The days move along so fast, especially in teaching, that you reach the end of the school year before you know it. That's definitely what I have found to be true at the preschool level. It's a good thing we have our annual plan to guide us through the year. We're a small preschool, so our annual plan amounts to a one-page document highlighting the topics we will focus on by the month and the week. Still, it is a valuable and useful document in the hands of a preschool teacher and parent.
I have just begun to learn how to develop an annual plan for Social Studies on the elementary level, I can definitely see that the process is much more in depth and definitely just as valuable for the elementary teacher and parent. Taking the time to develop an annual plan not only ensures that the teacher will meet all the curriculum goals and objectives, but it also allows the teacher to really think through and build subject integration into the curriculum. Annual planning also forces the teacher to think about the "big picture" and to plan by design, asking essential questions, assessment methods, etc. I can also see that having an annual plan can help a teacher not fall prey to the old standby projects and multiple choice tests out of desperation.
Determining resources are one important key in developing a good annual plan. A teacher needs to think through how to incorporate various types of resources throughout the whole year -- books, guest speakers, field trips, etc. -- as some types of resources will be more interesting to some learners over others. Also, if a teacher is planning to invite guest speakers or go on a field trip during the year then coordinating your class' timing with the cooperating resource person's schedule is best done well in advance.
I am looking forward to developing annual plans when out in the teaching world. I love having things well thought out rather than flying by the seat of my pants.
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