Lesson Planner
Curriculum guides are created by district curriculum and learning specialists, and are assigned to specific courses. For example, the district may create curriculum guides for English 1, Geometry, Biology 1, and Spanish 1. Curriculum guides may contain unit and lesson plans, unit and lesson components (e.g. Objectives, Essential Questions, Evidence of Learning), starting and ending dates for pacing, and resources such as files, videos, assignments, and standards. Teachers import content from curriculum guides (located in the Course Plan Catalog) into their own course plans. Depending on permissions set by the district, teachers may be able to modify, add, or remove content once imported into their course plans.
In the example below, Spanish 1 is a curriculum guide created by the district.
Teachers create course plans for each course they teach, for example, Chemistry 1. Course plans may include content imported from curriculum guides, or teachers can create content from scratch, depending on permissions set by the district. Course plans contain the units and lessons that will be taught during that course and the course web page. Parents and students can access the course plans for their assigned courses through the Parent/Student Portal.
In the example below, Chem 1, Chem 1 Honors, and Phy Sci are course plans created by the teacher.
Units contain a number of lesson plans that revolve around a certain topic or theme. Units may span several days or weeks, while lesson plans may span one or a few days. The district defines the components (e.g. essential questions, evidence of learning, ELL strategies) that must be included in the unit. Teachers can include resources, such as standards, links, or files, in the unit plan.
In the example below, the Chem 1 Honors course plan contains units on Matter and Change, Scientific Measurement, Atomic Structure, and Electrons in Atoms.
Teachers create lesson plans that define the content that is taught daily in their courses. The district defines the components (e.g. essential questions, evidence of learning, ELL strategies) that must be included in the lesson. Teachers can include resources, such as assignments, discussion forums, and tests, in the lesson plan.
In the example below, the unit Matter and Change contains lessons on Physical Properties of Matter, Element Names, and Chemical and Physical Changes.
Teachers create course web pages to serve as a central location where students and parents can access course information, for example, course introduction, classroom rules, syllabus, and announcements. Teachers can customize the web page to fit their needs.
Parents and students access the course web page from the Parent/Student Portal.
Districts or schools may allow teachers to create web pages that are visible to the public. Only one public web page can be set up per teacher; the public web page is not linked to a specific course. The web pages are displayed in a three-column format; the district or school defines the type of content that teachers can include in the first two columns of the web page. The third column can include files and links.
Focus provides several resources that can be added to units, lessons, and course web pages. Teachers use these resources to build the content of their unit and lesson plans and course web pages.
Resources include:
- files - attach files to the unit/lesson, e.g. handouts, presentations, helpful documents
- links - add links to the unit/lesson, e.g. links to websites or videos
- labels - add labels to the unit/lesson, e.g. instructions or introduction to the unit/lesson
- discussion forums - teacher and students post on topics related to the unit/lesson
- assignments - link Gradebook assignments to the unit/lesson
- standards - link standards to the unit/lesson
- tests - link tests to the lesson
Students and parents access assigned course plans through the Student/Parent Portal.
1. The Featured Programs box on the Student/Parent Portal contains links to the student’s assigned course plans. The user will click the link to open the course plan.
2. The left side of the screen displays the course plan name in dark blue. The course web page and units within the course plan are listed in white.
3. The course web page will automatically display on the screen.
4. Clicking a unit displays the unit content on the screen. The selected unit will turn purple in the Courses list. The unit’s lessons will be listed beneath the unit title.
5. The unit name will display at the top of the screen, followed by unit components and resources.
6. Click a lesson to view the lesson content on the screen. The selected lesson will turn purple in the Courses list.
7. The unit and lesson name will display at the top of the screen, followed by lesson components and resources.
8. The student/parent can click a component to view the component information. Click the component again to collapse it.
9. Unit and lesson resources can be accessed directly from this screen. For example, students and parents can view embedded videos, download attached files, and open discussion forums.
Teachers can import curriculum guides created by district staff.
1. On the left side of the Lesson Planner screen, click New Course Plan.
2. In the pop-up window, locate the Course Plan Catalog section.
3. The My course numbers pull-down contains all of your assigned course numbers. Select the course number for the curriculum guide you want to import.
4. When a course number is selected, any curriculum guides assigned to that course number will display in purple.
5. Click the plus sign to the left of the guide to see the guide’s units.
6. Click the double arrow next to the curriculum guide to import the whole guide. Click the single arrow next to a unit to import only that unit.
7. The selected guide and/or units will display on the right side of the pop-up window under Units In This Plan.
8. Under New Course Plan, the Title will populate from the imported curriculum guide. Depending on the restrictions set by the district, teachers may or may not be able to edit the title.
9. Under Course Plan Components, the guide’s Unit Components and Lesson Components will automatically be selected. Depending on restrictions set by the district, teachers may or may not be able to add or remove components.
10. Under Sections Assigned to This Plan, select the sections that should be assigned the course plan. The section you are currently logged in to is automatically selected, along with the other sections of the same course. Modify the selections as needed.
11. Click Create Course Plan.
12. The course plan is saved and displays in the Course Plans list on the left side of the screen.
Teachers can add lessons to an imported curriculum guide, if given permissions by the district.
1. Click New Lesson under the unit you want to add a lesson to.
2. A blank lesson is displayed in the center Layout area of the screen.
3. Enter a Lesson Title,Starting Date, and Ending Date.
4. Select the Hide for students when inactive check box to hide the lesson from students before the starting date and after the ending date.
5. Define any lesson components by clicking on the dotted line next to the component and entering the information into the text box.
6. To hide lesson from parents and students, deselect the Visible check box in the header.
7. Click Save.
Teachers can add resources to an imported curriculum guide, if given permissions by the district.
1. On the right side of the screen are resources that can be added to units and lessons.
2. To add resources to a unit or lesson, click and drag the resource into the designated area on the unit or lesson.
3. Set up the resources as needed. Please see File, Link, Label, Discussion Forum, Assignment, Standard, or Test for more information on the setup for each resource type.
4. To rearrange the order of resources in the layout, click the up or down arrows in the resource header.
5. To collapse or expand a resource in the layout, click the minus or plus sign in the resource header.
6. To hide the resource from parents and students, deselect theVisiblecheck box.
7. To remove a resource from the layout, click the delete icon in the resource header.
8. When finished, click Save at the top of the Layout area of the screen.
Teachers can add new course plans from scratch.
1. On the left side of the screen, click New Course Plan.
2. The Course Plan pop-up window is displayed.
3. Under the New Course Plan section of the window, enter a Title for the course plan.
4. The Course Plan Components section of the screen is where the unit and lesson components will be selected. The district may have set up Component Templates for specific subjects or courses. These templates contain the unit and lesson components that should be included in the course plan. Select a component template if applicable.
5. When a template is selected, the unit and lesson components for the template are automatically selected.
6. If not using a template, select the check boxes for each unit and lesson component that should be included in the course plan.
7. In the Sections Assigned to This Plan area, select each section that should be assigned this course plan. The section you are currently logged in to at the top-right of the screen is automatically selected, along with the other sections of the same course. Modify the selections as needed.
8. Click Create Course Plan.
9. The new course plan will be added to the Course Plans list on the left side of the screen.
Course plans can be edited as needed.
1. In the Course Plans list on the left side of the screen, click the course plan to edit.
2. Click Edit next to the course plan title.
3. The Course Plan pop-up window is displayed. Make the edits as needed, and click Save Changes.
Course plans can be deleted as needed.
1. In the Course Planslist on the left side of the screen, click the course plan to delete.
2. Click Edit next to the course plan title.
3. The Course Plan pop-up window is displayed. Click Delete Course Plan.
4. In the confirmation pop-up message, click OK.
5. The course plan and all of its content is deleted.
Course plans can be exported to a file to be shared with other users. This allows other users to import content from the course plan.
1. In the Course Plans list on the left side of the screen, click the course plan to export.
2. Click Edit next to the course plan title.
3. The Course Plan pop-up window is displayed. Click Export.
4. The course plan will download to the computer as .fpe file. This file can be shared with other users, who can import the file into their own course plans.
Teachers can import units from one of their course plans into another course plan. This includes the ability to import from previous years’ course plans.
1. To copy a unit from an existing or previous course plan into a new course plan, click New Course Plan.
To copy a unit from an existing course plan into another existing course plan, click the course plan that needs the additional unit, and then click Edit.
2. The My Course Plans section of the Course Plan pop-up window displays the teacher’s existing course plans. Use the school year pull-down to view the course plans from a different school year.
3. Select the Don’t import dates check box to not import unit and lesson dates from the course plan.
4. Click the plus sign next to a course plan to display all the units within the plan.
5. Click the Preview link next to a unit to display the unit content in a new window or tab.
6. Click the double arrow next to a course plan to import all the units from the course plan.
7. Click the single arrow next to a unit to import only that unit.
8. The units selected for import will display under the Units in this Plan section of the window.
9. Click Save Changes (if importing units into an existing course plan) or Create Course Plan (if importing units into a new course plan) to complete the import.
Teachers can import units from a Focus LMS file (.fpe) that has been exported from Focus. The .fpe file must be on the teacher’s computer in order to import it into Focus. Please see Exporting a Course Plan for more information on exporting course plans.
1. On the left side of the screen, click New Course Plan.
2. The Course Plan pop-up window is displayed.
3. Click the Import tab.
4. The Focus LMS sub-tab is displayed by default. Click Choose File and select the .fpe file from the computer.
5. Click Submit.
6. The course plan information populates on the screen. All the course plan’s units are selected by default. Deselect the units that should not be imported.
7. Click Begin Import.
8. The new course plan is created containing the selected units, and is displayed in the Course Plans list.
Teachers can add new categories to organize their course plans.
1. At the bottom of the Course Plans list, click New Category.
2. In the pop-up box, type in the category name, and click Save.
3. The new category is displayed in green in the Course Plans list.
Course plans can be dragged into categories for organization.
1. In the Course Plans list, click and drag a course plan into the desired category.
2. The course plan is displayed within the category. Multiple course plans can be dragged into a category as needed.
Category names can be edited.
1. Next to the category name, click Edit.
2. Edit the category name and click Save.
Categories can be deleted.
1. Next to the category name, click Edit.
2. Click Delete.
3. In the confirmation pop-up message, click OK.
4. The category is deleted. The course plans housed within the category are NOT deleted, and are returned back into the Course Plans list.
Teachers can add new units to a course plan.
1. In the Course Plans list, click the course plan to add a unit to. Any existing units and lessons will display.
2. Click the green New Unit block.
3. Enter a Name.
4. Click the Starting Date and Ending Date fields to open the calendar.
5. Select the date on the calendar and use the Hour and Minute meter to select the time. Alternatively, click the Now button to select the current date and time. Click Done when finished.
6. Click the plus sign to add the new unit.
7. The new unit is added to the course plan and is displayed in the Layout.
8. The Unit Name, Starting Date, and Ending Date will populate. Edit the name and dates as needed.
9. Enter the Unit length in days.
10. Click the dotted line next to each unit component to enter the component information.
11. Resources such as standards, links, and files can be added to units by dragging the resource from the right side of the screen into the layout. Please see Adding a New Resource for more information.
12. To hide the unit from parents and student, deselect the Visible check box in the header.
13. Click Save.
Unit names, dates, options, and content can be edited as needed.
1. In the Course Plans list, click the course plan and the unit to edit.
2. The unit is displayed in the Layout. Make any edits as needed, and click Save.
Units can be deleted as needed.
1. In the Course Plans list, click the course plan and the unit to edit.
2. The unit is displayed in the Layout. Click Delete in the unit header.
3. In the confirmation message, click OK.
4. The unit is deleted, along with any lessons contained within the unit.
Teachers can import units from one of their course plans into another course plan. This includes the ability to import from previous years’ course plans.
1. To copy a unit from an existing or previous course plan into a new course plan, click New Course Plan.
To copy a unit from an existing course plan into another existing course plan, click the course plan that needs the additional unit, and then click Edit.
2. The My Course Plans section of the Course Plan pop-up window displays the teacher’s existing course plans. Use the school year pull-down to view the course plans from a different school year.
3. Select the Don’t import dates check box to not import unit and lesson dates from the course plan.
4. Click the plus sign next to a course plan to display all the units within the plan.
5. Click the Preview link next to a unit to display the unit content in a new window or tab.
6. Click the double arrow next to a course plan to import all the units from the course plan.
7. Click the single arrow next to a unit to import only that unit.
8. The units selected for import will display under the Units in this Plan section of the window.
9. Click Save Changes (if importing units into an existing course plan) or Create Course Plan (if importing units into a new course plan) to complete the import.
Teachers can import units from a Focus LMS file (.fpe) that has been exported from Focus. The .fpe file must be on the teacher’s computer in order to import it into Focus. Please see Exporting a Course Plan for more information on exporting course plans.
1. On the left side of the screen, click New Course Plan.
2. The Course Plan pop-up window is displayed.
3. Click the Import tab.
4. The Focus LMS sub-tab is displayed by default. Click Choose File and select the .fpe file from the computer.
5. Click Submit.
6. The course plan information populates on the screen. All the course plan’s units are selected by default. Deselect the units that should not be imported.
7. Click Begin Import.
8. The new course plan is created containing the selected units, and is displayed in the Course Plans list.
Teachers can add new lessons to units.
1. In the Course Plans list, click the course plan and unit to add a lesson to.
2. Click the green New Lesson block.
3. A blank lesson will be displayed in the Layout.
4. Enter a Lesson Title, Starting Date, and Ending Date.
5. Select the Hide for students when inactive check box to hide the lesson content from students before the starting date and after the ending date.
6. Click the dotted line next to each lesson component to enter the component information.
7. Resources (files, links, labels, discussion forums, assignments, standards, and tests) can be added to lessons. Please see Adding a New Resource for more information.
8. To hide the lesson from parents and students, deselect the Visible check box in the header.
9. Click Save.
Lesson names, dates, options, and content can be edited as needed.
1. In the Course Plans list, click the course plan and unit that contain the lesson that needs to be edited. Then, click the lesson.
2. The lesson is displayed in the Layout. Make any edits as needed, and click Save.
Lessons can be deleted as needed.
1. In the Course Plans list, click the course plan and the unit that contain the lesson that needs to be deleted. Then, click the lesson.
2. The lesson is displayed in the Layout. Click Delete in the lesson header.
3. In the confirmation message, clickOK.
4. The lesson and all of its contents is deleted.
Course web pages are created directly in the Lesson Planner.
1. In the Course Plans list on the left side of the screen, click the desired course plan.
2. Beneath the course plan title, click Course Web Page.
3. The course web page will display as a unit in the Layout section of the screen.
4. Modify the course web page title as needed.
5. If you would like to hide the course web page from parents and students, deselect theVisiblecheck box in the Unit header. When you are ready to publish the web page to students and parents, you can select the check box to make the web page visible.
6. Resources such as labels, links, and files can be added to course web pages. Please see Adding a New Resource for more information.
7. Click Save.
The course web page name, dates, options, and content can be edited as needed.
1. In the Course Plans list, click the course plan and the course web page.
2. The course web page is displayed in the Layout. Make any edits as needed, and click Save.
Your school or district may allow teachers to create web pages that are visible to the public. Only one public web page can be set up per teacher; the public web page is not tied to a specific course. When your school or district enables this feature, the Public Web Page block is available in the Lesson Planner to set up the web page.
The web page is displayed in a three-column format; the district or school defines the type of content that teachers can include in the first two columns of the web page. The third column of the web page is reserved for teachers to include files and links.
1. On the left side of the Lesson Planner, the Public Web Page block is displayed in the Course Plans list. Click the block.
2. The Layout tab is opened in the middle of the screen. This is where you will set up the public web page.
The URL of the web page is displayed at the top of the screen. This is the URL people will use to access the web page.
Your school or district has set up two components that will make up the first and second column of the web page. In the example below, the components are Teacher Info and Course Info.
3. Click the dotted line next to a component to open the field for editing. Enter content into each component field.
4. The component fields may include a content editor, which includes options for images, tables, and formatting.
5. Teachers may also include links and files in the webpage. The links and files will display in the third column of the webpage. To add a link or file, drag and drop the purple File or Link block from the right side of the screen into the designated area in the layout.
6. Alternatively, click the gray arrow on the purple File or Link block on the right side of the screen to add it to the layout.
7. Multiple files and links can be added to the layout, if desired.
8. To delete a file or link from the layout, click the red delete icon on the block in the layout.
9. To rearrange the order of the files/links, click the up or down arrows on the blocks in the layout.
11. Click Save at the top of the screen to save the web page.
12. To view the web page, enter the URL displayed at the top of the Layout into your web browser.
Files can be uploaded to the web page, unit, or lesson.
1. Click Select File to open the File Manager.
2. Your previously uploaded files are listed. To attach a previously uploaded file, click the file name in the list. You can also search for a file using the search box.
3. There are three ways to upload a new file:
- Click and drag the file into the Files box
- Click the Select button and select a file from your computer, or
- Click the Scan icon to scan a file into Focus
4. Once a file is uploaded, it is displayed in the File Manager list. Click the file to attach it to the web page.
5. The file name is displayed next to the Select File button. In the blank text box, enter a Title for the file.
Links to websites or videos can be included on the web page, unit, or lesson.
1. Enter the web address to the website or video.
2. Enter the clickable text. This is the text users will click to access the web site or video.
The label resource allows users to include information and explanations for the unit or lesson. There are a variety of font and formatting options available, including the ability to add images, tables, formulas, and copy and paste from Word.
To hide the label from parents and students, deselect the Visible check box.
The discussion forum resource allows students to interact and discuss topics assigned by the teacher. Teachers can set restrictions on student posts, such requiring approval before becoming visible. Discussion forums can be set up as graded assignments.
1. Enter a Forum Title.
2. The Introduction section contains a label that can be used to enter an introduction to the forum, instructions, or any other information.
3. Type in a Starting Date and Ending Date, or select the dates using the calendar icons. Enter a starting and ending time.
4. Select any Additional Options. For example, you can require teacher approval before posts are visible and limit students to a certain number of posts.
5. When the Discussion in this forum is graded option is selected, additional assignment options display. Enter the number of Points and Questions, and select an assignment category. The discussion forum will appear as an assignment in the Gradebook when the lesson is saved.
6. Once saved, click the View Forum button on the discussion forum resource to open the forum in a new tab or window.
Students access discussion forums from their Portal. Teachers can approve and grade student posts.
1. Students access discussion forums through the Student Portal. The student will click the course link under Featured Programs on the Portal screen.
2. The course plan will display. The student will click the unit.
3. The discussion forum will be provided as a link under the appropriate lesson. The student will click the link and the discussion forum will display in a pop-up window.
4. The student will enter their reply into the New Reply box and will click Submit New Reply.
5. The reply will be posted to the forum. If instructor approval is required before the post becomes viewable, the post will appear grayed-out to the student, and will not display to other students until the post is approved.
6. Teachers will view the forum by opening the lesson in the Lesson Planner and clicking the View Forum button.
7. The discussion forum will open in a new tab or window.
8. At the top of the screen, the teacher will select the sections to interact with. Teachers can select to view posts from all sections or only one particular section.
9. Posts requiring approval appear grayed-out. Click the Approve link on the post to make the post viewable to students.
10. If the forum will be graded, teachers can enter grades directly on the students’ posts. Select whether to grade using points or percent, and then enter the grade.
11. Teachers and students can reply to a particular post by clicking the Reply link on the post, entering the reply, and clicking Submit Reply.
The assignment resource allows assignments to be linked to unit or lesson plans. An existing assignment can be selected, or a new assignment can be created. When a new assignment is created and saved, it is automatically created in the Gradebook.
1. Select an existing assignment using the pull-down.
2. To create a new assignment, scroll to the bottom of the pull-down and select New Assignment.The assignment fields will display just as in the Gradebook. Fill in the assignment details.
3. To hide the assignment from parents and students, deselect the Visible check box.
The standards resource allows standards to be linked to units and lesson plans.
1. Enter the standard title, course number, or keyword in the search box to search for standards.
2. As you type, the relevant standards will display. Click a standard to link it to the unit or lesson.
3. The standards assigned to the teacher’s courses also display at the bottom of the resource list. Click the dark blue Standards block to display the list.
4. Hover over a standard to view its description.
5. Click and drag a standard into the layout to add it to a unit or lesson.
6. To hide a standard from parents and students, deselect theVisiblecheck box.
The test resource allows tests that have been previously created in Focus to be added to lesson plans.
1. Use the pull-down to select a test.
2. Click View Test to open the FAS Tests screen in a new tab or window. From here, teachers can view test information, view student answers, preview the test, and view test reports.
3. To hide the test from parents and students, deselect the Visible check box.
Files, links, labels, discussion forums, assignments, standards, and tests are added to a unit, lesson, or course web page by dragging the resource into the layout.
1. Click and drag the resource from the right side of the screen into the designated area in the unit, lesson, or course web page layout.
2. Define the resource content. See the procedures above for how to set up each resource type.
Once a resource is no longer needed, it can be deleted from the layout.
1. Click the red delete icon on the top-right of the resource block.
2. The resource is removed from the unit or lesson layout.
Resources can be rearranged within the unit, lesson, or course web page layout as needed.
Click the up or down arrows on the resource block to move it up or down in the layout.
It may be useful to collapse or expand resources as you are working on the unit, lesson, or course web page layout.
Click the plus or minus sign on the resource block to expand or collapse the content within the resource.
Teachers can hide resources from parents and students.
Deselect the Visible check box to hide the resource from parents and students.
It is important to save the units, lessons, and course web pages you are working on frequently.
To save your work, click the Save button.
It may be useful to collapse or expand all the content within a unit, lesson, or course web page as you are working.
1. Click Collapse to collapse all of the content within a unit, lesson, or course web page.
2. Click Expand to re-open all of the content within a unit, lesson, or course web page.
The Preview feature allows you to view the course plan in its entirety regardless of visibility settings. If a resource is set to be invisible, it will still display in the preview. The Student Preview feature allows you to view the course plan as it will appear to students. If a resource is set to be invisible, it will not display to students.
1. Click Preview or Student Preview.
2. A new tab or window will open, displaying the preview of the course plan. Any resources set to be invisible will be included when using the Preview feature. Any resources set to be invisible will be hidden when using the Student Preview feature.
The File Manager contains a library of all the files you have previously uploaded. You can download files, upload additional files, and remove files you no longer need.
1. Click File Manager at the top-left of the Lesson Planner screen.
2. The File Manager pop-up window is displayed. Previously uploaded files are listed in the top section of the window.
3. Use the search bar to search for a file. As you type, files matching the search criteria are displayed.
4. Click the red X next to a file to delete it. In the confirmation message, click OK.
5. Click the green arrow next to a file to download it to your computer.
6. There are three ways to upload a new file:
- Click and drag the file into the Files box
- Click the Select button and select a file from your computer, or
- Click the Scan icon to scan a file into Focus
7. The uploaded file will be added to the File Manager, and will be available to attach to units or lessons.
8. Click Close when finished.
The Component Editor displays the lesson components in a table for easier viewing and editing.
1. Select the unit you want to view in the Course Plans list, then click the Component Editor tab.
2. The lesson components will display along the left side of the table. The lessons in the unit will display along the top of the table.
3. The lesson component content can be edited directly on this screen.
The Year at a Glance tab displays a visual of when each unit in the course plan is taught during the course of the year. Units can be rearranged, and unit and lesson dates can be edited as needed.
1. Select the course plan you want to view in the Course Plans list, and then click the Year at a Glance tab.
2. Each marking period is displayed along the top of the screen, along with the marking period dates.
3. Each unit in the course plan is represented as a block within the marking period column when it is taught. The unit title, unit start and end dates, unit duration, lesson titles, and lesson dates are displayed within each block.
4. Click and drag a unit within a marking period or to a different marking period to change when the unit is taught during the year (if the unit dates are not locked by the district). The unit and lesson dates will adjust automatically.
5. Date fields that can be edited are marked with a dotted underline. Click the field to enable it for editing. Click Save to save the changes.
6. Click a lesson link to view the lesson within the course plan. A new tab or window will open with the course plan displayed.
The Rearrange Plan tab allows you to reorder the units and lessons in a course plan. Lesson resources can also be rearranged within the lesson, or can be moved to a different lesson. Lesson resources cannot be moved to the unit level.
1. Select the course plan you want to view in the Course Plans list, and then click the Rearrange Plan tab.
2. The course plan units, lessons, and resources are displayed arranged as they currently laid out for the course plan.
3. Click and drag units to rearrange the order of the units in the course plan. Click and drag lessons to rearrange the order of lessons within a unit or to move a lesson to another unit. Click and drag lesson resources to rearrange the order of resources within a lesson or to move a lesson resource to another lesson. For example, the link in Lesson 1 can be clicked and dragged into Lesson 2. This will move the link from lesson 1 to lesson 2.
Lesson resources cannot be moved to the unit level.
4. When finished, click Save.
