Creating lesson plans for your self contained classroom can seem overwhelming. Trying to include work for multiple grades and ability levels, students who are using different curriculum programs, including specials and inclusion… It’s a lot to manage! Luckily, I have found easy ways to streamline my planning. Keep reading to see examples of what I include in my lesson plans each week!
My Lesson Plan Template
I use a simple template that shows what we are doing in each subject on each day of the week, with unit names at the top and standards at the bottom. Each week I plug in the different topics we will cover in each subject. I also highlight special activities we will do, such as music therapy or school assemblies.
Generally, it is required to attach standards to your lesson plans. When creating my lesson plans, I use the DLM standards for ELA, math, and science, along with my state’s standards for social studies. Using the standards helps me to ensure that my students are exposed to grade-level work throughout the year, in addition to leveled work based on their individual goals.
Reading
For reading, my students work on a Simple Comprehension story and related activities each week. Because the activities for each story are the same every week, all I have to do to plan is change the title of the story. The daily lessons are always the same!
In addition to the comprehension work, my students also complete either Edmark reading lessons or phonics work. On my plans, I just plug in the lessons or topics as needed.
Math
I use Simple Math Curriculum workbooks for the majority of my math instruction. To fill in my lesson plans, I add the topic we are doing to the top of the page, and add an overview of the worksheets to each daily box. I keep each Friday labelled “assessment.” I use a worksheet from the curriculum to assess the students’ learning for the week. That helps me to plan how to proceed with lessons the following week!
Writing
I divide my students into two groups based on abilities and goals. One group will work on activities with a para while I teach a lesson, and then we switch.
The group that is with the para will start by completing Daily Calendar Worksheets. Then, they practice skills such as keyboarding and writing personal information. The group that is working with me works on sentence writing tasks. Lower level students will complete picture-supported tasks while higher level students are building up to writing multiple sentences in a sitting.
Science, Social Studies, and Life Skills
In my classroom, we do a rotating schedule of science, social studies, and life skills lessons. My science and social studies lessons are adapted versions of my school’s grade-level curriculum. On Fridays, we always do a cooking project during this period. My students love using visual recipes like this free Crockpot Applesauce recipe!
Using a predictable weekly routine makes it easy to write my lesson plans each week. And, it makes it easy for my students to anticipate what each day will bring, which cuts down on anxiety. What is included in your lesson plans? Share your favorite activities below!
