I have found that ending my Sunday by laying out this initial skeleton plan allows me to get in the right frame of mind once Monday hits. I used to dread laying out each and every detail of the week, only to have to pull out a huge eraser and redo most of Wednesday through Friday-- either because we got too far behind, too far ahead, there was a random fire drill or an assembly... you name it!
Now, my Sunday nights are filled with stickers and minimal writing-- how much more fun is that? I can visually lay out my week, see what goes where, make a few notes of things I will need to prep and check on as the week gets underway, and then fill in the remainder throughout the day and week ahead.
This may sound completely different than how you plan, and that's ok! The beauty of planning (if you have the choice, that is!), is to find a system and a flow that fits you best. What works for me may be a nightmare for someone else. It took me several years of finding the sweet spot that fits my personality, teaching style, and helps me stay sane. Hopefully this can give you some ideas if you're still looking for your own personal planning style!
I use stickers (found in my Etsy Shop HERE) to streamline the planning process and to avoid rewriting things over and over. I choose two colors that speak to me that week (this week it's starting to look like Spring, so I chose the March colors), and then alternate them for visual interest.
Then, with my trusty pencil, I fill in as much as I know. I will come back and jot things down as they come to me, or if certain to do's pop up, but I leave most of it for when I am at school and "in the zone." There, this is open on my desk and I am constantly jotting, occasionally erasing, and always glancing down at it throughout the day and week.
Enjoy this time lapse and I hope you're having a wonderful week!
Do you have to turn in your LPs? We have to save our every week on our network. Otherwise, I'd love this!
ReplyDeleteFortunately, we don't have to turn them in. I am such a hands-on person, I would probably still do this to keep me sane, even if I had plans online. Something about writing things down for me actually allows them to "stick." Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteI love this idea! What a wonderful way to plan out the week in advance!
ReplyDeleteI always dread doing lesson plans. This seems like a great idea! I like the stickers idea. I am a visual person, so this would help me to easily follow my lesson plans. It seems like I am always erasing plans as I move through the week because plans do change. Therefore, I like the idea of filling in the plans as you go throughout the week. Does your third grade team do long-range plans? Thank you for this great idea.
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