Two Things to Do This Summer That Will Change Your Entire School Year
What if just two planning decisions this summer could completely change how your school year feels?
In this episode, Caitlin shares the foundation of batch planning—a simple planning approach that helps teachers stop scrambling from week to week and start the year with confidence instead. You'll also learn why common planning beliefs may be keeping you stuck and how a simple framework can save you hours throughout the year.
If you're tired of Sunday planning sessions, last-minute copies, and constantly feeling behind, this episode is for you.
HERE ARE THE 3 KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:
1. Plan your big units before school starts.
Instead of planning day by day, map out your major units and align them to your standards first. A clear roadmap makes lesson planning faster and allows you to adjust for students without starting from scratch.
2. Use the Into, Through, Beyond framework.
Every unit becomes easier to design when you have a consistent structure. Hook students at the beginning, teach the core standards throughout the unit, and finish with a meaningful application that demonstrates learning.
3. Batch planning is an investment that pays you back all year.
While planning ahead requires dedicated time up front, it eliminates the constant cycle of nightly and weekend lesson planning—giving you more time, less stress, and greater confidence throughout the school year.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Summer Batch Planning Workshop
- EB Teachers ELA Portal
- EB Teacher Digital Planner
- The Empowered ELA Teacher
- Into, Through, Beyond Planning Framework
MORE FROM EB ACADEMICS
At EB Academics, we believe teachers deserve planning systems that actually make life easier.
Our planning frameworks help middle school ELA teachers create engaging, standards-aligned lessons while dramatically reducing the amount of time spent planning each week. Instead of constantly reinventing the wheel, you'll build a sustainable system that supports both your students and your life outside the classroom.
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