Have you ever spent a teacher planning period just puttering around on your computer without a sense of direction? Have you ever wasted time because you had no idea what to prioritize and work on? I’ve been there teacher friend but I have some teacher planning tips to share! When I learned to utilize my entire plan time, my life changed.
Might sound dramatic but I had more time on my hands to do the things I loved! I didn’t have to take work home with me, and I got so much more done in my day! Now I’m all in favor that teachers need more time to plan, but getting that time seems to run into roadblock after roadblock. Rather than asking for more prep time for teachers, learning to use the time I do have is a better use of my time. These teacher planning tips will help you take back your own time!
Want that stress-free and accomplished feeling? I’m sharing how I use my teacher planning tips to the utmost advantage but that is just one of my time-saving secrets! If you want to learn all about the 7 secrets to taking back your plan time, drop your email below and you’ll get the free guide sent straight to your inbox! So what are you waiting for?
I love my teacher planning period, it is one of my favorite parts of the day! I love getting things checked off my to-do list and making the most of every precious moment. I’m sharing my teacher planning tips to use plan time efficiently.
Teacher planning tips: Daily Tasks
I always have a shortlist of tasks that I accomplish each day. Some of these tasks get accomplished in the morning and afternoon (like emails) while the rest are completed at the end of my day.
*check email: I like to clear out my inbox twice a day so I delete and respond to emails in the morning and afternoon. If there’s a meeting or calendar invite I will add those to my planner.
*change I can statement for the next day: I like being prepared for the next day so I change the learning target for the next day before I leave. My board is ready for me in the morning and it’s one less thing I have to think about before class starts.
*clean desk: I love having a clean desk to walk into first thing in the morning. I’ll spend a few minutes tidying up my desk, putting pens away, and organizing papers. While I’m not actually a type-A teacher, my desk makes it look like I am.
*tidy room: My students usually do this one but in case we run over on time, I’ll send a couple of minutes picking up a lost jacket or putting away pencils left behind. I find that I work better in clean and organized spaces so having a tidy classroom is important to me.
*make tomorrow’s to-do list: Of all the teacher planning tips, this one helps me the most to utilize my time. I like knowing what I need to do right when I step into my classroom. At the end of the day, I know what I didn’t get done and can quickly add those tasks to my to-do list for the next day. If you want to know more to-do list-making tips, I have a whole blog post about it over here!
How much planning time do teachers get?
How much planning time do teachers get? Great question! It depends on what grade level and the number of preps a teacher has. I have 2 preps as I teach 2 different subjects, math and science to 6th grade. Therefore, my time is split between different subjects. Your plan time could be divided among 5-7 subjects like elementary school. Or it could be divided across grade levels like high school. However, these teacher planning tips will work for either amount of plan time or the number of preps you teach.
What I Do Each Morning
Most of the time my mornings are used for meetings so I try not to rely too much on any planned time. Mondays are the only day without meetings so I have a few tasks that I get done during this time.
*weekly update: I post a weekly update for my students and their families to see on Schoology (which is like Canva, Blackboard, and Google Classroom). Students can see what we will be doing in class each week and families know when tests, and homework are due. It is a simple way to communicate with everyone. I just have a template that I quickly fill in and then post. All in all, this takes me about 10 minutes to do for both math and science.
*lab supplies: I gather any lab supplies that we need for the week on Monday mornings too. This is helpful so that I can set up labs quickly, without having to run around the school looking for something. I store the supplies in my cabinets so that they are ready for me to set up and use with my students.
Teacher Planning Tips: Weekly Plan Time
Below is a peek at how I use a month’s worth of my teacher planning period. I like having a loose schedule to follow as this keeps me organized and not overwhelmed. I know that I have made time for the important tasks and that everything has a time and place to get it done. This stops me from worrying because I know it will get done when it needs to.
I have 2 separate periods of plan time during the school day, each 45 minutes long. I use 1 each day to prep for math and another to prep for science. This way, I can be prepared for both subjects equally and time is more balanced. There are times when science may need some more time so I allow that to happen occasionally. But for the most part, each subject sticks to each plan period.
There are of course things that will shuffle this plan around but for the most part, I stick to this schedule.
Science Prep Period
For science, I keep my plan time pretty simple. I have a common plan time with all the 6th-grade science teachers. So on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we meet to plan. This gives us time to make any adjustments from the last few years and to explain what students should be building to. Since I’ve been teaching science for the last 2 years, I feel more confident in my own ability to teach the content. I’m able to reuse a lot of the same teaching slides, labs, and activities which is really nice.
I am the copy person for the science team so I spend 1 day a week making the copies so that everyone has what they need. I like being prepared ahead of time so I took on this task.
Also, I spend some time grading on Fridays and/or Mondays. We have to keep our grade book updated weekly so this dedicated time helps me stay on track. I take 1 assignment from the week and make it a grade. Usually, it’s a check-in quiz or a lab that we completed. I will sometimes have the mornings to grade if there isn’t a meeting. However, I don’t bank on having mornings free.
Math Teacher Planning Tips
Math is a little bit different story mainly because every teacher is using a different curriculum. While we do meet to plan every so often, the different curriculums we are piloting make it difficult. I’m using a curriculum I’ve used before (Maneuvering the Middle) so I’m just doing my own thing most of the time.
As you can see, most of my plan time is spent batch planning for the next unit (more on that system over here). Batch prepping really is the key to having copies, assessments, and plans in place before I start teaching the unit. I LOVE this system so much! I am able to feel confident teaching because I know what is happening ahead of time.
When I’m not batch prepping, I am either making slides or grading for the week. The daily slides come together pretty quickly with these templates so this task doesn’t take me too long. And the same thing for grading math as grading science. I take 1-2 assignments for a grade each week, whether it is a practice activity or an assessment. Also, I only have 2 math classes with about 40 students total so grading goes pretty quickly.
I do spend 1 day each week prepping for math stations that I do each Friday. My rotations are pretty simple and creating math games that are fun is a breeze. I talk more about my math station rotation ideas in this post. Each Thursday I simply pull out the math game options that I want to give students. Then I grab some sort of activity to work on at my teacher’s table. Usually, the activity is a homework component from the curriculum so it doesn’t require too much planning on my part.
More Teacher Planning Tips
I found a lot of great ways to use your teacher planning period efficiently when I first started teaching. I’m linking my favorites below for you to check out if you want to nerd out on teacher planning tips!
- 7 secrets to taking back your plan time
- Prepare lessons faster & better
- What time management skills teachers need
- Making the Most of Your Teacher Planning Time
- How to Effectively Use Common Planning Time
- How to Make the Most of Your Teacher Planning Periods
- 5 Time Management Tips for Teachers
- How to Best Utilize Your Planning Period
And there you have it, my plan time in a nutshell. I’d love to know how you use your teacher planning period! How much planning time do teachers get at your school? How have you learned to use it well? Any other teacher planning tips you’d like to add? Drop your ideas in the comments!
Wow, thanks for sharing these tips for planning lessons and activities. This really helps in the proper implementation of the lesson plans.