Lesson Plan Template

You guys have asked to see my lesson plan template and to get a peek into how I make my lesson plans. As always, I try my best to help save you all time and sanity. Let’s check out my lesson plan template. I will break down the pieces of this template and how I use it to plan.

This is…

1. First, this is MY breakdown down of what I am doing in my classroom for each part of each day.
2. This is a big picture and then parts to accomplish- the bones for the week.
3. Next, this most likely means nothing to anyone to me, but I know exactly what each part and element mean.
4. Finally, this is what I do to make sure I have something planned for my little learners each day and in each place.

This is Not…

1. This is not my formal “turn it in to my admin” plan.
   (If you are wondering, my grade level turns in formal plans with standards and all that stuff.)
2. Then, this is not a place to write in my standards.
3. And most importantly, this is not formal and set in stone. Things get moved around and changed as needed.

Lesson Plan Template: #1 Big Picture

I start with the big picture. This is the big ideas I am focusing on this week. These usually come straight from our curriculum map. I do not write in the standard, because this is my glance. The best part about this step is the size. It remains in my eyesight and my mind with every glance. It is important that everything fit onto one screen and that these remain the first thing I think about and see.

Lesson Plan Template: #2 Schedule

Next, I turn this template into a schedule. I do a lot everyday and I keep things moving. Again, I want this to be a one glance “plan.” When I can see my schedule at a glance, I usually plan smarter! Another goal of mine is to NOT over plan or under plan. This also helps me see the”flow” of my lessons from day to day. If you want to see a breakdown of my schedule you can click here. 

Lesson Plan Template: #3 Daily Peek

Furthermore, I have a daily peek. This is my day to day breakdown. I make changes by filling in the box with gray if we have a field trip or type in when I have extra help that day, or even library. Another thing I do is write in special days UNDER the day. For example, I write in the 100th day under the Wednesday if it falls on a Wednesday.

Lesson Plan Template: #4 Small Groups

Now, for step 4, I have a place for  literacy group. The letters here are for our colored tables. You could number your groups or plan this another way. We use the structure called The Daily 5, so I don’t plan a lot, but I do have lots of moving parts. (You can read more about how I use The Daily 5 here.)

Lesson Plan Template: #5 Math Groups

 

Step 5 is for my math small groups. Due to time constraints, we rotate through small groups three days a week, THEN we do a whole group math lesson once a week.
And we love to create a number chat talk on Fridays. Since I teach a large part of math at calendar and review our skills during this time, my students are actually very strong in math. This is not a weak area at all for us, even with only 3 small groups a week.

Lesson Plan Template: #6 Centers

Lastly, I have a place for centers. Since we work on our centers weekly, and I want this whole sheet to fit on ONE page, I have my centers on the far right. Each color table hosts one center, hence my colors. If you are looking for center ideas, I have a large collection of Center Saturday posts here.

Of course I also have places for calendar and our unit. I write down the things I will teach in those spots as well.

Need this template?

Feel free to grab a copy of this template here so you can make whatever changes fit your needs. Once you edit one page to work for you, simple copy and paste the table below the first one. Continue to do this for the whole year. At the end of the year, make a copy and EDIT this copy for the new year.

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