Annual Lesson Plans

Annual Lesson Plans

Planning curriculum has many layers and can be tedious at times. It's best to look at the standards that are required and start with a yearly plan. Students are expected to master several standards in every subject area, so having a general plan for the year that outlines the order in which skills will be introduced, instructed and repeated is important.

It would be helpful to have a calendar available to set up a timeline as a visual aid. Teachers who instruct all core subject areas and those who teach only specific subjects will likely approach this task differently. An elementary school teacher might find opportunities to hit standards in multiple subjects at once more often than a high school math teacher. With that said, there are often opportunities for cross curricular instruction in all subject areas.

To begin designing a yearly plan, an elementary teacher could start by looking at an individual subject, such as math, and sort through the resources provided by the school district. Oftentimes, teachers are given a textbook to use as a guide for instruction. However, textbooks are written for use in dozens of states and districts, so it's important for a teacher to examine the textbooks provided and look for which standards are addressed and which standards will require supplemental materials. Then, teachers can begin to plan accordingly.