Planning for the new year

Well, I know what I WON'T be teaching but I don't know what I am going to be teaching - so planning is difficult.

I did come up with a structure I plan to use.

1. Curriculum map and pacing guide
a. calendar [pacing out how it needs to be taught]
2. Big ideas [what are the main concepts of the course]
a. EQs {come up with a list of the essential questions so they are deeper than something I come up with on the fly]
3. Each Unit
a. Background [what information should the students come to the table with]
b. Benchmark or pretest [testing what they know]
c. What is covered {list all the concepts that are included in the unit and determine how to teach them]
d. Handouts [no book, so what worksheets and graphic organizers will help them the most]
e. Summary [need a better way to summarize the material to help the students retain the information. This is in addition to any study guide]
f. mastery [when they fail the test and I have to reteach it - how can I do this by putting the work back on them]
g. test
4. Midterm review
a. midterm

Still have to come up with all the other components they want us to include: openings, closing, group work, projects, engaging activities.

It occurred to me yesterday, when I listed what I will not be teaching to see if I could narrow down what I WILL be teaching, at most I will teach one subject that I have taught before. (OK, it be might be 2, but I doubt it) So, in addition to trying to be brilliant, I will have to refresh on 1 or 2 topics that I haven't seen in awhile.

We were supposed to know a month and a half ago. If I gave them the same response (turning something in this late and telling them "Well, I am doing the best I can") I would be hung out to dry. I am not unique - there are dozens of us in the same boat.

I read a blog this past year (I think it was Coach Brown that stuck with me. You have to have time to think about what you are doing. If you put something off to the last minute, you lose the thinking time.

I need the thinking time.

Instead, I will go clean house.