Module 3: How to Design Solid Lesson Plans

The Ultimate New Teacher Workshop

This module is for anybody who has:

  1. Typically struggles to lesson plan efficiently
  2. OR is completely new to lesson planning
  3. OR finds that your classroom management suffers because of missing pieces in your lesson plan

If you feel uncomfortable with creating a lesson plan for your kids. That’s ok. You’re not alone. It’s a dirty secret that many teachers struggle to come up with how best to teach things.

In fact, much of the negativity that you might hear from experienced teachers about kids can come from a frustrated place about just that: how to create lesson plans that actually work.

When I was a student teacher, I used to stay up lesson planning until 11 or 12 every night. My process: spend a couple hours picking what to teach (because I didn’t have a unit plan) and then spend hours scouring the internet for a flashy idea to teach it. Then, I’d make Powerpoints and handouts for hours.

I worked myself to the ground trying to create perfect lesson plans every day for my students, and as a result, ironically, my teaching AND lesson planning quality plummeted.

I remember a breakdown I had one night while planning. I had just spent 3 hours searching for inspiration for my lesson, and I still had my other class to prepare for and papers to grade.

Luckily, I lived with my parents that semester. My mom came into the room and sat me down as I sobbed.

She said, “Ok, Jeanne. Let’s just make something that’ll work for tomorrow."


After asking me just TWO questions and a conversation that lasted less than 5 minutes, I was able to create an effective, usable lesson plan for the next day.

And that was just the beginning of my journey towards simple, effective lesson planning.

This module aims to teach you how to lesson plan quickly and effectively.

If you struggle with either of those, this module is for you.


 

This Course is for YOU if...

  • You want step-by-step guidance on how to create daily lesson plans efficiently and effectively
  • You're preparing for your first year teaching, re-entering teaching, or want a complete makeover of last year.
  • You're exploding from nerves about teaching and not sure where to put that anxiety.
  • You need help on knowing what to prepare and how to do it.
  • You feel unsupported by your school, underprepared by your teacher prep program, rusty from a break from teaching, or panicked about not having any training at all.

This course is not for you if...

  • You don’t want to work hard to prepare for your first year. Though this course is going to save you a lot of time, setting up an awesome year still takes a lot of (strategic) work.
  • You are cool with spending hundreds hours in scanning thousands of pins, articles, and advice from people with varying expertise to find how best to prepare, or just want to wing it this year
  • You are bent on having that classic horrific first year teaching. Nope. That’s not what we’re about here.

"All summer I’ve been thinking that I need to do things to get prepared for the school year but I wasn’t exactly sure what. I am SOOOOO thankful to have found this that tells me EXACTLY what to do. It has made me feel so much better about the upcoming school year and has made it a lot less scary."

Your Instructor


Jeanne Wolz, M. Ed.
Jeanne Wolz, M. Ed.

Hi! I’m Jeanne. I’m a former middle school ELA teacher, college instructor, and the founder of Teacher Off Duty--a blog dedicated to helping teachers save time, teach better, and live happier. I have 9 years of teaching and instructional coaching, including mentoring as a cooperating teacher, serving as Department Chair, and a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Since founding Teacher Off Duty, I've helped thousands of new teachers along their journey to a smooth and fulfilling first few years teaching.

In my 2nd year teaching, I won an Outstanding Beginning Teaching Award and I didn't feel special enough for it at all. In fact, I knew then what I know now: I owed the early success largely to the strategic preparation I did before them. And now, I want to help you do the same.


 

Course Curriculum


  Module 3: Designing Solid Lesson Plans
Available in days
days after you enroll

Enroll Now and Receive:

- Module 3 from the Ultimate New Teacher Workshop. This is a stand-alone module that will walk you through creating solid, admin-pleasing lesson plans that won't take you all night to create

- Corresponding Workbook with a lesson plan template to help you create your own

- Webinar Replay that will walk you through, step-by-step, what's covered in the Workbook

- Lifetime access to the module

"I'm going into education from an engineering background and was clueless where to start. Now, I am already impressing my principal with my procedures and understanding of unit planning! I've already tooted your horn through FB groups and can't wait to dive in further!" - 2018 Alumna

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the workshop start and finish?
The workshop starts immediately! Materials are released twice a week over 4 weeks to prevent overwhelming you, though it is up to you when you complete them. If you want them all released at the same time, that's fine, too! Just send me an email after you enroll and I'll grant you full access immediately. It's designed to be a self-paced online workshop - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the workshop?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the workshop?
I want you to be happy! If you are unsatisfied with your purchase, contact me in the first 30 days and I will give you a full refund, no questions asked.
I'm on a tight budget. Is this workshop worth it?
Real talk: that first year teacher budget is REAL. But, as you're prioritizing things on your budget, have you ever stopped to think about what your time and sanity is worth? Let me give you a hint: a lot. For you, for your family, AND for your quality of teaching. In this year, you’re going to need more time and sanity than you ever have before. This course was made to save you loads of both. That's worth something.
What makes this different than other resources available online?
There is a TON of free resources online for teachers. The problem? That there is a ton of free resources online for teachers. And not all of it is good. Some of it is conflicting. And most times it takes hours and hours just to find the thing you were looking for in the first place, if you can find it at all. You don't have that kind of time this summer. This summer and this year, you’re going to need gallons of a few things: time, organization, calm, and courage. This course is here for you for all of that. That jungle of online resources? Not so much.
Will I have time to complete this workshop?
This module of the full workshop will likely take 1-2 hours to complete.
Is this workshop applicable to my classroom outside the US?
The course is designed to help new teachers set up a classroom that runs smoothly, rather than about following national or state requirements. So most, if not all of it, would be just as applicable for you as a US teacher. Even the Documentation section isn't tied to US requirements--it's just a guide to setting up good documentation practices for your own purposes. In the beginning of the process, the module will ask you to search for your content standards, but there are instructions on what to do if you do not have state or national standards for your content. This is actually the case for many US teachers, too, if they do not teach a core subject. Finally, keep in mind that there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you start the course and have any concerns at all, you can contact me and I'll give you a full refund, no questions asked.

Get started now!