Evolution of an art teacher plan book (left to right)
When I was teaching in 3 elementary buildings per week it didn't make sense to carry a plan book back and forth between buildings. During those 8 years, I kept a digital planbook in excel. It was really just a snapshot of what we would do each day. I had a tab for each school so I could plan from anywhere. I printed out my formal lesson plans and left those on the desk for subs just in case.
Fast forward to 2020. I couldn't wait to be done looking at a screen after remote teaching. I resorted to a plan book that was scraps of paper and sticky notes all over the place. So I went back to a paper planner.
Over the past several years I have been modifying and tweaking my planbook and upon request making the templates available on TpT. One major change is transitioning away from "block" style to a self dividing layout like this one:
I love the flexibility this offers. If we're in progress on a lesson, I don't need the same amount of space as an intro day. This is also a good visual cut to how crazy the day is going to be and helps me prevent have a day of intros in every class. If there is too much to fit in that column it's going to drain my battery. So sometimes I will switch things up when I see how the different classes are going to align.
Recently, I have noticed is a need for more "communication logs" to document parent conversations.
I like to put my Note to Subs on the first page opposite my schedule.
This year I added a beginning of year checklist. We do many of these things on autopilot but it feels good to check them off!
Year at a glance important dates. I fill this in during the 1st faculty meeting of the year. It's helpful to refer back to this timeline things like standardized testing, etc.
Monthly calendar - I go with M-F only to allow more space. The weekends are mine and don't need to be in my school planner.
I alternate a notes page with a coloring page (because sometimes those meetings aren't really for art teachers)
Quick place to jot down any supplies that get used up.
All in one handy spot for ordering at end of year.
The Visual Art Standards quick reference in the back of book as well as an End of Year Checklist. This is new this year, but I found our district checklist had a minimal amount of items that didn't encompass what I really need to do to close out my room for the year.
Here's what it looks like all put together for this year:
What are some must have non-negotiable features in your plan book?
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