Here's my situation:
- I returned to the classroom after 8 years
- I have formal observations from my principal
- I am teaching Digital Art, Coding, Communications, Tech Skills, & Tech Applications
- Digital Art, Coding, & Communications meet twice a week for a semester
- Tech Skills & Applications meets M-F for a quarter
- I have students in grades 6, 7, & 8
- I was given the flexibility to improve the curriculum for all of these courses
I started in the staff handbook, where a narrative of the districts lesson plan expectation was outlined. Last year I worked with a digital platform, but it felt clunky to me. I turned to Google Docs, where I create a template for my lessons. It has worked really well to help me organize my plans and thoughts and activities. I plan by "unit", so each Google Doc covers multiple days. I do not follow this strictly from class to class or even quarter to quarter. I am also a little "old school" in that I print it out to keep on my desk. I will jot notes on it as the unit progresses, then I transfer it into the digital version for future reference.
Interested in seeing this lesson plan template? I've shared it on Templates for Teachers - Lesson Plan Template.
Since I teach 5 different classes, I needed a way to "track" them all and keep them organized. I also found that I had a few seasonal lessons or even lessons I could use as sub plans if necessary that I wanted to be sure to have easy access to. I realized a Google Sheet was the most practical way to keep my lessons together - yet separate for each class - as well as being able to add in links. (I'm sure a Doc would have worked, too, but I like the functionality of Sheets better for this.)
I made a template tab and then got to work building it out for my Tech Skills class. I had the name of the unit, projected number of days it would cover, the essential question, and the link to the full lesson plan. I realized as I was filling this all in, it would also be helpful to have a column for the programs I'd need to use and what skill I was focusing on. Simple - with some detail - and I've worked to keep it to a "one-pager" when I print. I love it!
Interested in seeing this unit planning template? I've shared it on Templates for Teachers - Curriculum Map.
Some improvements I've made since I first started using this - I separated out the Digital Citizenship lessons I do with each class a few lines down from the last lesson. I like to keep these separate so I can easily find them. I also separated out "other" lessons below the Digital Citizenship lesson. These might be "one-day-ers" or sub plans or even holiday themed lessons. This is especially helpful when I switch quarters and I won't re-use that lesson. Finally, I added in a link to the detailed lesson plan template in the upper right corner, so when create new lessons, it's easy to find.
Even though I love tech, I do print these curriculum maps. I carry these in my planner so I can plan when it's convenient for me & I'm not dependent on internet connection. I've also begun writing the dates in the far left margin.
Is this helpful? I hope so. I always figure I'm not the only one out there that is looking for something. My solution my not be yours ... but maybe my solution will inspire you and give you a place to start. Good luck!
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