Is this your idea of a lesson plan for Monday mornings? :-)

Or, do you overplan and get frusterated because you can't squeeze it all in?

In  a nutshell: You can't use every idea every year.  Pick the ones you like best, and the ones that address your management weaknesses the most, and concentrate on those.  You can always try it a different way later in the year, or the following year.

If you're just looking for ways to organize your daily lesson plans, scroll down towards the bottom of the page for simple strategies- and definitely check out the Paper Trap page 

If you want to create a more unified, thematic approach to your curriculum that makes learning more meaningful for students, read on for ways to set goals, collect and organize resources, and create long- and short-term lesson plans that not only align with what your school district requires, but with what YOU know is best practice for your students.

Reflecting On Your Teaching and Planning New Strategies

There are a few questions I ask myself each summer in preparation for the new school year. This is an ongoing process, but the summer is a natural time to really think things out and get everything in order.  Here are the questions, along with my honest responses from a few years ago:

1.  What aspects of teaching did I stop enjoying this year?  I kept falling behind on my grading; therefore I need to re-evaluate the type and quantity of assignments I gave and when and how I graded them.  My math warm-ups got really dull, so I needed to find a book or internet resource to give me some fresh ideas.  Science was such a pain- I needed to figure out a way to make it more hands-on and get my materials together in advance so I'm not scrambling around at the last minute.

2.  What concepts or skills did the students have a lot of difficulty mastering?  Converting measurements, telling time, adding details to sentences, and using proper punctuation were concepts my kids struggled with all year.  I also had a hard time getting them to slow down and check over their work.  Additionally, I had a big problem with stealing in the classroom, and name-calling persisted among a small group of children no matter what I did.  The methods I used to address these issues, both academic and social, were obviously not as effective as they could have been, so I needed to read, visit chatboards, search the Internet, and collaborate with my team-mates to develop better strategies.

3.  What type of students do I want to produce?  What's the main thing I want all my students to remember from spending a year with me?  My goal is for students to want to learn, and recognize that learning takes place everywhere all the time, not just in school.  I want them to question what they are taught and critically analyze what their friends say, what they read and see on TV, and the subliminal societal messages that are reinforced daily in the stereotypes they hear.   Therefore, I need to point out inconsistencies and mistakes in texts, teach analyzation strategies in reading, use current events in social studies, and show students how to be active and not passive learners.  I need to plan for specific strategies to reinforce these priorities on a regular basis and not get caught up on whether students can round to the nearest hundred or identify a noun without relating those lessons in a meaningful context.

Collecting and Organizing Ideas We teachers see so many ideas we would love to use but it's so hard to remember (not mention organize) all of theml!  Here are ways you can keep track of the tips and techniques you collect: When you read an idea you like in a magazine you own:  I suggest ripping it out and filing by subject (such as for a lesson on money) or by month (such as a winter activity).  I don't ever go through old magazines to find lesson ideas, but I do look in my files and review the things I ripped out.  It's hard to tear up a beautiful resource, but if that's the only way it will be get utilized,  then it's worth it.  Although it's more work, you could also photocopy the articles, perhaps saving up a few and copying them all at once. When I read an idea in a book I don't own:  Use sticky notes to mark the pages you want to photocopy.  If the idea is very brief, you could write the idea on a sticky note instead and then put the sticky in your files.   (Click on the photo above to enlarge it so you can see the sticky notes). Here's what I did after reading The Mailbox.  The sticky in the lower left hand corner shows how I list all the pages to photocopy.  The one above it lists the things I want to make (with page numbers or just little drawings or notes).  The others on the right side are stickies that will be filed according to the skill or concept idea on each. When you read an idea in a book you do own:  Mark it up so it's useful to you! I put a checkmark by the idea if I think it's worth remembering, two checks if it's something I'd like to try, and a star if it's something I absolutely must do.  I keep several sticky notes inside the front cover, labeled with: "To Make", "To Photocopy and File", and so on.   As I read ideas I like, I write the page numbers down on the appropriate sticky.   I differentiate between materials I need to gather and create, and things the kids can color, cut, or get together for me, since the things they can do usually get accomplished right away.  I'll often prioritize different ideas on the stickies by starring anything I want to make or get together right away.  If I'm feeling lazy, I'll just write 'equivalent fractions- see Mailbox Oct. 2004' on a sticky and put in in my filing pile.  Then when it comes time to teach fractions, I have to go through the trouble of pulling the resource to see what was in it, but at least I knew it was there- nothing's worse than finishing a unit and realizing you've got the perfect activity and forgot you had it! When you read an idea for a game:  I photocopy it, then cut it out and glue it to an index card.  The front of the card has the directions, and the back has the category the game goes under (math, spelling, etc.), along with my adaptations and reflections.  I also like to add symbols indicating how much prep time is needed, whether it's active or quiet, and if it's a team game or an individual one, but you don't have to go that in-depth. After lamination, the cards are filed in an index card box. This is very time consuming but well worth it.  I do a review game before almost every test I give, and if the rules are written inside some random teacher resource book or buried deep in my file cabinet, I'll never remember or utilize them.  This way, tons of review ideas are literally at my finger tips and require very little planning. When you read something online:  Print and file, or, if it's a large collection of ideas, cut and paste into a Word document, then print and file.  I always make sure I have the website or title somewhere on the page (usually this is done automatically by the printer- check the bottom of your pages) so I can refer back to the site, and also in case I share the idea and need to give proper credit. When you see or hear about something another teacher does:  I have a camera phone and try to take a picture to help me visualize the idea later.  I'll print the photo on regular paper and jot notes on the side.  If it's just something a teacher mentioned to me, I try to write it down on my infamous sticky notes and place it in the 'To Be Filed' pile.  (By the way, when I taught at schools that didn't provide them, sticky notes were on my students' school supply lists.  The kids use them a lot, too). When you discover an on-going routine or strategy I want to use:  I record the ideas using one of the strategies above, then add it to my year-long idea planner so I can be sure it gets fit in (see more below). Organizing for Big Projects One summer I decided I wanted to do a word wall- not just have it up on the wall, but actually DO it- use it, teach with it, refer students to it.  It wasn't a part of our curriculum, although word walls were encouraged, so I really had very little support in my endeavors.  So, I typed 'word wall' into a search engine and clicked on 'Search IMAGES' (not websites).  I copied and pasted into a Word document the photos that looked interesting to me and then printed them. Next, I typed 'word wall activities' in and did a regular internet search.  I printed everything relevant and helpful.  I also bought a Scholastic word wall book very cheaply on Amazon.com (free shipping on most teacher resource books!) and photocopied pages I wanted.  (I later re-sold it on eBay and got most of my money back).  Last, I hole-punched the pages and put them in a binder.  The final product looked like this (the first picture is the front cover, the second is the back cover)- click to enlarge: You can see where I wrote notes at the bottom about tips I picked up from the photos- how they hung it, how words were organized, colors used, etc.  I then went through and marked it up to my heart's content!  I used the following system (but you can probably think of a better one!) Headings/New Topics- orange highlighter Subtopics- yellow highlighter References/web addresses: green highlighter My notes: red pen I made little notes in the margins about possible ways to tailor the ideas for my own classroom, things I want to research more, etc.  You can see this below (click to enlarge): Organizing Web Resources- How many sites are saved on your 'Favorites' list? If you're like me, probably a million.  You can't tell what half of them are, the links don't work when you click on them... you know the drill.  But what's even more frustrating is when you're at a really great website with links to other really great websites- should you leave the first site?  Or bookmark it and come back?  Or just bounce from site to site until you're out of browser windows and your computer freezes up? My plan isn't perfect by any means.  But if you're lacking a system altogether, maybe this will help: *  Use your 'Add to Favorites' list!  There's no way to track everything without becoming familiar with this tool.  (They're called Bookmarks on Apple computers). *  Set up folders that make sense for you.  Delete the standard ones.  Your folders should encompass every type of site you could possibly bookmark, but shouldn't be over a dozen or so to keep things simple.  Here's my current list of education-related folders:  ---Links: I had NO CLUE what this was for until a website visitor took the time to email and tell me it's basically the PC version of what I thought only Apple offered. Tracey-Lee Jouett wrote this (thank you!!):  The "Links" folder is actually one of the BEST folders! If you have the Links toolbar enabled, it will put all links from the folder at the top of your browser window, perfect for links you use on a daily basis. If you put a folder in the Links folder, it will make that folder appear on top of your browser. I have my billpay sites in a folder marked $, a folder with blogs I read regularly, a button for a web-based e-mail account, a folder for websites I check for school, etc. I also have a folder of sites that I really want to read soon, but didn't have a chance to get to right away.  Now I use the links folder for everything I access daily- awesome! ----To Peruse   Sorry for the pretentious-sounding name, but ‘peruse’ is the best word I could think of when I tried to come up with a title!  This is the most important folder there is for staying organized with teacher sites.  Anytime I’m at a site that links to another, I click on the link, take a 30 second glance to see if I think it would interest me, and add it to my ‘To Peruse’ folder if I'd like to spend more time there.  Then I go back to the original site and finish what I started.  Anytime I have a few minutes, I click open my ‘To Peruse’ folder and pick a site!  I usually have 20 or more sites at any time in this folder.  After I look at them, I either delete or add to… ----Teaching Stuff:  Resources I use all the time- the T-Net chatboards, Virtual Vine, Charry Carl, Mandy Gregory, and so on. ----Projects:  Any big projects for which I'm collecting resources go in here, and if I'm doing multiple projects, I create additional folders inside the Projects folder.  For example, when I was gathering ideas for word walls, I started a folder in Projects called Word Walls.  Right now my project is Class Libraries, so I have a folder inside Projects by that title. ----To Add to Website:   If you don’t have a website (for your classroom or otherwise), you won’t need this folder, but this is where I keep all the cool links I want to share on my website.  Whenever I get a chance, I work them into the site and then delete them. ----To Print: I stick links in here and print all at once when I have a chance.  I have a folder inside this one called ‘To Print At Work’ for extensive classroom-related printing (to save on my own ink and paper). ----To Make:   I often see things I want to use in the classroom but they need to be altered before I can print them.  I stick the links in this file, and when I have time, I edit them, and then print. *  Keep your personal folders organized as well.  Right now, mine include: Spiritual (the best way to decribe the hodgepodge of resources I use); Recipes (I like to keep a collection of interesting recipes to try one day!); NBPTS (for all of my National Boards stuff); Travel; Condo (from when I was house hunting and now for household items and home renovations); Music (top 20 countdowns and music download sites), T.V. (Channel guides and station info), Community (local library, traffic and news sites, the school system site, church, local pharmacy, etc.) and Misc (blogs I read, a photo gallery, and some off-the-wall stuff).  *  Whatever folder titles you choose, make it your goal to always put new links inside a folder rather than let them accumulate in a huge list under the folder.  The more links that sit there, the less likely you are to remember what they’re for and utilize them.  If nothing else, they can go in your 'To Peruse' folder for when you have time to explore them more fully.

Long-Range Planning

After collecting my ideas and answering the reflection questions above, I begin to organize what I have gathered throughout the year.  Anything related to a theme, skill, or concept is filed in the corresponding file folder, and I don't put much further thought into those until it's time to teach them.  It's the behavior management strategies, vocabulary builders, routines, character-building activities, and morning meeting ideas that get lost in the shuffle, because they don't go with any particular concept or unit.  At the end of the year, I always feel disappointed that I never got to try a certain game with the class, sing a special song, read a particular book, or address a specific world event or problem.

I then created a Year-Long Planner to help me implement all the great ideas I'm just dying to use but never make time to squeeze in.  It's organized by month and category, so that each month I'm using new ideas.  (Things get really old to me very quickly, and kids pick up on a teacher's lack of enthusiasm for an activity and respond in turn).  By trying new ideas monthly, I' provide enough time to kids to get comfortable and familiar with activities but never let things get tedious.  And of course, I go back and use some of the previous month's ideas from time, especially when the kids request it.

The misc. teaching ideas yearly planner I've started one year

A blank misc. teaching ideas yearly planner for you to print or save and type directly into

(Other long-range planners/ team planning/ unit planning forms from the Family Education Network (membership required: free 7 day trial) 

I also created a planner for our reading series (Harcourt-Trophies Florida Edition) that outlines which skills are taught for comprehension, decoding, grammar, spelling, etc. for each story (this is a draft version).  The leadership team at my former school is using that to address gaps in the curriculum.  It only took me a few hours to make since I used the longe-range state planning guide that was provided with the curriculum, and I really like it because it's helped me create themes and work in the skills that need to be taught.

Daily/Weekly Lesson Plans

In the past, I used standard lesson plan books with one square for each subject each day. When I first started teaching, I wrote out every detail of what I planned to do to make sure I didn't forget anything; now I write down just the activities we will do.  I underline the materials needed so at the beginning of the day, I can quickly glance over the day's lessons and see what things I need to gather or prepare.  I also title each day's lesson, such as "Equivalent Fractions" (underlining the title and writing the activities underneath.  Last year I felt like I was rewriting the same things too often, so I developed my own daily/weekly lesson plan format.  I print it out and photocopy it back to back.  I know of other teachers who type their daily plans directly into it and print them out weekly, filling in by hand any changes throughout the week.

Advice for Daily/Weekly Lesson Planning

1) Check your district requirements.  Some counties (or administrations) want teachers to write lesson objectives, homework assignments, how instruction will be differentiated, etc.  Find out what is being asked of you, then check your union contract to see if you need to do everything the school system wants.  I was once in a county that asked teachers to write wayyyy more than would ever fit in a planning book; in another county, I heard of principals who were requiring typed lesson plans.  In both situations, our contracts specified that we could not legally be required to do those things.  My personal preference is to only write the things that help me to prepare and organize my instruction, and nothing more.  Some teachers acquiesced and wrote everything they were asked to, but I will draw a line in the sand over unnecessary paperwork.  It's  a personal decision you'll have to make.

2) Try designing your own planning book pages instead of using store-bought planners. I began doing this a few years ago and love it,  since it the pages have just the right amount of space allotted for each section of my day, plus I typedcertain things into the template so I don't have to write them out repeatedly.  I also included a monthly summary calendar at the top of each week's page. 

One version of my planning book pages 

More planning forms (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly) from the HomeSchool Forum.

Awesome daily, weekly, and unit plans, including reading group plans, plus a do-it-yourself planner from Mrs. Holland.