Planning: Weekly task list, what does it look like?

[enchantedhome]

I need some planning help! I'm trying to figure out how to organize our work in a way that allows me to see what we've got going on, what's on tap for the week, etc.

 

I'm trying to wrap my brain around how to format/print out/create a weekly sheet with my kids' shared work and their individual work. I'm super visual, so I'm hoping to see some ideas of what it could look like.

 

I guess the follow up question is: do you even have a weekly lesson plan sheet? Or do you plan on paper? Or make a spreadsheet? Or in a planner? Last year, I made up a word doc with all our work on it and each week filled in what we needed to do and printed it out. I'm not sure that's the most efficient way to handle it, and this year, we have more going on. The sheet would be 2 pages long each week:/

 

Anyway, I'd love some planning ideas! 

 

 

[SkateLeft]

I use Trello (which is free). I have boards set up for the two kids that are still left at home, and they check things off as they complete them. If I was still schooling multiple younger kids who had shared work, I'd probably organize my boards by quarter, then have lists for each kid and a list for the shared work. If you're not adverse to using something online, Trello is a really good option.

[73349]

I was going to suggest Trello also, although I don't use it myself (yet). Mystie Winckler has a YouTube video on how she uses it.

[MerryAtHope]

I always use a "week at a glance" type of planning sheet. I needed to see what each child needed to do for each subject on one page (If I have to flip pages, I tend to forget or miss something!)

 

You can see a copy of one I made several years ago in my Teacher Binder blog post--click the link within that for the "current week's schedule."

 

At that point in time, my kids were separate for everything except for Bible, so I showed everything for both kids separately. When we had together topics, I always put those lines up at the top, and then the individual topics for each one underneath.

 

I keep tabbed dividers in my Teacher Binder for each subject, where I might have more detailed plans to refer to as I made up my weekly page (though most of my subjects were "do the next thing" and I simply wrote down what we did each day), grade sheets (for high school), checklists of books to read or the TOC from a history spine etc... where I could check off or record projects we did if I wanted more detailed information on a subject.

 

HTH some!

[MotherGoose]

I use Scholaric.

[Momto6inIN]

I have a huge 3" binder with tabs for each subject for each kid. I created a generic blank 9 week spreadsheet with 4 boxes per week that I can print over and over as needed for each subject. (4 boxes for 4 planned days a week - Fridays are our fun/catch up day) I do map out the whole year ahead of time, but I fill it in by hand with pencil because it changes on the fly so often.

 

I've tried computer versions, but I find it goes faster for me if I just fill it in by hand than if I type it. And for some reason I don't mind changing the pencil version, but having to go back and switch around my pretty printed schedules makes me want to cry. :lol:

 

Each evening I go through each tab and quickly write on a post it note what I need to do with each kid the next day. Literally takes 5 minutes.

 

It's not very high tech, but it works. :)

[Um_2_4]

I gave up using a pre-made planning sheet and designed my own. I have some topics that are do the next thing and some I need to lay out. 

I made it a 2 spread page facing each other, so when laid flat I can see the whole week. On the left is group work (history, geography, science, read alouds, art, etc) and on the right is individual subjects (math, spelling, writing, etc.). I made it in google docs in like 15 minutes. 

 

I printed and bound with my pro-click. Use pencil in case of changes.

 

I tried the online planners, but as another poster mentioned, it just took me longer and then I wanted the flexibility to make changes on the fly.

 

I made, for the older 2, checklists and I write in the details for each day over the weekend. They highlight when done. I tried doing a checklist without the details filled in (just putting a post-it on the page to be done or the like) but it just wasn't as effective.

[Garga]

I use OneNote.

 

I start a new notebook in one note and have 36 folders in it. Each folder has tabs for each subject.

 

I only pre-schedule about 2 weeks in advance. I know how far to get each week (total number of chapters in each book divided by 36 weeks), but as far as the details of exactly what we'll do as we get to each chapter--I plan that out only 2 weeks in advance.

 

For things that'll require supplies (like science or art) I might plan out a little longer in advance so I have time to get the supplies.

 

Onenote came with my microsoft package and has been invaluable.

 

I have another notebook for the Future. I have folders for there all the way thru 12th grade where I organize information that I'll need in the future. I have a College folder with tabs about financial aid, how to pick a college, etc.

 

I make sure the Onenote saves to the cloud as well as on my laptop. EVERYTHING is on that thing. If it was gone, I'd probably sink into a deep depression and cry for a month. I have years and years of research on that!

[Seeking Squirrels]

I made an excel spreadsheet with 36 weeks down the side and our subjects across the top. I divide out the lessons or pages by 36. Then I put roughly where we need to be in each subject each week. I did this last year too. Every week or two I would take a highlighter and mark where we were to in each subject. This let me see at a glance if we were on track, behind, or ahead in any given curriculum. 

 

I have another page with Mon-Fri across the top and subjects down the side with a nice size box for each. I will use these to plan out each week, probably just 1-3 weeks out at a time, or for some "do the next thing" curriculum I will fill it in after the fact with what we did. 

 

The first spreadsheet gives me the framework of what I should be aiming for to wrap things up by the end of May, but the weekly sheets done as we go allow me to adjust as needed and not have to redo 30 weeks of planning if we miss a couple days. 

 

This is all for just my 3rd grader. The pre-k joins as she wants and plays when she doesn't. I'm going to do up a different kind of planner for her stuff. She doesn't need much for pre-k, but I have to have a plan so I will make sure she gets the one on one mom time each day. 

 

ETA: I make everything in excel, but print out and proclick it so I have a bound planner. I like to use excel to make pretty things, but for actual use I do better with paper. 

Edited July 22, 2016 by Whovian10

[....]

This is the first year I have done this...but I just made a Word document for each group of kids for 36 weeks.  

 

So, Group 1 is 9th grader/8th grader.  First page for example:

 

Week 1:

 

Watership Down chapters 1-9

Once and Future King ch 1

Ivanhoe ch 1

Idylls of the King pgs 1-10 

and so on...

 

Next page is Week 2.

 

I color-coded each kid and what they do together is also a different color.

 

I just printed all 36 weeks out, stapled them together and tossed them onto the schoolbooks.

 

Group 2 is the 6th grader/3rd grader.  I did the same for them - and color-coded, except they actually have a weekly schedule, too.  For example, Friday is French, P.E., Art, Reading...

 

 

[....]

I gave up using a pre-made planning sheet and designed my own. 

 

Yeah, sometimes it's really just easier to type something out on word or excel.

[Chelli]

I made my own as well.

 

My weekly checklists for my kids:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/m27kzifd0dhft06/Weekly%20Checklist.jpg?dl=0

 

My subject plans for the year:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wjl3644yggob90u/Subject%20Planning%20for%20the%20Year.jpg?dl=0

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tskgpfxj16pz6fo/Subject%20Planning%20for%20the%20Year%202.jpg?dl=0

 

I keep these at the back of my homemade teacher planner and as we complete each lesson I mark it off. I transfer these plans to the weekly checklists each day for that day's work.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Chelli

[SamanthaCarter]

You all are so organized. Sigh.

 

[MerryAtHope]

You all are so organized. Sigh.

 

LOL, for me that sheet was the only way I could remember to do everything. When I was trying to work off of various guides, I always forgot a subject!

[kaxy]

I'm another OneNote user. I prefer the free OneNote 2013 desktop version, so if your machine has an older version installed, check out the 2013. I made a table in Excel and copy/pasted that thing into OneNote where I further tweaked it. Once I had it where I wanted it for the year (roughly), I saved it as a template for that tab, and with one click can add a new page for the following week using the same template.

 

 

Here is a sample notebook I made to share with others. If you click it, it will open in the OneNote web version which looks different than the 2013 desktop, but whatev. https://1drv.ms/u/s!ArdMArD0t_oJmURaLjGtx9tnu9XK

 

Hope that is helpful to someone. Feel free to ask questions or PM me if needed.