Lesson Plan Organization

Here is the scene: I am at work trying to plan anew lesson for 3rd grade.  I look at my poster of topics that need to be covered in a year, and locate one that I want to do. Then I go to my supply of lessons.

This is the problem. I have too many forms of lesson plan organization.

Last year my mentor teacher from college retired.  I was lucky enough to absorb her 20 year collection of lesson plans. Some of them were in the form of papers in file folders that I store in this little number:

My massive filing cabinet.

I have spent too much time going through these files, putting like things together, separating by grade level, scanning into the computer.... And there are still several  boxes in my apartment.

No, you don't need to see the boxes.

 Some of the things I got from her are also samples of lessons. I create a lot of these too, it is a natural byproduct of teaching art. For a while I was gluing the lesson on the back of each sample. I may keep doing this, it is nice to see when I dig through the big folder.

My second method.

 I'm not super crazy about either of the methods mentioned above.

then the art teacher that travels to my school every third day introduced me to her new lesson plan book:

I LOVE THIS

I really can't say enough about this.  She came up with what I want to call the BEST idea in the world.  It is a sketchbook. That's all. But it is the most amazing thing I have ever done. I am actually excited about making lesson plans now because I love putting them in this book!

Basically I write the lesson on one side and put the sample on the other side. It is great that it is all compacted together, because I can carry it all with me and work when I am out and about. I also love it because it all stays together. Also I can put it on my desk so my principal can see it when I am teaching and she comes in. I'm not sure what will happen next year when I have lessons that are repeated from this book, but am working in a new book because this one will be full, but I'll fugure it out when the time comes.

Well that's it for the day, how do you keep your lessons together? Any suggestions I can add to my already out of hand storage situation?

Happy teaching,
The Artsy Girl

(Did you see that? a sign off! totally one of my blogging resolutions!)