📚 Is It Too Soon to Start Planning?

Yes, it's okay to pull out the books.

Okay, look. I know school just got out, but is anyone else already ready to hit the books and start planning?

I mean, are you (like me) the kind of person who loves to start projects (and usually also finishes them)?

And I know that there’s plenty that needs to go into wrapping up the year. I constantly remind myself that our ever-forward-moving culture doesn’t take nearly enough time to review and reflect. So yes, it’s important to take a moment to look back over the school year that is ending—extract the lessons, celebrate the achievements, and make notes for the future.

But also, can we just start thinking about a new curriculum? Please?

I was just browsing through my Google Drive, and of course, all the things that caught my eye are planning documents. I’m a sucker for a good, organized Google doc. And this time, the one that jumped out at me is my Block Plan document.

Now this isn’t the yearly block rotation. No, this doc helps you plan out your block with a week-by-week table that maps out imaginative content, new skills content, practice content, and special projects/field trips, etc.. If you’re a paid subscriber, make sure you scroll to the bottom so you can download this doc.

I used to put this document together before every block and share it with my class parents (with a nice little “subject to change” disclaimer).

It helped me feel so organized, confident I wouldn’t leave something out, and it sure went a long way with my class parents to know I had a plan.

So if you're feeling that little spark of "let's get planning" energy too, you're not alone. There's something so satisfying about getting your thoughts on paper, seeing the whole block laid out, and knowing you're setting yourself (and your students) up for a great year.