Improving the methods of instructing future educators, through program evaluation and improvement, should be a goal of all teacher education programs. In physical education, the National Association for Sport & Physical Education created standards for initial preparation of physical education teachers. The six standards for preparation include Planning and Implementation, which include tenants pertaining to unit and lesson planning. Despite the significant importance of planning in the growth of preservice teachers as they complete a Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) program, there is currently no consensus on what concepts to be included in lesson planning for physical education teacher education. The purpose of the study was to determine the essential lesson planning concepts for PETE. Following a nationwide pilot study of PETE programs in the United States to gather lesson planning concepts, a modified Delphi investigation using PETE experts was conducted to gain consensus on the pertinent lesson planning concepts for preservice teachers. Results of the study indicated 31 lesson planning concepts that experts found essential for preservice teachers to use when planning for teaching vignettes, peer teaching experiences and student teaching. Implications for use in PETE programs are also discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]