How to write a lesson note: start with a heading (subject, class, topic, week, date and duration), write two to four measurable behavioural objectives, list your instructional materials, state the pupils’ entry behaviour, plan a short set induction, set out the presentation in steps with teacher and pupil activities, then close with evaluation, a summary and an assignment.
That is the format most Nigerian schools ask for. Below I go through each part, show how to write objectives a head teacher can check, and finish with a complete Primary 4 example. If you would rather fill in boxes than face a blank page, the free Lesson Note tool follows the same order.
How to write a lesson note: the standard format at a glance
| Component | What it records |
|---|---|
| Heading | Subject, class, term, week, date, duration, topic and sub-topic |
| Behavioural objectives | What pupils should be able to do by the end of the lesson |
| Instructional materials | Charts, objects, textbooks and other aids you will use |
| Entry behaviour | What pupils already know that this lesson builds on |
| Set induction | The short opening that gets attention and links to the topic |
| Presentation | Numbered steps, each with the teacher’s activity and the pupils’ activity |
| Evaluation | Questions that check each objective |
| Summary and conclusion | The board summary and how you round off the lesson |
| Assignment | Work for pupils to do at home |
Is there an official lesson note format in Nigeria?
Not one that every school must use. I could not find a lesson note template prescribed nationally by NERDC, TRCN or the Federal Ministry of Education, so the format varies by school and by state. Edo SUBEB, for example, has produced week-by-week scripted lesson plans from early childhood classes to junior secondary. TRCN has also held a validation workshop for standard lesson plans in 26 core subjects, which officials said should reduce the time teachers spend preparing daily lesson notes.
The components above are the common ground. Where your school or state has a template, use it.
Lesson note vs lesson plan: what’s the difference?
Many Nigerian schools use the two terms for the same document, which is why pages online contradict each other. Where a school separates them, the difference is depth:
- Lesson plan: the outline. Objectives, materials, steps and timing, often on one page.
- Lesson note: the plan plus the content you will teach: explanations, worked examples, the board summary and the actual evaluation questions.
Both sit under the scheme of work. The National Open University of Nigeria’s curriculum development course guide describes the lesson note as a daily breakdown of the scheme of work, setting out the teacher’s step-by-step plan, including what the teacher and the learners do.
The heading: subject, class, topic, week, date and duration
The heading tells a supervisor at a glance what the lesson is and where it sits in the term, so add your name and copy the term, week, topic and sub-topic exactly from the scheme of work your school is using. A revised national curriculum is being phased in from the entry classes (Primary 1, Primary 4, JSS 1 and SS 1), and some subject lists have changed, with Basic Digital Literacy and Pre-vocational Studies added for Primary 4 to 6. Mathematics and English Studies keep their names.
Writing behavioural objectives you can measure
Behavioural objectives state what pupils should be able to do at the end of the lesson. They describe the learner’s behaviour, not the teacher’s method. NOUN’s early childhood curriculum course material describes them as specific, observable outcomes written with measurable verbs.
Use the standard stem, then one verb per objective:
By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to…
| Avoid (cannot be measured) | Write instead |
|---|---|
| understand fractions | add two fractions with the same denominator |
| know the parts of a plant | name and label four parts of a plant on a diagram |
| learn about nouns | identify the nouns in five given sentences |
Useful verbs include state, list, name, identify, label, describe, compare, calculate, solve and draw. Two to four objectives are enough for one period; more than that and you will not have time to evaluate them all. Where you can, add a standard, such as “get at least four of five sums right”.
Instructional materials, entry behaviour and set induction
Instructional materials
List what you will actually use: charts, real objects, flashcards, the textbook. Cheap local materials such as bottle tops and cut-up cardboard work well, especially for younger pupils.
Entry behaviour
Entry behaviour, also called previous knowledge, is what pupils already know that the new lesson depends on. Write it as a statement you can check: “Pupils can name halves and quarters of a shape.”
Set induction
Set induction is the opening few minutes that get pupils’ attention and connect what they know to the new topic. A question, a short story, a demonstration or an object they can hold all work, as long as it leads into the topic.
Presentation: step-by-step teacher and pupil activities
The presentation is the body of the lesson note. Break it into three to five steps, moving from simple to complex, and for each step write what you will do and what the pupils will do. Put the key content in the note itself (definitions, examples, the working of a sum), so another teacher could teach from it if you were absent.
Evaluation, summary and assignment
- Evaluation: at least one question for each objective, asked before the lesson ends. If an objective says “solve”, the evaluation must ask pupils to solve.
- Summary: the few lines you write on the board for pupils to copy.
- Conclusion: go over the evaluation and mention what comes next.
- Assignment: short, tied to the objectives, and possible at home.
A complete sample lesson note (Primary 4 example)
- Subject: Mathematics
- Class: Primary 4
- Term and week: as on your scheme of work (Week 3 here)
- Duration: 40 minutes
- Topic: Fractions
- Sub-topic: Adding fractions with the same denominator
Behavioural objectives: By the end of the lesson, pupils should be able to:
- state the rule for adding fractions with the same denominator;
- add two fractions with the same denominator, getting at least four of five sums right;
- solve a simple word problem on adding fractions.
Instructional materials: an orange, paper strips divided into fifths, a fraction chart, the class textbook.
Entry behaviour: Pupils can read fractions such as 1/4 and 3/4 and can identify the numerator and denominator.
Set induction: The teacher cuts an orange into four equal parts, gives one part to one pupil and two parts to another, and asks: “What fraction of the orange did the two of them get altogether?”
Presentation:
| Step | Teacher’s activity | Pupils’ activity |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Revision | Shows the fraction chart and asks for the numerator and denominator of 2/5 and 3/8. | Answer orally and point to the parts on the chart. |
| 2. Using strips | Shades one fifth of a strip, then two more fifths, and asks how many fifths are shaded in all. | Shade their own strips and count: 3/5. |
| 3. The rule | Writes 1/5 + 2/5 = 3/5 and explains: add the numerators, keep the denominator. | Say the rule together and copy the example. |
| 4. Worked examples | Solves 2/7 + 3/7 = 5/7 and 3/8 + 4/8 = 7/8 on the board, asking pupils for each step. | Supply each step and answer. |
| 5. Pair work | Gives each pair three sums and moves round to help. | Solve the sums in pairs and share answers. |
Evaluation:
- What is the rule for adding fractions with the same denominator?
- Add: (a) 1/6 + 4/6 (b) 2/9 + 5/9 (c) 3/10 + 4/10 (d) 1/4 + 2/4 (e) 3/7 + 2/7
- Amina ate 2/8 of a loaf and Tunde ate 3/8 of the same loaf. What fraction of the loaf did they eat altogether?
Summary (board): To add fractions with the same denominator, add the numerators and keep the denominator. Example: 1/5 + 2/5 = 3/5.
Conclusion: The teacher marks the evaluation with the class and corrects common errors, such as adding the denominators too.
Assignment: Add (a) 2/5 + 2/5 (b) 1/8 + 6/8 (c) 4/11 + 5/11. Then write and solve one word problem of your own about sharing food at home.
To print a note like this in a clean layout, type it into the free lesson note maker. It runs in your browser with no sign-up and downloads as a PDF through the print window (“Save as PDF”). It can also produce a week-by-week scheme of work.
Tips for head teachers vetting lesson notes
Vetting works best as a quick, consistent check:
- Does it match the scheme of work? Same topic and week.
- Are the objectives measurable? Look for verbs like state, solve or label, not “understand”.
- Does each objective have an evaluation question? It is easy to miss.
- Are pupils active? Every presentation step should have a pupils’ activity.
- Is it correct and realistic? Facts and worked examples are right, the materials exist and the steps fit the period.
Write one specific comment rather than a tick alone, sign and date it, and set a fixed submission day. Then sit in on some lessons: a note only matters if the teaching follows it. The Lesson Note tool has an optional supervisor’s remarks line and signature and date boxes for this.
For the rest of the school’s paperwork, the free timetable maker, attendance register and report card maker work the same way. You can also see how I support schools on the page for schools and other physical organizations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a lesson note and a lesson plan?
Many Nigerian schools treat them as one document. Where they differ, the lesson plan is the outline of objectives, materials, steps and timing, and the lesson note adds the content you will teach, such as explanations, worked examples and the board summary.
Is there an official lesson note format in Nigeria?
There is no single national template that every school must use. Formats vary by school and by state, and some state boards, such as Edo SUBEB, issue their own lesson plans. Use your school’s template where one exists.
Should I write the scheme of work or the lesson note first?
The scheme of work comes first. It breaks the term’s syllabus into weekly topics, and each lesson note breaks one of those topics into a single lesson. Take the week, topic and sub-topic for every note straight from the scheme of work.
How many behavioural objectives should a lesson note have?
Two to four is usually enough for one period. Each objective needs one measurable verb, such as state, list, solve or label, and at least one matching evaluation question before the lesson ends.
