Lesson Plan Book

Does anyone have this problem?

It’s the middle of summer and I’m thinking about September and school (that’s not the problem). I’m thinking about my plan book. I’m thinking about buying one. I research. I go to teacher stores. I mentally insist that this will be the year I will USE my plan book all year, and that I will find a plan book that I absolutely LOVE.

Reality check!

This never happens. I’ve tried all sorts of plan books but it never happens. Or I get all excited about the plan book that I just dropped $10 bucks on and then upon trying to use it, fall flat a month into school....ok really like 2 weeks.

I’ve decided that plan books are like homes, and you’ve got to make them your own. So that’s what I’ve done. This also really helps with sub plans, since everything is already laid out just the logistics need to be filled in (ie the math chapter/lesson/notes for the lesson).

I am using my Mac, so I used Swift Publisher (a great investment)

This is my weekly template. The whole week in one glance. The gray-ed areas are my prep times. I think this is easy, at a glance planning. This can easily be made using Microsoft Publisher, as well. I tried to use Word and Excel to make this in years past and well.... let’s remember the $10 I dropped on the book I never used.

I print out 36 copies front to back (18 pieces of paper). I then took it to Staples and had them spiral bind it for $1.06 and Presto! I have a great plan book I actual use.

Below is another version I had made but found it too cumbersome.

Finally, I typed up all the stuff I type over and over and over and over and over again when I have a sub. Then when I’ve got the 3 am fever, I don’t have to worry about where my sub plans are, are they on this computer and who can I politely ask to help me get my sub stuff together while I’m delusional in bed.

Now there’s no 3 AM panic, and I know everything is right there on my desk. I put other important info in there, class list, any medical issues, helpful students, my teaching neighbor’s names, fire drill procedure, extra activities. I created this 2 years ago, and now I take a few minutes in the summer to update the class lists, and any schedule changes and I’m good to go for the whole year.

**BONUS**- Save your plan book and next year you can at a glance see what exactly you did on the day before Thanksgiving, or see how ahead or behind you are in your math journal etc.

This year I’m going to have a student teacher, so I’m hoping she will find my plan book super useful and helpful!