcomes, but you'll only see them in the 'Current' tab if the level above (like the course or unit) has already been mapped. 
      
9. Select Generate lesson plan with AI to use the AI lesson Plan generator to help you write your lesson plan more efficiently.
   This opens a new window for you.
   Note: If you don’t use the “Generate Lesson Plan with AI” option, the lesson plan page will work just as it did before, and the lesson plan can still be created manually for each section..
    
10. Next, select one or more sections of your lesson plan where you want AI support. You can also select all. 
    The sections available to you are the ‘field titles’ defined by your school’s Superuser in the AI Lesson Plan Template.
    Note: For each section listed, you can view the related ‘field description’ by hovering over the tooltip. This description serves as guidance to help you understand what to enter in that section.
     
11. In Lesson Plan Duration, enter text to guide the OpenAI engine on how much content to generate, recognising that lesson plans can vary in length.
    Note: This is a text-only field meant for school staff to fill in, and it won’t be visible to anyone else.
     
12. In Additional Context, you can add more instructions. 
    You can also include details like learning objectives, what your students already know, available resources, how you differentiate, how you prefer to assess, and anything else that helps the AI create a plan that fits your teaching needs.
     
13. When done, select Generate lesson plan with AI. 
    This generates an AI output for you to view.
    Note: If you want to try again, you can go back to edit the additional context and generate a new plan.
     
14. When done, select Add to Lesson Plan. 
    This adds the generated content to all the lesson plan fields.
    Note: You will select Add all to Lesson Plan if you selected more than one section in the window.
     
15. Once added to the lesson plan, if you need to update content further with AI, you can:
    • Select Regenerate lesson plan with AI to update all fields, and then select Regenerate with AI to update all fields.
      (OR)

    • Select Regenerate with AI to update each field’s content. When done, select Regenerate with AI and then select Add to Lesson Plan.

      Note: The AI Lesson Plan Generator works based on the Schoolbox plan your school is subscribed to. 
       

16. In Attach files, you can drag and drop files to upload them if needed.
     
17. To make the Lesson Plan visible to students, toggle the setting to ON.
     
18. In Publish Date, select the date you want the lesson plans to be visible to students.
    Note - Only fields that you selected as visible to students on the template will be made visible.
     
19. When done, select Create.
    You’ve now created a Lesson Plan on a Unit Page. 

As a school staff, you can create or modify a Lesson Plan on a Class page.

To do this:

1. Go to the appropriate Class Page.
    
2. Then, go to the Course Outline component.
    
3. Select the 3-dot menu iconand select Lesson Plan next to the unit to which you are adding the Learning Activity.
   Alternatively, you can select the 3-dot menu iconnext to the Lesson Plan you wish to modify.
   
   Note - To preview a Lesson Plan Template, select the eye icon. To select a Lesson Plan Template to use, select the name of the template.
    
4. In Title, enter the name of the lesson plan. This is a mandatory field.
    
5. In Lesson Date, enter the date of the lesson plan. It is the specific day the lesson will be taught.
    
6. In Curriculum Codes, enter the codes that link your lesson to the required learning goals or standards for a subject and grade level.
   You can also select Browse to select curriculum outcomes. When you select a curriculum from within a course:
   • The 'Current' tab displays curriculum outcomes that have been assigned at the unit level. For example, when viewing curriculum codes within a unit, this tab will show outcomes that are mapped at the course level.
   • The 'All' tab displays the full list of curriculum outcomes from the selected framework, including those that haven't yet been used, mapped, or linked to any course or activity.
     Note:
     Curriculum outcomes are not automatically mapped - they need to be manually tagged at each level. Each activity can be linked to the relevant curriculum outcomes, but you'll only see them in the 'Current' tab if the level above (like the course or unit) has already been mapped. 
      
7. Select Generate lesson plan with AI to use the AI lesson Plan generator to help you write your lesson plan more efficiently.
   This opens a new window for you.
   Note: If you don’t use the “Generate Lesson Plan with AI” option, the lesson plan page will work just as it did before, and the lesson plan can still be created manually for each section.
    
8. Next, select one or more sections of your lesson plan where you want AI support. You can also select all.
   The sections available to you are the ‘field titles’ defined by your school’s Superuser in the AI Lesson Plan Template.
   Note: For each section listed, you can view the related ‘field description’ by hovering over the tooltip. This description serves as guidance to help you understand what to enter in that section.
    
9. In Lesson Plan Duration, enter text to guide the OpenAI engine on how much content to generate, recognising that lesson plans can vary in length.
   Note: This is a text-only field meant for school staff to fill in, and it won’t be visible to anyone else.
    
10. In Additional Context, you can add more instructions.
    You can also include details like learning objectives, what your students already know, available resources, how you differentiate, how you prefer to assess, and anything else that helps the AI create a plan that fits your teaching needs.
     
11. When done, select Generate lesson plan with AI. 
    This generates an AI output for you to view.
    Note: If you want to try again, you can go back to edit the additional context and generate a new plan.
     
12. Select Add to Lesson Plan. 
    This adds the AI-generated content to all the lesson plan fields.
    Note: You will select Add all to Lesson Plan if you selected more than one section in the window.
     
13. Once added to the lesson plan, if you need to update content further with AI, you can:
    • Select Regenerate lesson plan with AI to update all fields, and then select Regenerate with AI to update all fields.
      (OR)

    • Select Regenerate with AI to update each field’s content. When done, select Regenerate with AI and then select Add to Lesson Plan.

      Note: The AI Lesson Plan Generator works based on the Schoolbox plan your school is subscribed to. 
       

14. In Attach files, you can drag and drop files to upload them if needed.
     
15. To make the Lesson Plan visible to students, toggle the setting to ON.
     
16. In Publish Date, select the date you want the lesson plans to be visible to students.
    Note - Only fields that you selected as visible to students on the template will be made visible.
     
17. Select Create.
    You’ve now created or modified a Lesson Plan on a Class page.
    
    To view the lesson plan, select the title of the Lesson Plan on the Course Outline.
    
    Note - The initial view of the Lesson Plan will only display content visible to students to prevent unintentional sharing of fields that are not visible to students when screen-sharing. To switch to a Teacher view, select the 3-dot menu iconand select Switch to Teacher View.

As a school staff, you can change the location of a lesson plan.

To do this:

1. In Schoolbox, go to the Unit where the project or Learning Activity is currently located.
   Note - You can move a whole project or a single learning activity within a project. To move a learning activity from within a project, select the project title and then follow steps 2 - 7.   
    
2. Select the 3-dot menu icon next to the item you wish to move.
    
3. Select Modify.
    
4. Go to the Activity Location section and then select Change Location.
    
5. Select the location where you are moving the project or learning activity.
    
6. Select Change Location.
    
7. Select Update.
   You’ve now changed the location of a lesson plan. 

Learning activities relate to the learning objectives of the course. They help students to engage in, practice, and gain feedback on specific progress towards those objectives. For example, in-class and homework tasks, assignments, quizzes, and due work submissions. 

Schoolbox lets you, as school staff, link one or more learning activities to your Lesson Plan.

Once you’ve created a Lesson Plan, you can link one or more learning activities in a Lesson Plan.  

To do this:

1. Go to your class page. 
    
2. Next, select the Lesson Plan you want to link activities to. 
    
3. In the Lesson Plan, select link existing activities. 
   This displays existing learning activities for your Lesson Plan. 
    
4. Select the activities from the list. 
    
5. Then, select Link Activities. 
   This links activities to your Lesson Plan for your class.
   
   Note - If you find no activities to link to your Lesson Plan, you can:
   • create a task  
   • create due work
   • import a course to a class 
     
     You’ve now linked activities to your Lesson Plan.