Plan, Plan, Plan, Plan.... All the ways we plan.

I bet you can't guess what I've been thinking about ALL DAY.... that's right... PLANNING
This must be because I started creating my Daily 5 & Guided Reading Binder.. so that maybe... just maybe I'll be motivated to plan. Decorating binders always helps me get motivated to use them and plan in them.
I'm looking to link up with friends about how we decide to organize our lesson plans.

I guess I just haven't found what works best for me yet... I mean its only my second year teaching so I'm sure I'll find my nitch, but what better a time than now to ask for some advice about how other teachers plan. Here are some of the many, many questions I have about planing. If you have answers post about them and let me know how you organize your plans.  I'd love to see and read about what you do.

Questions I've Got:

1. How do you do your weekly planning? 

Last year I made a binder where I held daily scheduled plans. I had one page per day in an hourly format where I listed what we would do that day. It worked really well, since I am a listing person, but I was constantly photocopying and found myself sitting down every Sunday writing out my weekly schedule which always felt like it took FOREVER. 

Have you created anything to this extent that works for you? 

I will insert a pic here soon... but I left last years plan book in the classroom 

Some people use plan books that they buy or that their schools give them to use. 

Should I just use these? Do they work better?

2. How do you keep your lesson plan binders organized?

I'm huge on binders (I know a lot of us are). What do your binders look like?

Do you organize by unit, or by subject? What kind of lesson plan templates do you use to help you keep your files neat and tidy?

Here are some pictures of my Reading Binders.

This one is for C.A.F.E Conferencing
This houses notes about each individuals reading and their needs as well as a calendar for meetings with each student.  (I'll put pictures of what goes inside when I get to finishing them)

Guided Reading Binder

Houses Groups and Plans for each Group as well as Lessons for each book in my very small library of leveled books I use for Guided Reading... I also have lessons on books from the our Literacy Bookroom (again pictures of inside to come).

Reading Lessons

This binder houses plans for all my general reading lessons. I'm going to try to organize them by unit (ie. Setting Up Our Classroom Library... for the beginning of the year lessons followed by all the Cafe Strategies and Daily 5 Lessons I will teach). Still figuring this one out so suggestions are welcome. 

Here are the 3 of them together. Don't they look cute? --- If you haven't noticed by now I'm keeping up with my Jungle Theme.

Thanks in advance for all your love, support, and advice :)

The Newbie 

Be sure to tell your friends about my blog and my post... Maybe they can help me out too!!!