How to Use the Lesson Planner

System Administrator

PLEASE NOTE: Before any user level starts lesson planning, it is important that the system administrator:

·       Select Use Lesson Plan Component in Administrative Functions - District Options - Classroom and Assessment Configuration (Required to turn on lesson plan component)

·       Create Lesson Plan Schedules

·       Review Lesson Plan Configuration and Create Templates

Create Lesson Plan Schedules

Lesson Plan schedules typically represent bell schedules, but also could be used to represent time blocks at the elementary level.

1. Create lesson plan schedules in Administrative Functions - Lesson Plan Schedules

2. Click on Lesson Plan Schedules

3. Click Add New.

4. Enter Schedule Name

5. Select if you would like to use a Time-based Schedule or Duration-based Schedule Note: A Time-based Schedule is typically used at the secondary level and a Duration-based is typically used at the elementary level. For more information, click on the blue question mark in the software.              

Open

Creating a Time-­Based Schedule

1. Once you select Time-based Schedule, click Save

2. Enter the Period Name

3. Enter the Start Time and End Time

4. Click Add Period

5. Once you have added all your periods, click Save

Creating a Duration-­Based Schedule

1. Once you select Duration‐based schedule, a schedule start time dropdown will appear.

2. Select the time you would like your daily schedule to start and click Save. Note: This is the start of your school day, not each duration.

3. Enter the Period Name (duration title) and the number of Minutes in Period. Click Add Period.

4. Repeat step 3 until you have added all periods (durations) in your day, click Save.

Review Lesson Plan Configurations and Create Templates

1. Review Lesson Plan Configuration and create templates in Administrative Functions - District Options - Lesson Plan Configuration.

2. If you would like the option to view lesson plans at the unit level of your curriculum, click Show All Lesson Plans by Unit

3. Selecting Predefine Lesson Plan Schedules will allow you to use your daily campus schedule

4. If you prefer to use a different naming convention for Lesson Plans, enter that name in the Lesson Plan Name textbox(es)

5. To create a new lesson plan template, click Add Template

6. Name your lesson plan template

7. Choose whether you want lesson plans to be viewable to the public and/or to be created as non-curricular plans

8. Enter any district-defined fields (note: avoid duplication of previously entered information at the activity level)

9. Choose any viewable options from the curriculum

10. Choose whether you’d like to:

a.       Require lesson plans to be approved and by whom

b.       Share lesson plans (view only)

c.       Default learning targets from activities

d.       Display times instead of period names if using period-based schedule

11.   Choose the appropriate date/time configuration

12.   Select a time schedule and calendar to attach to the lesson plan template

13.   Enter any necessary help information

14.   Click Save

Open

All Users

Creating a Class

Click here for an informational video

Before you can create lesson plans, you will need to create a class. Note: You will only have to do this once.

In general, elementary educators will have one class whereas secondary educators will have multiple classes. Secondary class names should be specific to your current year's schedule, for example 1st Period Spanish 1, 2nd Period Spanish 3, etc.

1. Click on Classroom

2. Then click on Add a Class

3. Enter the Class Name and choose the lesson plan template associated with the class. 

4. If desired, choose an additional joining method, make the course extracurricular, to decide not to show students past-due assignments, and/or choose a display color for the class.

5. Click Save when you are finished entering the details of your class

6. Assign a co-teacher if you'd like. A co-teacher has the same rights and access as the educator who created the class. 

7. If desired, add documents and links such as rules, a syllabus, etc. 

8. Choose the primary course(s) covered by this class and click Add Course. Note: If this is an organization/extra-curricular activity, you will not need to choose a primary course.

9. In the Projection Schedule dropdown, choose the appropriate projection schedule for your course. You can also choose the color that will be used to represent this course in your calendar views. Click Make Projections. Note: The projection can be viewed by going to Classroom – Class Home Page – Curriculum (upper right-hand corner)

Creating a Lesson Plan

Click here for an informational video

Begin in Classroom – Lesson Plans

1. Click Add Lesson Plan

2. Choose the class, template, the date, and period

3. Choose the department, course, unit and topic

4. Save and Continue

5. Choose the Learning Targets, Activities, and Attachments that align with the lesson plan (these will only be visible if they exist within the curriculum you are using)

6. Save and Continue

7. Name the Lesson Plan and fill in any district defined fields

8. Choose or create activities and additional attachments

9. Save The lesson plan is now created and can be viewed in the calendar or plan book view.

Lesson Plan: Other Features

Recurrence

Click here for an informational video

A recurrence makes a copy of a lesson plan- this is used in secondary schedules where an educator has three different sections of the same prep. You can recur by single occurrence, day, or week. The system also shows the lesson plans you have already replicated.

1. Click Classroom – Lesson Plans – then open the desired lesson plan

2. Click Recurrence (next to Date/Time)

3. Choose Recur Existing Plan or Create Schedule Items. For more information, click on the blue question mark.

4. Choose how you would like the lesson plan to recur (specific day/time, by day, by week), and click Recur. The list of recurred lesson plans will populate at the top. Recurred plans will be noted by circular blue arrows.

Manually Reset Dates and Times

This option allows you to revise the individual lesson plan schedule manually.

1. Click Classroom – Lesson Plans – Manually Reset Dates and Times (on bottom of page)

2. Choose class and a start and end date to generate a list of lesson plans

3. Use the calendar function and dropdown menus to make the desired changes

Automatically Bump Dates

This function allows you to move a lesson plan by up to 10 days and pushes all subsequent lesson plans and/or skips a lesson plan.  This is perfect for when school is closed for weather related reasons or if you experience a fire drill in a particular period.

1. Click Classroom – Lesson Plans – Automatically Bump Dates (on bottom of page)

2. Choose class and a start and end date to generate a list of lesson plans

3. Use the Scheduled Teaching Days to Bump dropdown menu and Skip checkboxes to make desired changes

4. Click Bump Plans to save your changes

Replicate Schedule

This function allows users to copy lesson plans from one location and place them in another.

1. Click Classroom – Lesson Plans – Replicate Schedule (on bottom of page)

2. Choose class and date of the lesson plan you want to replicate

3. Choose whether you want to replicate a single day or entire week

4. Choose how often you want it to replicate and when you want it to start replicating

Mass Delete

This function allows a user to delete lesson plans by period, department, course, or day.

1. Click Classroom – Lesson Plans – Mass Delete (on bottom of page)

2. Choose a start and end date

3. Filter as desired to generate a list of lesson plans for deletion

4. Check the lesson plans desired, then click the delete button