Claude for creating lesson plans, done properly.

Creating engaging lesson plans that meet standards, differentiate for multiple levels, and actually hold students' attention takes teachers 5-8 hours per week.

Three reasons this actually lands.

The prompt, the codes, the fit. Each one on its own is a nice-to-have. Together, they change the workflow.

Copy this, replace the placeholders, ship.

Create a lesson plan for [SUBJECT + TOPIC].

Grade level: [GRADE]
Standards: [STATE/NATIONAL STANDARDS TO ADDRESS]
Class duration: [MINUTES]
Class size: [NUMBER]
Prior knowledge: [WHAT STUDENTS ALREADY KNOW]
Diverse needs: [ELL STUDENTS, IEPs, GIFTED — IF APPLICABLE]

Include:
1. **Learning objective**: Specific, measurable (Bloom's taxonomy verb + content)
2. **Hook** (5 min): Engagement activity to activate prior knowledge
3. **Direct instruction** (10-15 min): Key concepts with real-world examples
4. **Guided practice** (10-15 min): Scaffolded activity with check-for-understanding
5. **Independent practice** (10-15 min): Application activity
6. **Closure** (5 min): Exit ticket or reflection
7. **Assessment**: How you'll measure whether objectives were met
8. **Differentiation**: Modifications for below-level, on-level, and above-level
9. **Materials**: Everything needed (be specific)

Make activities memorable — not worksheets. Students should DO something.

Replace the [BRACKETED] placeholders with your context.

Stack these prefixes for compound gains.

Prepend one or more of these to the prompt above. Each code is documented on its own page with before and after examples.

Every prompt, once.

The Cheat Sheet is every tested code, with a before and an after.