Random Lesson Planner

This page should give you a random starter, main and plenary idea for a lesson. Most of the activities require minimal preparation, and whilst the examples I give are usually science related, the majority can be used in all subjects.
  • Starter: Odd One Out

    A simple and self-explanatory activity – write some words on the board, give students some thinking time then ask them to pick the odd one out. You can make some obvious, with only one sensible answer, and others more open … Continue reading →

  • Main: Debate

    Debates always sound like a good idea but it’s a real challenge to run a debate successfully. I haven’t cracked it yet, so if anyone has any top tips for a debating framework or set of rules they use, add … Continue reading →

  • Plenary: Plenary Circle

    This is a simple way to finish off a lesson. Arrange lots of keywords around a circle on the board, and ask students to try to create sentences that link those keywords together. If you have an interactive whiteboard you … Continue reading →

To get a new set of ideas just refresh the page, or you can browse through all the starters, mains and plenaries individually. I'd be very grateful for more activity suggestions - if you have an idea you'd like to share please email it to random@mrgravell.com and I'll put it in the database.