Get Planning {Amber from The Sunny Side of Second Grade}

Hey y'all! Happy New Year!!! I just wrapped up my first week back to school just in time for a long weekend to celebrate MLK. I love the year round schedule! Have I said that before? :)

This round of blog posts is geared toward planning and making your life easier. Let me first start by saying that, to me, organizing and planning go hand in hand. This post will have several pictures of how I organize my classroom to aid in planning. Let's do this....

If you are anything like me, a pretty planner and nice pens always make planning more enjoyable. If you have been following me for some time, you are aware that I typically do visual lesson plans. I stepped away from them this year and never looked back. I love planning in my Erin Condren planner. Notice all the colorful tabs! Oh yeah!!

Using your planning format, whatever that may be, you can begin writing down your thoughts for the coming week. I tend to start planning my small groups first. I begin with my SMARTIES and READING round planning pages.

{Click on any of the images above to visit my TPT store and browse these pages}

Because I teach in an inclusion class, the bulk of my instruction is done in small groups. These planning pages really help me keep my activities in stations on track. In addition, I can use the planning pages to specifically outline which skills we will be learning in small groups.

After I finish my small group planning, I plan my math and reading units around our grade level pacing guide. I pull resources that support those lessons. What better way to do this than to have everything organized in your classroom? I know we did some organization posts already, but really the two go hand in hand. Below are just some of the ways I keep things organized in my classroom to make planning a breeze.

Once you are organized, planning really takes care of itself. Just kidding! I could not put all my resources and thoughts together without this handy dandy checklist. I usually begin filling this out around Wednesday and start printing during specials on Thursday. Everything else is ready to go Friday morning for the next week and I am out the door right after the kiddos on Friday! YEAH!!!

{Click on the image to be taken to TPT}

Schroeder Shenanigans in Second is really a super woman in disguise in my opinion. She never ceases to amaze me. I really could not be as organized and thoroughly planned without this tool she so masterfully designed. Did I mention it is editable...SWOON!

I have learned that planning is really individualized. From computers to clipboards, every teachers finds their own method to the weekly madness we call teaching. Enjoy!