THE SYLLABUS

 A syllabus can be defined as a series of statements about what is to be taught

to pupils or students over a given period of time or years and usually
concerns a particular subject.
 It is an outline of what to be taught.
 It is also defined as a programme of subject matter that should be learnt
over a given period of time.
 It must be well planned and the sub-topics should follow one another in
logical sequence so that it is easy for both the teacher and the pupils to
follow and use it fruitfully. It is the role of the teacher to infuse it with the
necessary details.

IMPORTANCE OF A SYLLABUS
 A syllabus is an important educational document because it facilitates the
fulfillment of the aims of teaching a subject.
 The syllabus makes it possible to teach and learn in an orderly fashion and
systematic way. A topic in a syllabus is followed by another related or
relevant one. There is some order in the way topics in a syllabus are
arranged such as from the earliest to the latest or from the simplest to more
complex or from familiar to unfamiliar.
 A syllabus also unifies content and limits the scope of the examination. A
syllabus unifies content by ensuring that similar content material is placed
under one heading, sub-heading or topic. Sometimes the use of chronology
also helps to unify content material.
 By saying the syllabus limits the scope of the examination we imply that it
creates certainty in the minds of the learner and the teacher the extent to
which work has to be taught and the expectations of the examiners.
 The examiners too will ensure that they do not set questions on topics that
are not in the syllabus which the learner and the teacher had no opportunity
to know unless the questions are of general nature.
 Furthermore, the syllabus ensures standardization of learning and teaching in
line with a given course of instruction. Above all a syllabus is the sole
determinant of the kind of work that a given class goes through. We can say
a syllabus controls what to teach and learn and without it there would be no
limit and would make teaching and learning difficult.

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IMPORTANT FACTORS IN THE CONSTRUCTIONOF A SYLLABUS

The construction of a good syllabus always takes into account

 Pupils level and mental maturity. This is why topics in the syllabus are
arranged from simple to more complex according to grades, from known to
unknown etc.
 Those who construct a syllabus are usually former teachers who understand
pertinent educational issues. Quite often these subject specialists work in
consultation with practicing teachers.
 The construction of a syllabus should also take into account the political,
social and economic development of a country.
 Another factor to consider also is the school leaver issue. At grade 7, grade
9 and grade 12 levels many pupils will drop from educational ladder and
enter the world of work. It is therefore important then to include in the
syllabus useful topics to help the school – leavers when they enter the world
of work. In short, pupils should be taught about problems they will
encounter in society and how to cope with them above all, how to cope with
them.
 Sometimes the availability of materials and resources is taken into account
when drawing up a syllabus. There is no point to include topics in the
syllabus which have no materials or references for teachers and pupils to
refer to.

SCHEMES OF WORK
 Schemes of work are also known as forecast. Schemes of work originate
from the syllabus.
 They comprise of specific topics from the syllabus.
 The major difference is that a scheme of work contains smaller and specific
digestible topics or content material that is derived from the syllabus.
Whereas a syllabus might simply show major themes to be taught, a scheme
of work will show smaller units of these major themes. These are teachable
units or topics and each topic or unit stands more or less for a lesson to be
learnt in one period. Therefore, a scheme of work is a plan of work which

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 the teacher expects or is expected to cover with a class in a term or year. A
scheme of work translates the syllabus into specific topics.

IMPORTANCE OF SCHEMES OF WORK

 One reason why a teacher is required to make schemes of work is that they
should do their work smoothly as soon as the school opens.
 Schemes of work help both the new and experienced teachers not to waste
time before they begin to do their work because they will encounter
straightforward work.
 Schemes of work are easy to follow because they follow a logical sequence
or order for teachers to teach and for pupils to learn.
 It ensures that teacher does not take for granted the work he will teach. By
actually arranging and writing it down, he is able to know those areas in
which he is weak and can be able to find out more information regarding
such areas.
 Schemes of work also ensures that teachers know in advance the kind of
concepts and teaching aids required for the content and prepare for that in
advance. In so doing the teacher masters his work.
 The scheme of work is the teacher’s guarantee that he knows what is ahead
of his work and also that of his pupils and how to teach in a balanced
fashion.
 The process of making schemes of work makes the teacher able to
emphasize the significant features of the syllabus.
 The schemes of work enable the teacher to translate the general objectives of
the syllabus into specific objectives.

 Schemes of work are made either for each of the three school terms or
for the whole year. However, this arrangement is not rigid because
each term the schemes are to be revised in case there have been time
lost due to early closures, strikes and other problems which might lead
to rearrangement of topics again.
 A good scheme of work should have period allocation for each lesson
as this is the basis of all the lessons. This is why it should be done at
the beginning of each term if possible. The Head of Department with
his teachers prepare the schemes of work. Each teacher must have a

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 copy of the schemes of work which must be reviewed at the end of
each term to find out if all topics have been covered or not.

FORMAT OF SCHEMES OF WORK

Schools have their own traditional formats of schemes of work and teachers are
advised to adhere to such formats. However, most formats of schemes of work will
include the following headings: (1) Name of school, (2) Subject title,
(3)term/year/grade, (4) topic details of items to be taught in each 40 minutes
period, (5) sources and references of learning and teaching materials, (6) teachers
comments on learning etc., (7) comments by HOD or headmaster.

Naboye Secondary School

Social sciences Department

Subject: History Year: 2023

Term: 1 Grade: 9

WEEK DATE TOPIC Learning TEACHING REFERENCES

outcomes AIDS
1
2
3

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Understanding lesson plans for learner centered approaches

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 MEANING OF LESSON PLAN
 A significant element of teaching-learning system.
 A step-by-step guide that provides a structure for an essential learning.
 A plan prepared by a teacher to teach a lesson in an organized manner.
 A teacher’s detailed description of the direction of instruction for an
individual lesson.
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  A written guide for a teacher’s plans in order to achieve the intended
learning outcomes. It provides specific definition and direction on learning
outcomes, equipment, instructional media material requirements, and
conduct of the teaching.
 In summary: A lesson plan is the teacher's guide for running a
particular lesson, and it includes the goal (what the learners are
supposed to learn), how the goal will be reached (the method,
procedure) and a way of measuring how well the goal was reached
(test, worksheet, homework etc).

IMPORTANCE OF LESSON PLANS IN GENERAL

 Being clear on what you want to teach.

 Being ready to cope with whatever happens.
 Give your teaching a framework, an overall shape.
 A reminder for the teacher when they get distracted.
 It suggests a level of professionalism and real commitment.

HOW IS LESSON PLANNING IMPORTANT FOR A TEACHER.

 They don’t have to think on their feet.

 They don’t lose face in front of their learners.
 They are clear on the procedure to follow.
 They build on previous teaching and prepare for coming lessons

HOW IS LESSON PLANNING IMPORTANT FOR A LEARNER

 They realize that the teacher cares for their learning.

 They attend a structured lesson: easier to assimilate.
 They appreciate their teacher’s work as a model of well-organized work to
imitate

Basic information about the lesson

 Date
 Duration
 Learner statistics
 Name of lesson (Topic, Sub-topic, etc)
 Contributor(s) Subject.
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  Grade level
 Rationale (Topic/concepts to be taught, value of the topic, method of
what will happen in the lesson and position of the lesson).

LEARNING OUTCOMES.

 Determine what the teacher wants pupils to learn and be able to do.
 Formulated in relation to specific outcomes stated in the syllabus.
 These outcomes are what the pupils need to achieve in the lesson.
 Focus should be on the knowledge or skills he/she intends to teach (values
are implied in teaching strategy).E.g. explain different ways of doing work
in faster and simpler ways, use of different machines to perform work faster
and simply.

MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT

 Apparatus
 Worksheets
 Power Point presentations (visual aids)
 Text Books
 Journal Articles
 Multimedia materials: Instructional video or audio
 Teaching notes
 Any other additional materials required

PROCEDURES
 Clearly stated ways of lesson development.
 When and what will be done

ASSESSMENTS

 Assess the outcome and to what extent the lesson outcomes were
achieved

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  Ensure the assessment activity is directly and explicitly tied to the
stated outcomes.
 Take time to reflect upon the result, and revise the lesson plan
accordingly (closure).

Some commonly used assessment activities:

 Quizzes
 Tests
 Independently performed worksheets
 Cooperative learning activities
 Hands-on experiments
 Oral discussion
 Question-and-answer sessions

WHAT TO CONSIDER IN A TEACHERS WRITTEN LESSON PLAN

1. Knowledge of learners
 Ability & interest levels
 Backgrounds
 Attention spans
 Ability to work together in groups
 Prior knowledge and learning experiences
 Special needs or accommodations
 Learning preferences
2. knowledge of content
 Subject matter that will be taught
 Syllabus guidelines
3. Knowledge of instructional materials
 Technology
 Software
 Audio/visuals
 Teacher mentors
 Community resources
 Equipment
 Library resources
 Local guest speakers

STEPS IN LESSON PLANNING

1. Preparation or introduction
 Knowledge which helps to lead them onto lesson.

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  Teacher prepares student to receive knowledge.
 Testing previous knowledge.
 It arouses interest and curiosity to learn new matter.
 Introduction should be brief and to the point.
2. Presentation
 Outcomes of the lesson should be clearly stated before the presentation.
 In teaching –learning process, both – actively participate.
 The Teacher has to present the topic in enthusiastic manner
 learner will be motivated and get interest to learn
3. Comparisons or associations
 Quote examples
 Associate facts with example
 So that learner can understand very easily and arrive at generalization on their
own
4. Generalisations
 It involves reflective thinking.
 Knowledge presented by the teacher should be thought provoking.
 create innovativeness and stimulating to assist the learners to generalize the
situation.
5. Applications
 The learner should make use of the knowledge acquired
 What ever they learn in theory has to apply in society to make learning more
permanent and worthwhile.
6. Recapilation
 Ask suitable stimulating pivotal questions to learners on topic.
 The answers will give feedback, regarding the efficacy of the method of teaching

 Planning is one thing while implementation is another

Lesson plan

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 MINISTRY OF GENERAL EDUCATION
KAFUE DAY SECONDERY SCHOOL

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

TEACHERS NAME: MRS BANDA DATE: 22nd September 2023.

SUBJECT : MATHEMATICS NUMBER OF PUPILS: 23
GRADE: RECEPTION DURATION: 40 MIN

TOPIC: MONEY
SUBTOPIC: COINS { 50 ngwee and 10 Ngwee}
TEACHING AID: CHALK BOARD, TEXT BOOK, COINS OF DIFFERENT OBJECTS.
REFERENCES: E.C.E SYLLABUS, TG PAGE 25
SPECIFIC OUTCOMES: By the end of this lesson learners (S.B.A.T)
(i) Mention the currency used in Zambia
(ii) Talk about two modes of money: coins and notes.
(iii) Identify Zambian coins.

INTRODUCTION: Recap of the previous lesson, show the learners different coins. (5min).

Lesson Development
Time Content………… Teachers Pupils activity Teaching method
…… activity
(10  A  Pupils to  Classroom
min) teacher answer the Discusdion
ask question
pupils to
define
factors

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 of a
number. EXPECTED
ANSWERS
Exampl 1. 20=
e 1,2,4,5,10
1. List the 2. 30= 1,2,3,5.
five
factors
of 20
2. List the
first four
factors
of 30.
(15  The largest  Teacher  Pupils to  Classroom
min) positive ask answer the Discussion
integer that is pupils to question
a factor of the define
two or more the
numbers is H.C.F of
called the two or
Highest more
Common numbers.
Factor(H.C.F).
 Expected
Examples  Teacher answers  Classroom
Find the H.C.F of discuss 1. Factors of discussion
1. 25 and the 25= 1,5,25.
30 example Factors of
2. 12, 28 s with 30=
and 42 learners. 1,2,4,5,15,3
0
H.C.F(25,30
)=5
2. 12= 1,2,3,4,6,
28= 1,2,7,14,
42= 1,2,3,7,..
H.C.F( 12,28,42)=
2
 Teacher
Exposition
(5min  Pupils listen
)  Conclusion and take
note of the
 Teacher main points
highlight
s the

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 main
points of
the
lesson
(10 Exercise  Teacher  Learners to  Group
min) 1. Find all the to give workout the work
factors of (i) students task given
50, (ii) 45 an and submit
(iii) 100 exercise books for
2. Find the H.C.F marking
of (i) 12, 24
and 48 (ii)
50 and 75

EVALUATION: The lesson was successfully presented and the main objectives of the lesson
Have been achieved.
FOLLOW-UP: MULTIPLES OF NUMBERS.

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