I do my lesson plan similar to Deniz´s. I try to structure well my classes by starting with vocabulary, then grammar and finally writing.
the most important characteristics to take in to account is; time, the aims, make your classes logical and with a good structure, starting with the easiest activities to the most difficult ones. the topics for the students have to be relevant, according to their context, interests and level of knowledge. I don´t use the course book that much, because I try to do the activities that can be worthy to the class and use them as a feed back in order to consolidate students´knowledge.