You need multiple lesson plan templates. There is absolutely no reason you should have just one lesson plan template. But you should have one base template that covers all of your observation criteria. Once you develop that base template there are a few other templates you should create.
Creating multiple templates, in the long run, will save you time. The idea is to create a lesson plan template for each of the activities you and your students do. Then for each activity you’ll already have a protocol written. Of course, you copy in your standards from your unit plan. So all that will be left are some super specific content details.
Save Time with Multiple Templates
You’ll spend less time writing your plans. But you will also save time with your students. If you have a pretty firm plan for your card sort activity, then the kids will know exactly what to do. I do this especially with lab activities. My students know I will always go over the directions and the lab safety rules. My plans indicate I walk around and monitor kids and ask some questions. When I write this plan, I fill in a few questions I know I will ask that are content specific. I may also be specific in the rules.
My favorite hack for multiple lesson plan templates is to write more than you need in the template. Then go back and erase what you don’t need. In my lab safety template I write all of the lab safety rules. Even the ones for the Bunsen burner! Then if it turns out we aren’t using flame, I’ll erase those rules. It’s actually a lot easier to erase what you don’t need instead of trying to fill them in.
I talk a lot about this in my course, The All Star Planning Course because it’s part of my process for spending less time on lesson plans. Click here to get a list of the multiple lesson plan templates I recommend you create for yourself.
And don’t go crazy. Start with the two or three templates you know you’ll use A LOT. Then slowly add a few more to your collection.
