Calendar Your Standards Plus Lessons NOW!

“That which gets calendared gets done.”

I have yet to meet an effective educator who does not live by their school calendars and/or lesson plan books. Calendaring instruction is such a basic teacher ritual that thinking about teaching without a calendar is beyond comprehension for most of us. Our calendars become our daily road maps and mark the beginning and end of important school events, instruction, assessments and holidays among other things. Many of us do not function well when our calendars or lesson plans aren’t in our possession, and I can still recall that moment of disoriented panic when I couldn’t locate my calendar or lesson plans. Our calendars serve as a “heads up”, a plan of action, and in the end, as a reminder of task accomplishment. So…here’s your friendly reminder to get out your calendars and weekly lesson plans and record when you plan to teach Standards Plus throughout the year.

Remember, if you purchased Year-Long Standards Plus, you have enough lesson sets (4 Lessons plus 1 Assessment) to teach 32-34 weeks of lessons, and if you start early, your teachers will feel less frantic come testing time because your students will be better prepared over time for state tests.

We have provided your grade-level’s Suggested Pacing Guide on page 8 of your Standards Plus Teacher’s Edition. This Suggested Pacing Guide reflects 26 weeks of Lesson sets and includes daily lessons related to the High-Impact Standards.

How to Calendar Standards Plus for the Year:

1. Using your site/district master calendar, identify the number of weeks BEFORE TESTING BEGINS (usually around the 26^th week of school).
2. Use our suggested Pacing Guide to Identify the lesson sets that you plan to teach prior to state testing
   • You may develop your own Sequence of Instruction, however, do NOT pull or assign lessons randomly. Keep lessons sets together as designed.
3. Assign each lesson set/sets to a specific week/time frame.
   • Make sure to account for holidays and special days (i.e. district holidays, in-service days, parent conferences, and testing.)
   • If needed, double up the number of lessons to be taught during a shortened week.
4. Teach the lessons and make adjustments as necessary throughout the year.

Don’t let time catch you off guard. Plan and pace your instruction. Changes may occur, so build in flexibility now. Have a great Standards Plus Year!