Evernote Lesson Planning

I think I’ve finally decided to use Evernote for my lesson planning!

This includes my actual lesson plan template that has to be turned into administration AND my resources.

I like being able to type up my lesson plans in the format that I want and not having to fit it into a particular box which is why I opted not to use any of the lesson planning websites.

As for resources, I looked at live binders (it’s just not my cup of tea), Pinterest isn’t file friendly, and educlipper-although visually pretty- didn’t cut it for me either.

SO- Evernote it is!

Here’s a screenshot of my lesson plan inside a note in Evernote:

I copied and pasted the text from my word document template into an Evernote note. It went all whacky with my boxes, so just the text got copied. Then I inserted tables in Evernote to separate my subjects.

I FINALLY figured out how to duplicate the note so I can just use the same template over and over like I was doing with my Microsoft word template.

I’m so excited! Now if I want to make a change to my lesson plan, I don’t have to have my laptop. Sweet!!!!

I won’t admit how long it took me to research and play around with it today to get it figured out. Because then you would think I’m stupid. And I like making y’all think I’m smart. 🙂

Now for the fun part- working on some notebooks in Evernote for my resources!!

What do you use for your lesson plans and resources??

Lesson Plan Template Modified (Again)

Maybe this will be the last time I modify my lesson plan template for this year! 🙂 I have changed it so that all 5 days of lessons can fit on one page. Save the trees! 5th6thlessonplanmodified    

Lesson Plan Template

Since I am SO PUMPED about being a strategic teacher I decided to create a lesson plan template that will help keep me on the path to purposeful planning which will lead to strategic teaching. This is a daily plan template NOT weekly. Yes, I know that is A LOT more work. Especially compared to my plans these past 2 years-they were really just to satisfy administration because I would actually write out on a different sheet of paper what I was actually doing in my classroom. 🙂

But now I want my plans to MATCH what and how I’m teaching. Strategically. 🙂

5th6thlessonplan

 

The TWIRL part is just something I added so I can circle each letter as I add that component to my lesson. Sort of my check system for myself.

T-Talk

W-Write

I-Investigate

R-Read

L-Listen

The Assess section is MAINLY for formative assessments but will also be for summative assessments.

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Monday Made It Linky Party

Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics is hosting a linky party throughout the summer that is the bomb!! It will be each Monday, and all you have to do is make something for your classroom, take a picture of it, write a post about it, and link up to her Made It Monday post. Of course, that being said (“all” you have to do…) I didn’t make anything crafty this time-just a rough draft of a new lesson plan template for next year since I will be teaching 5th and 6th grade history for the first time ever. This template is sort of like a planning sheet-maybe not the one I will turn in to administration-just one to figure out what I want to do each week.

I want to make history come alive for the students instead of just read the lesson and memorize, so I have made a lesson plan template that covers that. 🙂

Here’s my “rough draft” template:

5th6thlessonplan

Well, that’s my attempt at a screenshot. Why is technology so hard to learn? 🙂

So there you have it-my creation. 🙂 Next week I’ll do something crafty!

 

 

1st 6 weeks lesson plan template

I think I am finished with all the lesson plan templates that I will need for the year! WooHoo!!!

This year I am really wanting to start out slow and not jump headfirst into the curriculum. What I mean by this is that I want to do a thorough introduction of many things before going back in depth on these same things. I want to take the 1st 6 weeks to teach/introduce:

Rules/Routines/Procedures/Organization Tips/Technology Tools/Reading Strategies/Reading Skills/Administer Assessments to guide my instruction!!!!!/Do teambuilding activities/Launch Writer’s Workshop/Review/Introduce English Stuff(Parts of Speech, Sentence Types, Phrases, Punctuation)/Set up our Word Study Program/Cover Homework Guidelines and Expectations

THEN the 2nd 6 weeks will be our time to start revisiting ALL that we have talked about and done. We will go more in depth with most of the above and continue this way for the remainder of the year.

Here is a screenshot of my 1st 6 weeks lesson plan template.

Here is the word document: 1st6WeeksLessonPlanTemplate

Here is the pdf document: 1st6WeeksLessonPlanTemplate

 

Small group lesson plan template

I think I have got what I want-“I think”.

Last year we were asked to begin small group instruction in 4th-6th grade(it is already in place in K-3). They talked to us about it around October. I really did try to implement it, but I was also trying to follow our reading program and there just wasn’t enough time to get everything in after whole group instruction. Is there ever enough time????

I think I taught small groups about 6-7 times if I remember correctly-the kids seemed to enjoy it, and I really felt like I knew more about my students in just those few times then I ever did during whole group. So I am pledging to spend lots more time teaching small groups and working with individual students this upcoming year. I hope that I can follow through on this-there just seems to be so much to teach (and I’m departmentalized-only teaching reading, english, spelling, and writing). Self-contained classrooms have it a whole lot tougher! 🙂

I really want to get to know my students (all 48 of them); their strengths, their weaknesses, their likes, their dislikes…..

Small group instruction will be the biggest challenge-especially if I teach them what “they” need help with (and not just what my teacher guide tells me to teach).

Here is a screenshot of my small group lesson plan template that I just made.

Here is the word document: SmallGroupLessonPlanTemplate

Here is the pdf document: SmallGroupLessonPlanTemplate

The only other lesson plan template that I need to create is one for the 1st 6 weeks of school. This one will be entirely different from the others since I really want to introduce A LOT of things to my 6th graders (note that I said “introduce”-not teach to mastery) before we buckle down and dig in!

Lesson plan template

An hour. That’s what it took. To create a whole group lesson plan template. On the computer.

Mind you, I did not say that I just did my lesson plans. That’s a whole other ballgame! LOL

So back to what I did do-I created a whole group lesson plan template that also sort of acts as a schedule-this lesson plan template will not let me forget to teach anything. Hopefully. 🙂

Here’s what it looks like.

Here it is as a word document. Whole Group Instruction Lesson Plan Template2

Here it is as a pdf document. Whole Group Instruction Lesson Plan Template2

Now I’m off to create a small group lesson plan template (unless I fall asleep)!