Lesson Plan Your Year with These Easy Steps

Do you agonize over lesson planning?

Worried you’ll run out of time?

Not sure what to cover when?

​Do you fly by the seat of your pants some days?

If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then this post is for you.
 
Plan out your year in no time and watch the worries float out the window...

​
​Here's what you need:

1 – A calendar. Any monthly calendar will do. 
 
2 – Your school calendar. You need to know when your grading periods end, early out days, etc.
 
3 – Your curriculum. If you’ve taught this same curriculum before, then this should be a piece of cake!

4 - A pencil. While I love my flair pens, when it comes to planning I definitely need a pencil so I can easily adjust!
Master the 6th-grade transition with the exact systems
​I use to build independent scholars.
 

​Now you're ready to plan!

​Step One:

Using the school calendar, fill in important dates on your planning calendar. Mark the end of your grading periods (quarters/semesters), early out days, special adjusted schedule days, and no school days.

Step Two:

Look at your curriculum, and answer the following questions.

How many units do you have to teach?

Which units take longer than others?

In what order do these units need to be taught?
 
Decide: How many units will you teach each grading period?
 

Step Three:  start with your first grading period

This step is one of the most important – work BACKWARDS. 

Fill in your TEST dates first. Look at the end of the grading period and when you want your unit test or project to be done. Write that date in FIRST. Do the same thing for each of your units in your first grading period.


​Step Four:

Look at your first unit – what sub-topics are involved with this unit? What order should they be taught in? 
​
Look at your calendar and how many days you have to teach the unit. Fill in your sub-topics by how many days you will commit to each. 

Repeat steps three & four with each grading period.


​And before you know it, you will have your entire year planned out! Once your sub-topics are filled in, then it’s easy to go back and fill in your coordinating lessons. 
 
But what about those days when you need a sub? Or when you can’t do a planned lesson because of technology or something isn’t available? 
Don’t worry – I’ve got you covered! Check out how I make Emergency Lesson Plans that are effective, meaningful, and keep me on track with my schedule!

Need more help with planning? 
Check out these resources...



Ready to keep streamlining your classroom systems? Let’s keep that 'organized teacher' energy alive! Here are three more strategic reads to help you reclaim your time, simplify your routines, and finally break your morning date with the copier.

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Teaching with Textbooks | Teach Like Midgley

​I’m Hillary Midgley, and I help teachers move from classroom chaos to streamlined success with no-frills systems that make managing student work easy. New here? Start with the Manage Student Work ebook.