Back to school time is right up there with the craziness that comes with reporting time. I know I’m not alone when I say I have spent 95% of my Summer holidays thinking about and preparing for the year ahead. I have a new year level this year and am moving classrooms and as the school holidays are very quickly nearing the end, I feel like I need just a few more weeks to get myself completely organised – especially when it comes to curriculum planning.
Being faced with a new year level this year, I have found myself immersed in all the official curriculum documents we have out there – the Australian Curriculum, the WA Curriculum, the Early Years Framework, Kindy Curriculum Guidelines… not to mention Pinterest, all the wonderful and supportive teaching Facebook groups out there, Instagram…the list goes on! Today I am going to show you some useful planning tools that I use to help me get through the year.
1. Australian Curriculum Planning Templates
These are my ultimate favourite planning documents! These planning templates lay out all the outcomes for a learning area on one page. Each individual outcome has space for you to make notes, list dot points and jot down lesson ideas. This easily allows you to find gaps in your planning and ensures each outcome is covered.
These Australian Curriculum Planning Templates are available from Foundation to Year 6 in all learning areas. They come in a PDF file to print straight out and write on AND a PowerPoint file where you can add your own text boxes to type in your ideas. I print them in A3 size and keep them in my planning file. They are perfect for whipping out at your Performance Management meetings or for graduates who are required to show their planning to their principals.
Find all the AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM PLANNING TEMPLATES here.
2. Australian Curriculum Planning Tools
I use these Australian Curriculum Planning Tools to track what I have taught and when I have taught it. Each time I have explicitly taught an outcome, I highlight the term and make any necessary brief notes in the table. This way I can identify any gaps term-by-term and adjust my planning accordingly.
These documents include all the learning areas in the one file, so you can keep your planning organised for all learning areas in the one place. The Planning Tools are not editable, but designed to be printed and highlighted or written on.
Find all the AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM PLANNING TOOLS here.
3. Australian Curriculum Reporting Grade Descriptors
Now these are my favourite assessment tool EVER. I use these at reporting time to assist with grading my students, however I have been told by soooo many teachers that they use them for planning too, so I decided to add them here so you can decide for yourself whether this would be a valuable planning tool for you.
These Australian Curriculum Grade Descriptors are available from Foundation to Year 6 for English, Mathematics and Science. Other learning areas are coming soon!
Find all the AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM REPORTING GRADE DESCRIPTORS here.
4. Australian Curriculum Posters
I display these posters on my classroom windows every year. They outline the Australian Curriculum outcomes in parent-friendly language and if you have older students, they will love to look at these posters to see what they are required to do to meet the expectations of their year level. I also print these double sided in A5 size, laminate and hang outside the classroom on a spilt ring for parents to take a look. Again, I don’t personally use these for planning, however other teachers like to place in the front of their planning file to refer to easily throughout the year.
These posters are available from Foundation to Year 8 in all learning areas and are available in year level bundles too.
Find all AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM POSTERS here.
5. Teacher Planner
And finally… you can’t go past an editable teacher planner! This editable teacher planner will keep you organised all year long. Keep all your lessons and important information in the one place. It includes 12 different cover designs, with both colour and black and white options. You MUST check out the preview of this planner to see all that is included. I printed out the coloured feather design and LOVE it! I can’t wait to start using it for my weekly planning this year.
The best thing.. this teacher planner gets updated every year. You get free yearly updates EVERY year for EVER. Purchase just the once, and use again year after year!
Find this EDITABLE TEACHER PLANNER here.
I hope that you find these documents helpful this year and that they save you some valuable time. Enjoy the rest of the holidays, do some relaxing and all the best for preparing for your classroom this year.
