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Back to School: Lesson Plans and Lesson Logs

I love organizing and planning before the start of the school year. It gives me a sense of control, a feeling that happens quite infrequently once the school year begins. This year, I created a custom lesson planner and student record book. My goal is to keep track of what actually happens in the classroom. I think of each lesson plans as a rough draft. The lesson log is the final edit, which guides and inspires me when creating the next sketch. 

Lesson Plans

When planning, I ask myself these questions:

  1. Where are my students in terms of musical skills?
  2. What are the next sequential steps to help students develop their skills further?
  3. What is the most efficient and musical way to execute #2?

I see students once every six school days. I like to plan 3 to 4 cycles ahead. Here is a 2-page example of a lesson plan that spans over 3 cycles. 

Lesson Logs

I see nearly 600 students over a 6-day cycle. Within the six days, I interact with 24 different groups of musicians. In addition to varying musical strengths and weaknesses, each group has a unique personality and a different learning curve. The challenge is customizing my teaching for each group while keeping the grade level moving forward at a similar pace. That's why keeping a lesson log for each group is very important. Here's an example of a custom-made lesson log organized by grade level and teaching cycle. 

Making Time to Take Notes

When keeping a lesson log, the challenge is to keep up with it: as most elementary music teachers, I don't have time between classes to reflect. To make time, I build in a routine at the beginning of each class that focuses the students, while allowing me to jot down what transpired during the previous class. Last year, I used "Listen 2" routine. Students come into the classroom, take their seats, and listen to two minutes of recorded music. While they listen, they are asked to focus on a specific element: tonality, meter, dynamics, style, etc. Once my students understand the routine, I display a slide with a guided listening question to avoid talking altogether. 

If you are required to incorporate ELA, try reflective writing at the end of each class. This will fulfill the writing requirement, and will allow you to complete the lesson log, take a sip a water, and take a deep breath. You can create and display your questions for the whole class, or make a reflective journal for each student. If your school resources are limited, students can reflect together, and record their responses in small groups. You'll need to establish a routine for getting in groups. Often, classroom teachers already have assigned groups, teams, or tables. If the class does not have a consistent routine, I will take the time to create it. It will save us time later.


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