It can seem so simple, yet it can be so incredibly hard.
It takes up soooooo much time, yet the time spent on the actual lessons passes way too quickly.
Before you know it, it's time to plan for the next week or the next month.
Personally, I like to plan for a month at a time. By "batching" an entire month of lesson plans at one time, it frees up so much of my afternoons, evenings, and weekends.
Here are some ideas to help you plan strategically.
1) Plan Lessons for the Entire Month
Planning for the entire month is a time management tip that can help you get things done and get out the door in a timely manner each day.
Taking the time one or two days at the end of the month to plan out your entire upcoming month is a great way to stay organized.
While it might mean that you have to stay late at school for a couple of afternoons now, you will be so glad that you did as the month rolls on and you find that you can actually get out the door on time most afternoons.
First, ask yourself these questions:
- What standards and concepts are listed on the curriculum map for the upcoming month?
- What holidays, special days, and school events are taking place during the month?
- What activities have I included in past years that were successful that I want to repeat?
Keep all of the answers to these three questions in mind as you plan out your month.
2) Plan for Math and Literacy Centers
Not only are math and literacy centers an important part of the day for students to practice concepts and skills, but they are also an integral part of the day for you to get more things done.
I'm not talking about things like cleaning, prepping, or planning.
I'm talking about double- and triple-dipping to fit everything required into your day.
Use the time while your students are working independently in centers to work with intervention groups.
In fact, it's an excellent time to spend time with your on-level students and your high-achieving students who would benefit from enrichment activities.
How do you plan your centers? Keep it simple. Using only five weekly centers for students to rotate through each week means easy planning and prepping for you.
Read this blog post for more information for literacy centers: Keep your centers easy, simple, and fun!
Read this blog post for your math centers: Math Centers that are Easy to Plan, Organize, and Prepare
Planning centers for the entire month using activities to both practice and review concepts will take care of a lot of your lesson plans.
Related Post: How Centers Transformed my Fourth Grade Classroom
3) Planning for Core Academic Subjects
After planning your center activities, plan out your core academic subjects.
If your district uses a curriculum map, this should be fairly easy to fill in the days for the month of what subjects, skills, concepts, and standards you will be using.
Keeping a fall theme can help keep things fun and interesting for your students.
Don't forget to add activities for math fluency in your classroom. Helping your students become fluent with addition/subtraction or multiplication/division facts just makes teaching all other math concepts so much easier!
4) Plan for the Other Parts of Your Day
After you have planned for your core subjects and your centers, it's time to fill in the remainder of your lesson plans.
Keep activities ready for students to use immediately upon arrival. Students will be engaged and excited to come to your classroom each and every morning. It's a great way to start your day and sets the tone for success for your students.
Having some easy activities at your fingertips for your early finishers will help keep your classroom moving smoothly during the entire month.
If you have other items for the month, collect them together, and plug those in. Make your copies, and organize them in a way that works best for you.
There you have it! You now know the four quick strategies to help you focus on planning and preparing your lesson plans.
Isn't it better to stay late at school one or two days of the month in order to make it home on time the rest of the month?
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Keeping things real, keeping your personal life a priority, and helping you whenever I can is just...
I really like the idea to plan for a whole month rather then weekly. Then you only have to sit down and plan 10 times!
ReplyDeleteIt was a game changer for me. I hope it works really well for you!
DeleteI love the concept of a month at a time! Planning to give that a shot because last year was my worst year by far in terms of being prepared. Thank you for your dedication to teachers!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry that last year was so rough. I hope this really helps!
DeleteThank you. You will help me alot with getting math centers under control!
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of batch planning and thinking about all aspects of the day in those plans. It will help me think through all activities verses just the content lessons.
ReplyDeleteBatch planning is so much easier! I hope it works well for you.
DeleteYes, I need to get more organized and simplify planning my centers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Julia. I hope these steps help!
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