One of the first questions I had as a new teacher was about how to organize my days. How was I going to fit in every precious lesson, every field trip, every silent reading break, every test, every activity? Moreover, why didn’t they teach this to me in University!!
Over the years I have borrowed some great ideas for day , weekly and term planners. If you have an idea of your own, please post it in the comments below, or direct readers to you own helpful resources.
Happy Planning!
DAILY PLANNERS:
– schedule on one side and the lesson plan notes/ behaviour notes on the other. One the right side, for example, write the goal of the lesson: “expository lesson 1/4”. On the other side of the paper, write down notes on how the lesson will unfold: “introduce new essay style, brainstorm as a class, pick topics out of a hat, begin planning stages, assign due dates for rough draft. NOTE: book computer lab for final copy type up.”
– Use coloured pens, highlighters, etc: highlight meetings, important lessons/ tests, etc.
– only use information that you will need to avoid unnecessary clutter/ added work. Pre-fab planners may not be as useful as your own templates for this simple reason.
– Detailed daily notes have the added bonus of being ready-to-go for SUB teachers
WEEKLY PLANNERS:
– not a replication of the daily planner (ie, your own notes). Make a plan at the beginning of the term. This is the planner that you give to parents/students, admin, as well as post in the classroom so that everyone knows what is expected on each day.
– PLAN silent reading time, tech time, library visits, etc. If they don’t make it onto the class schedule, they likely won’t happen at all 😉
– if you are a teacher who has more flexibility when planning your schedule, you probably wonder how many hours of each class you should fit into each week. As a rule, math and language arts are given the most time allotment. For math, it is especially helpful to plan in a “comprehension skills” day, devoted specifically to drills and new skills. Stagger lessons: plan for science on Monday afternoon and Thursday morning, for example. Student’s have different energy levels at different times of the day, as well as the fact that classroom interruptions will not impact a staggered schedule as much as a regular schedule.
– On Monday morning, include a 30 minute “high light/low light of the weekend” share time. Students LOVE sharing about their weekend (they have 30 seconds to share). This activity is great for building classroom culture.
– Post the daily version of this schedule on the whiteboard/ at the front of the room.
– Homework days can also be assigned on this schedule. For example, Monday and Thursday Math and Science
– Try to plan one-on-one time with each student. I know teachers who use silent reading time to go over assignments with students, listen to them read, or check in with them. 
TERM PLANNERS:
– map out field trips, unit tests, guest speakers, projects, meetings, report cards, 
etc
– try to fit everything on to one page, on a week-by-week schedule
– SCHEDULE IN MAKE UP TIME. Whether it is for projects or falling behind in the schedule, plan a week or days here and there that can be used as “flex days”
Check out the following websites for more information on Lesson Planning:
New Teacher Survival Guide: Planning
Additional tips:
– Keep all your notes and schedules in ONE binder. This includes classroom/ behaviour notes, project outlines, check lists for assignments handed in, grades, important dates, etc.
Happy Planning!
Multiple Intelligences in the Everyday Classroom 