Lesson Plan Template

One of the hardest parts of any school year (at least for me) is scheduling.  Getting the schedule set up for 7 students, 4 instructional assistants, and related service providers plus scheduling 3 grade levels for specials and inclusion can be a nightmare.  With this in mind, several years ago I put together a spreadsheet that is my template for the school year.  I actually create a new template for each school year that covers a week at a time.  Each week I then fill in the specific activities/lessons that I plan on teaching.

I was asked to share the template on the iTeach Special Education group on Facebook, and so instead of sending it to each person individually, I thought I would post them here.  I've uploaded 3 different templates, one in Excel Format, Open Office format and a PDF - you are welcome to download and use via Google Drive.

I also wanted to share specifically how I use the template, again this is just what makes sense to me, but you are welcome to use it.  This first screen shot is of the reading block, I typically list the area in the classroom, then put students names & aides on the first line.  So you can see the areas in my classroom are the Blue Table, Green Table, Computer & Black's Table.  Then I'll put the student names, and I'll typically abbreviate them so I can fit more on the line, then who will teach the lesson.  Under each place I'll put the specific reading activity or curriculum that will be used.

In this picture you'll see I have fewer groups, but more importantly I listed speech at the bottom of the box.  I typically list times that students are leaving the classroom at the bottom of each time period, so I can keep track of who's in the room and who is out.

As I said before, it is nothing special, but am happy to share!  Feel free to download, use and share!

Patrick

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Googling for Communicating

Way back in April of 2009, I shared how I had started using Google Docs to increase collaboration between myself, my related service providers, outside therapists & parents.  A year and a half later it's going gangbusters!  It's been a huge success for me, and my parents.  It is a great way to track student progress, it's a wonderful record of student behavior.

Since I started this project I have added some parts.  For instance, I created a second page just for parents & outside therapists to share information about a student.  One parent even keeps all their child's information about medication changes and seizure activity, which makes it extremely easy for the school nurse to be kept updated!

I've created a Prezi that details the steps I've taken to create the documents, modify them so they are shared correctly, protected them, & added notifications.  You can see it here - Googling for Communicating.

Recently, I've had to make a new portion to the communication logs - translation.  I've had a new student start in my room, whose parents do not speak English, but I wanted to continue to have the opportunity to share information.  Google has thought of this and has created a formula to automatically translate cells.  IT uses the Google Translate engine and I can't verify how accurate the translation is (since I don't speak any other languages), but I figure it's better than not communicating.  I've posted some directions for using the formula at my wiki - Googling for Communicating - Translation.  You can see a sample here - Patrick's Communication Log - Sample.

Patrick


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Googling for Communicating with Parents

So last year I started sharing daily communication with the parents in my room via a Google Docs spreadsheet. It was a huge success! The reason I bring this us is I've been asked by my district to teach a workshop on some of the ways I communicate with parents, i.e. - Googling for Communicating with Parents! So while I'm spending some time with colleagues, please enjoy a repost (slightly edited) of the thought that started this all off!

Patrick

Collaboration (slightly edited) - Originally posted 4/16/2009

One area that is something that I find myself struggling with from time to time is collaboration. Between IEP meetings, lesson planning, actual teaching, and whatever else teachers are required to do, collaboration can take a backseat. Since the team approach is the best way to help students with disabilities how do we make sure that we share as much information as possible? One possible solution is Google Docs.

Google Docs is a online word processor, spreadsheet and presentation creator. Using this tool I've created a spreadsheet that allows me to share with parents specific information about what activities their child does during the day, as well as the ability to share what related service providers are doing at the same time. You can actually check out the template here. Since access is global (as long as you can get to Google), and it is private (you choose who you want to share with), it is a great forum for sharing information. Not only does it allow you to share with parents, related services can see what the classroom teacher or other service providers are working on in the classroom. Collaboration on a massive scale.

Is anyone else using Google Docs in a unique way to connect with parents or professionals? Share your stories here!

You can find the original post here - Collaboration

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