The first thing I do is make new calendars. I need
* A month-view calendar for long-term planning: field trips, testing windows, themed units, holidays, etc.
Grab one for FREE here...
* Then I'll need a weekly-view calendar (otherwise know as my Lesson Plans). I use this to keep track of lessons, specials, who goes where, our daily schedule, etc. This is my most-used calendar of the year. It keeps me on track. Seriously!
This is also where I keep track of standards, what we're focusing on, workshop activities, differentiation, objectives, etc. Here's what mine looks like. I made it with Excel.
Notice I've typed in fields that stay the same every week. I like to pencil in specific activities. That way they can be changed easily when plans don't go as planned! :)
This is "filled-in" and ready to go for the week...
* I also make a one-page schedule that shows our everyday activities. I include this in my students' take home binders and post a copy on the bulletin board by our schedule for easy reference!
Here's last year's model. I'm not sure about our schedule yet, so I'm waiting to finish this one.
* Last, but certainly not least, I make a trimester pacing guide for our grade level. This tells us where we should be with our curriculum. It kinda "maps out" the whole year for us and - again - keeps us on track. I keep saying that, don't I?!
Here's a sample of what that looks like... I haven't gotten to Social Studies & Science yet, but they'll be filled in soon.
So that's it for now! I hope you find some quiet time this summer to help organize your school day. Believe me, when school starts, you're gonna be pressured for time as it is! Do it now while you're still sane and have time to think.
I absolutely loved your calendar! I loved that you had the US holidays on there! Will you be doing one for the 2016-2017 school year?
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