Sometimes staying organized is a challenge! Staying organized as a teacher is especially challenging, because you have to remember a million things (what to teach, how to teach it, curriculum goals, student progress, volunteers etc...)
Every shul will have a list of goals or even a full curriculum to follow. My shul in particular has a detailed list of goals, but no curriculum. So it's up to me to keep things straight!
That is why I created this teacher planner. It helps me break down the yearly goals my shul outlines into manageable chunks. It also helps me keep track of each student's progress. Learning Hebrew is such an important part of a child's religious school education-- so it's super important for the teacher to keep tabs on struggling students so they don't just fall through the cracks.
In this blog post, I will walk you through the different parts of the planner and how to use each one to it's fullest potential.
Let's start with the basics.
Print out your planner. You can punch holes in t it in a binder (super easy), or do something a little fancier. Personally, I prefer the binder. You can slip the cover page into the front cover of the binder.
The planner starts with basic information. Just plug in the details of your particular shul and your class roster.
The madrichim and parent volunteer page is really useful! I like to have Jewish holiday parties in my class. I always enlist the help of parent volunteers (for both their time and supplies)!
It's always nice when your teacher remembers your birthday. This is a great way to keep track!
The goals page is probably the most useful page. Here you will write the basic goals you have for your class. This should align with the goals your shul gave you! Here is my own personal goal page as an example. The one in the document is blank obviously.
Next is the student data section. This will help you keep track of which kid learned what. You write the names of your students on the left side, and each skill you teach on the top. For example, you could write letter aleph and sound as a skill. You check off each box as the students demonstrate their mastery of each skill. You can use this page to help you write DETAILED progress reports. The students will benefit greatly if you can say something like, "Josh has mastered the letters aleph, bet, and lammed, but will need additional help on the letter yud. Here are some resources etc..."
The calendar section will help you figure out when to teach each lesson. This section starts off with a Jewish Holiday Calendar. This will help you plan holiday lessons at the appropriate time!
The year at a glance page is SUPER helpful. Go back and look at your yearly goals. Pick two or three that you want to tackle on a particular Sunday. For example, you can write: letter gimmel and learn oseh shalom.
Just write a brief sentence-- something that will remind you WHAT you are going to teach that day. This is not the place to write about how you are going to do it (that comes later).
Also, if you take the time to plan your entire month (or even year if you want) you'll make sure that you are on track by the end of the year.
Finally we come to the most detailed part of this planner-- daily lesson plans.
To use these pages, look back at your year at a glance. Use the sentence you wrote for each date as TODAY'S OBJECTIVE.
When you figure out HOW you are going to teach/what activities you want to use, you can write them down in the DAILY PLAN section.
Make sure to also write down any SUPPLIES that you'll need-- and of course BIRTHDAYS
Side note: this planner is designed for teachers who hold their class on Sunday only. If your shul has a two day program (or does not meet on Sunday) no problem! I created a shorter version with no add in dates. Just photocopy/print the lesson pages as many times as you want.
Download:
B'ahava,
Elana
