When I started teaching, it was hard for me to figure out how to organize the information in my planner. I was unsure what I needed to include or how to arrange everything in a useful way. Over the past couple of years I have found a system that works for me, and I thought I would share it here. This is not the only way to organize a lesson planbook, but it is one way, and if you are a brand new teacher this might help you figure out some of the ingredients to help you get started.

First- the book itself: I chose a 2 1/2 inch 3-ring binder. I almost need a 3 inch- but I have decided that would be going overboard. As you can see 2 1/2 inches just barely contains everything I include.

Inspiration/Motivation: I think it is essential to have inspirational artwork included at the very front of the planner, in times of great trial and tribulation, I like to imagine I am in the artwork below- happily raising my arms in the air with triumph while I relax at the beach.

 Quick View Items: In the front pocket of my binder I include a few more inspirational items- thank you notes from my students. I also use this pocket to store my art room wish list, in case anyone decides to give me some money to spend on my art room.

Important Files & Folders: Next I like to include the folders that I need access to throughout the year. I used to keep these in my filing cabinet, but I found that I use them so frequently that it is more useful to have them included in my planner- here I have my supply order file, my lead elementary art teacher folder and my square 1 art fundraiser folder.

The Art Teacher Bible AKA Program of Studies: Also tucked into the front of my planner is the spiral bound copy of our county’s elementary art program of studies. Whenever I am developing a new lesson plan I like to check the good word just to make sure I am not forgetting anything important.

Pacing Guide: After that my binder is set up with tabs for different info. I start with my pacing guide for the quarter- I created my pacing guide in excel then uploaded it to google docs so that I could share it with the other art teacher at my school. It looks like this:

Daily Schedule: My pacing guide is stored in a clear page protector. ON the other side of this page is my color coded daily schedule of classes:

Weekly Planning Calendar: After that I have a section for my weekly plans, which helps me stay organized for the week. I can see my entire week at a glance, which helps me figure out what materials and display items to prep and when. I try to highlight anything that is not a typical weekly item using a bright color or a bubble. I also put anything I need to be thinking about that week on a boldly colored post it note in the upper corner of my weekly plans.

Records- Documentation: Next I include a section for any written records such as anecdotal notes about classroom participation or behavior- it is really important to keep these notes on hand, in case of parent conference meetings or questions from the general classroom teacher.

Grade Level Lesson Plans: After that I have each grade level separated by a tab. Behind each grade level divider tab are the detailed lesson plans that are currently being covered or will be covered within the next month. My theory on how many lesson plans to include is based on the following imagined scenario: If I was in a tragic accident/had an emergency operation/was kidnapped by aliens what would the emergency long term substitute need to attempt to do my job? I decided that one month of prepwork and my weekly lesson plans would get the sub started- after that they are on their own. Here you can see that my detailed lesson plans contain the lesson plan iteself, any notes about materials or possible changes to the typed plan, as well as printed copies of handouts and the powerpoint or smart notebook file I would use to present the lesson.

I have digital copies of all of this information stored and updated in my Dropbox so that I can access it at work or at home on my laptop, as well as from my iphone in case I am ever sick or stranded somewhere. This makes it easy for my to prepare for any last minute subs- except in the case of alien kidnapping or tragic accident- I doubt I would have my phone handy in either of those situations.

Lesson Plan Crate: All other printed info is stored on separate binders by grade level in a crate on the counter beside my desk. When I need to update my planner I take out the lesson we just completed, store them in the binder on the counter and take out the next lesson. This way it is easy for my to keep my plans up to date, and I only have to print lessons if I am doing something new or if a lesson plan changes dramatically.

Post-It Note Planner: The last detail of how I organize my planner is more of a tip- not really included in the binder itself. I- like most art teachers- teach many different grade levels and many different lessons. In order to make sure I dont forget anything important, I try to distill the essential steps of my lesson into one post-it note worth of info. I stick the post-its for the days lesson onto my laptop where I can see them while I am teaching. This saves me running back to my desk to reread a lesson if I forget something in the moment. Here you can see the first day of my kindergaten landscape painting lesson distilled into one post-it note. I started doing this as a student teacher and it really helps me stay on track. I try to keep the post it notes stuck with the original detailed lesson plans, but it is easy to make a new one if the post it gets lost.

Hopefully this will be helpful for someone as they prepare for teaching art. No one ever showed me this before I started student teaching, and it even helped one of my coworkers with getting organized, so I think it is valuable information. Happy planning!

I am currently juggling many projects at work, but the most exciting is still the progress of my new art classroom. I hope to document the whole process of packing and moving to my new classroom, and all of the excitement that comes with that, but right now I am still sorting out the logistics of the big move. I am still scheduled to move over the winter break, which means I have finally begun planning and starting to sort and pack. Over the next month and a half I will be packing my room one media at a time until only the essentials are left the last week. I have every grade level using the same media at the same time right now to limit the amount of different types of materials that need to be out. Right now all grade levels are working on landscape painting- once that is finished I will post some examples of my students work and descriptions of the different lessons. Next will be ceramics or K-3rd grade, and collage for 4th-6th. Until then, here are some art room-under-construction photos to tide you over.

Here is my room at the beginning of October.

And here it is as of yesterday morning.

They just installed my cabinets. I don’t know if you can tell from the photo- the holes left in the cabinets are for the sinks (x4). The empty wall with the long horizontal hanging light is where my smart board is being installed with the smart document camera and laptop plugged directly into the wall.

In actuality, this is what it looks like when first walk in after summer break.

Feel free to try to count the boxes. But keep in mind- you can’t even see them all. There are two whole tables full that are hidden behind the first table on the right. A little overwhelming, isn’t it?

So imagine my surprise when I opened the door to my meticulously organized storage room which had transformed from this:

to this:

Now- upon first glance it might look that different- more boxes piled up, floor tiles removed, empty cabinet. But the longer I looked, the more things I noticed were out-of-place.

First- the yarn wall- previously my yarn was organized in color order- rainbow style. Obviously that is no longer the case.

Next I realized that the cabinet near the bottom of the photo was empty. Actually, when I first walked in I noticed that the cabinet was non-existent I actually found an empty space where a cabinet should have been, and found the empty cabinet at the front of my classroom. I took this photo after I moved it back to the storage room where it belonged.

The more I stood in my storage room the more I realized what kind of major over haul must have occurred in there. After hyperventilating and acting a little hysterical, I got myself together and dove in to really sort it out.Obviously unpacking the boxes would have to wait, as I quickly discovered that every single item had been removed from the storage room, the shelving was dismantled and removed, the floor was removed, the shelves were rebuilt, and finally the supplies were quickly returned to the shelves. The evidence was there in the form of stilts to reattach the shelving, labels on countertops were on the inside of the counter near the walls, and I found many boxes of miscellaneous supplies haphazardly thrown together into boxes and stashed wherever they fit on the shelves.

Thankfully, organizing art supplies is my specialty, and I reminded myself that all of this is for the good of the school. Every teacher in our building has been through this disassembling and summer scramble. I also reminded myself that all of this is worth it for the great big payoff at the end- a brand new, state-of-the-art classroom to call my very own. After sorting out the storage room disarray I had the opportunity to take a walking tour of the new wing of the school that is currently in progress- and here is the best stop- my new art room. Check out those amazing, enormous windows! I know it takes a lot of imagination but the size of the space and the fantastic view, plus kiln room & storage room fit for a palace will certainly make up for one day of startling storage room. I will be moving into my brand new classroom in December, which means packing up the entire art room, moving it (with the assistance of a moving crew of course) and unpacking it to set up for the next week. But did you see those windows? And did I mention- 5 sinks, storage room tabletop work station, built-in portfolio storage and I get to pick my own furniture? The photo above may look like a dusty construction site to you, but I see a masterpiece in progress.