Teacher Planner 101: How to Build Your Planner and Create a Lesson Plan

How to Build Your Teacher Planner

1. Select Your Planner Binding.

The best teacher planners are versatile, customizable, and available with multiple binding options so you can choose an organizer that fits your teaching style and schedule. Erin Condren offers softbound (lay-flat) and spiral-bound teacher planners.

Spiral Teacher Planners

The spiral-bound teacher planner is the most customizable option, with interchangeable functionality. Most teachers like the ability to add on snap-in accessories like bookmarks, dashboards, swappable or vegan leather covers, sticky notes, and more.

Learn more about How to Use Snap-In Accessories on Planners and How to Use Stickers in Your Planner.

Softbound Teacher Planners

Softcover teacher planners are ideal for educators who prefer lay-flat, lefty-friendly lesson planners. These are slim, portable, and feature smooth, scratch-resistant vegan leather covers. While snap-in accessories are incompatible with softbound teacher planners, you can use magnetic planner accessories instead (think magnetic page markers and magnetic dashboards). Plus, stickers, sticky notes, and adhesive tabs also work well in these book-bound planners, as well as in any planner.

Learn more about Spiral Planners, Softbound Planners, and Ring Agenda Planners, or explore all the best planners for teachers, and see which binding type and style works best for you.

2. Choose Your Cover Design.

Whether you prefer vibrant colors, beautiful neutrals, or a chic minimal look, there are so many teacher planner cover designs to choose from. From interchangeable covers for spiral planners to sleek vegan leather covers for softbound planners, we've got you covered!

3. Choose Your Layout.

The classic spiral Erin Condren teacher planner offers two weekly layout options: horizontal and vertical, each tailored to different teaching styles. The horizontal teacher planner layout offers more room to focus on weekday lesson planning in a classic, linear fashion. The vertical teacher planner layout covers seven days for those who want to seamlessly integrate lesson plans, weekends, and extracurriculars chronologically. Both layouts are designed to work seamlessly with educators’ digital school planning tools while giving them more ways to personalize their organization system, reduce stress, and stay inspired all school year.

Learn more about How to Use Digital and Paper Teacher Planners.

4. Choose Your Interior Design.

Every year, the Erin Condren Teacher Planner collection offers a variety of new interior design themes for you to choose from for your planning pages. There’s something for everyone! Explore this year’s designs and start building your perfect teacher planner!

5. Accessorize Your Teacher Planner.

Once you've chosen your teacher planner, consider adding more style and functionality with planning accessories. Add more storage with a planner folio and complement your school agenda with a teacher workbook, colorful pens and markers, a work bag, and notepads!

Teaching Tips: How to Create a Lesson Plan

Get ready to get (lesson) planning! We've got everything you need to add color to your classroom AND succeed at lesson planning! Here are five ways to create a lesson plan.

1. Write It Down.

Even though many teachers make digital lesson plans, many educators like to use a paper teacher planner to create lesson plan outlines for easy reference. For writing down detailed lesson plans, consider complementing your teacher planner and digital tools with a teacher workbook.

Learn more about the benefits of writing by hand vs. typing.

2. Start at the End.

Ask yourself: What are the end results you want for each lesson? Set clear and measurable goals for each lesson. Then, start writing a lesson plan to meet those goals.

Learn more about how to set goals, including weekly goals and homeschool goals (for homeschooling educators)

3. Recharge During Summer Break, and Leave Room for Planning Ahead.

While all educators can benefit from prioritizing their well-being during summer break and reconnecting to their passion for teaching, some teachers also recommend planning ahead during the summer. Planning ahead is a productive activity that can reduce stress and save you time in the fall. It’s also a great way to get the most out of your teacher planner and set yourself up for success for the coming school year!

4. Plan It ALL Out, Then Edit It Down.

When lesson planning, it’s better to over-plan at first, then streamline and trim it down as you finalize your plans (rather than the other way around).

5. Connect to the Bigger Picture.

Link each lesson to your broader curriculum goals, monthly goals, and real-world applications. Use the monthly spreads and note pages in your teacher planner to jot down lesson planning priorities, creative ideas and inspiration, even note connections students make—they often inspire the most memorable teaching moments!

Explore our latest collection of teacher planners, including more binding options and designs to choose from than ever before!

Related Organization + Planning Guides:

You may also enjoy these tips and tricks our experts shared to enhance your organizational journey, in and out of the classroom:

• 11 Classroom Setup Ideas for Creative Learning Spaces
• 10 Homeschool Organization Ideas for Stress-Free Learning
• 40 Ways to Organize Your Desk for Productivity
• Effective Lesson Planning for Teaching
• How to Use the Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner
• Mastering Time Management and Productivity: 11 Tips for Success
• How to Use a Teacher Planner for Professors: A Comprehensive Guide