About Lesson Plan Books

Lesson plan books outline the way a teacher spends her days and designate what material she will cover during a class period. Every teacher organizes and maintains his lesson plan books differently. However, the overall purpose of every book is the same, to establish lesson plans that help the teacher present lessons that meet the needs of the students.

Function

Teachers establish lesson plan books that best meet their needs and include the materials they find most helpful. Some teachers include the state requirements within their lesson plans, as well as the objectives of the lesson. Color coding assignments such as homework and tests makes them stand out and ensures the teacher can refer to them at a glance. Highlighting activities or homework that need copies helps teachers organize their clerical duties. Some teachers attach supplemental materials such as spelling words or diagrams. Teachers create lesson plans in the order they intend to present the lessons. If there is something a teacher wants to emphasize, she may circle or highlight it to make it stand out.

Types

Teachers can formulate lessons manually or electronically. Manual lesson plans are typically laid out in a grid format within a book designed for establishing lesson plans. The entire week is placed on two pages. Using this method limits the amount of information to what fits the space available. Teachers typically include only highlights of the lessons. This system allows teachers to easily move assignments or tasks around if they are not completed as scheduled.
Electronic lesson plan books evolve as the year progresses. At the beginning of the year, teachers create a template of their schedule. Electronic lesson plans allow more flexibility in the organization and setup process, as well as the amount of information included. After weekly lesson plans are complete, teachers generally print a copy to use for the week. Changes can easily be written on the printed copy. Teachers often make the changes on the electronic files as well. Electronic lesson plans provide easy reference for the following school year. Teachers can easily adjust existing lesson plans instead of starting the planning process from the beginning.
The information required in teacher lesson plans is dictated by the school or department head. However, the type of lesson plan book a teacher uses is up to her. Electronic lesson plans can be transferred to school websites or turned in by email.

Features

Most lesson plan books contain preprinted material, including seating charts, student rosters, birthdays, a "glance at the year," student groups, a calendar, class schedule, notes and several pages of grid boxes for teachers to create lesson plans. A week usually covers two pages, with the weekdays listed at the top of the page and the times or class periods filled in down the left side of the page.
Often, teachers include other materials within a lesson plan book to use as a quick reference guide. Typical items might include: state requirements for their subject, diagrams for class activities, lists of materials needed, detailed descriptions or any other information they might find useful.

Benefits

Lesson plan books provide a detailed description of what students must do in a particular class. They provide administrators and department heads with proof that teachers have covered certain topics. These books serve as references and tell substitute teachers what to do when the regular teacher is absent. Detailed lesson plans can provide substitute teachers with an idea of the teacher's goals.
Lesson plan books make great references, year after year. After teachers complete lesson plans, note what worked well, what should be modified and which assignments need more time. These lesson plan books and notes can provide guidance as teachers plan their lessons for the following year. Finally, lesson plan books provide an easy reference when students have been absent. Instead of trying to remember what was covered in class, they can simply refer to the book and provide the student with the assignments.

Expert Insight

Some teachers prefer an all-in-one type lesson plan book, which includes areas for students attendance and student grades. These books are handy since the teacher only has to keep track of one book. Often, buying lesson plan books in bulk provides teachers with a discount, so groups of teachers band together to buy them. Co-teaching lesson plan books are available for general education classroom teachers and special education teachers. These provide room for teachers to add lesson plans within the same lesson plan book.