Stormie's Weekly Lesson Plan Forms

I'm now offering you the following version of my "weekly lesson plan forms."  I have purposely created them so that each form consists of two 8½ x 11" sheets of paper, allowing plenty of space for writing in your activities.  They are pre-punched and ready for keeping in a 3-ring notebook that can be displayed on your parent table.  Below the form, see suggestions for filling it out (you will get the same "suggestions sheet" with your order).

(Allow time for downloading.  Two-page form wording may appear fuzzy on your computer screen as the size has been manipulated.)

 

SUGGESTIONS FOR FILLING OUT THE ABOVE FORM:

THEMES: I like having a theme (or themes) for each day of the week, but depending on the developmental readiness of the children, I may stay with one theme for several days or even a week or more.  

LEARNING CENTER CHANGES: This space lets me tell parents when new activities are added to the learning centers.  I find that I usually have three categories of activities in my learning centers:
1. Activities which are introduced then left in the center for the rest of the school year
2. Activities which are rotated
3. Activities which amplify a particular theme and are left out for the duration of that theme

In general, when planning learning centers, I try to focus on activities children can do themselves, needing very little supervision once the activities are set up, introduced, and/or demonstrated.  (Although often, art center activities need supervision.) 

The centers I like to have in my classroom are:
*Science/Pre-Math Center (sometimes these two centers are together or alternated) + Sensory Table
*Blocks/Transportation Center (or just the "Blocks" Center)
*Language Center (also known as the Library or Quiet Corner),
*Small Manipulatives Center (also known as Games or Fine Motor Center)
*Creative Drama Center (sometimes teachers use their Play Kitchen for this)
*Computer Center
*Art + Easel

Note: As you know, so much depends on how big the classroom is and the supplies that are available at the school.

LARGE MOTOR FOCUS: I've worked at several schools where, except for playing on the playground, gross motor activities didn't exist.  Then at a later date, I worked at a fantastic school where children went through an obstacle course every morning before entering the classroom.  Because I saw the benefits of this with my very own eyes and how such exercises made children more alert and able to concentrate, I believe in gross motor activities religiously.  And even when we work at schools that (sadly) aren't properly equipped for obstacle courses, we can still, at the very least, focus on a particular gross motor movement each month.  For example, if our focus is "jumping," we can do jumping exercises every morning during our Greetings Group Time.  I truly believe that just as we adults feel exhilarated and ready for the day after exercising, children do too.  And even if our schedules allow time for Gross Motor only when the children play outdoors, we can still take a few moments of that playtime for some special "skill focus " exercises.  (By the way, you can get lots of gross motor activities and obstacle course information from my "Gross Motor" booklet, found in the "Stormie's Stuff for Teachers" section of this website.)  

SPECIAL PROJECTS: These activities might fall under the categories of Pre-Math, Language, Fine Motor, Cooking/Food, Science, or even Creative Drama -- not just Art.  We can do both individual and group projects (like murals where all the children work on something together and at the same time).
 
Crafts Versus Creative Art: I was taught that preschool art activities should be open-ended most of the time -- that is, activities with no right or wrong way of being done and left up to the child.  I was also taught, however, that an occasional "craft" gives children practice in following directions, and sometimes crafts teach particular concepts.  This is a subject of some controversy even among the experts.  So, my own personal (very non-expert) rule of thumb is to always aim for the open-ended first but not feel guilty for doing crafts now and then.  

GROUP TIME ACTIVITIES: These activities are done at "circle time" when we're all sitting together as a group.  They might include, but aren't limited to: Music & Movement, Creative Drama/Fingerplays, Language/Story, Gross Motor, Pre-Math, or Social Games. 

OTHER: Means exactly what it says: These are those other or extra activities we do (like celebrating Johnny's birthday).

SKILLS PRACTICED: I like letting parents know when we work on particular skills throughout the week.  This space on my form above allows me to do that.  Most skills fall into one of these categories: Thinking, Physical, Communication/Language, or Social-Emotional.  I may not always remember to include every single skill but I like to mention the most outstanding ones.  I find that because so much of what we do with children is "learning through play," parents really appreciate knowing exactly what their children are learning.

Other Notes/Reminders:
1. Remember to also include all those mini-subjects when you can (Safety, Geography, History, Multi-Cultural Ed, Environmental Ed, Music Appreciation, and Character Ed).  These are easy to forget to mention on lesson plan forms because they are so often blended in with our thematic units.  For example, when we do "Dinosaurs," we are focusing on "History," which is a piece of information parents would probably appreciate knowing.  And by the way, even snacks can be used to amplify a theme, so remember to include them too.
2. I like to go over the lesson plan form with my parents at the beginning of the year during orientation.
3. I like to keep all my lesson plans because I often use the same ones again, plus they allow me to look at all my activities over a period of time to see which skills I may be focusing on too often and which ones I may be unknowingly neglecting.  For example, am I doing too much art and not enough science?
4. Money Saving Tip: Always write in your activities with a well-sharpened pencil.  It looks nice and it allows you to erase mistakes or change dates should you use the same plans again.

Now return to my "Teaching Aids/Learning Games," see if there's anything else you would like to purchase along with these lesson plan forms, and then click on the ORDER FORM link at the foot of that page.