Now, in my fifth year of teaching, I think that I’ve finally settled on a lesson plan template that I am happy with. Every year, based on what I’ve seen colleagues use, and based on my own comments in the notes column, I’ve made slight changes to the format of my lesson plans.

Kept in my course binders, I cover my lesson plans with hand-written notes by the end of each lesson and need to adjust plans accordingly the next time I have the opportunity to teach a similar unit.

This year, in order to keep straight all of the necessary curriculum, I needed a more detailed sidebar. I hadn’t, for example, tracked all of the reading strategies that I wanted to cover, nor had I tracked the topics that the school board was championing.

I’ll make available here a PDF download, and a Word document as well, for anyone interested.

If you would like to see an example of a developed lesson, see the lesson plans from my Grade 12 Media unit, or from my King Lear unit. Though, just between you and me, they’re always evolving. Should I get the opportunity to return to King Lear in 2010, I have little doubt that my lesson plans will look radically different.