Lesson Planning
The Lesson Planning screen allows teachers to create Units & Lessons linked to selected Web Pages, as well as view all units and lessons planned using a calendar view.
Web Pages must first be created in order to create and link Units & Lessons.
If you haven't created any units or lessons, you will not be able to navigate the Lesson Planner as shown here. For information on creating units and lessons see the sections below. However, it is helpful to first review this section to understand the key features in navigating the Lesson Planner.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Click the calendar icon to select the date of lesson plans you want to view.
3. Click the left and right arrow to navigate to the next day, week, month, or unit.
4. Click the Day, Week, Month, or Unit buttons to determine the lessons that display in the lesson planner.
Shown is an example of the Lesson Planner by Day.
a. Click Today to view the Units and Lessons created for the current date. You can also click Today to create a Unit and/or Lesson for the current date.
Shown is an example of the Lesson Planner by Week.
a. Click This Week to view the Units and Lessons created for the current week. You can also click This Week to create a Unit and/or Lesson for the current week.
Shown is an example of the Lesson Planner by Month.
a. Click This Month to view the Lessons created for the current month. You can also click This Month to create a Unit and/or Lesson for the current month.
Shown is an example of the Lesson Planner by Unit.
5. Click the web page arrow to determine which units and lessons to include in the Lesson Planner.
6. Click the web page selected to open Web Pages.
7. To remove included web pages, click the gray X next to the applicable web page.
The Units and Lessons included in each selected web page display in the corresponding panel including the assigned dates for each Unit.
8. Click the folders to open and close the units and lessons. The closed folder indicates that there are linked lessons not displayed. The open folder indicates that all units and lessons are displayed.
9. Select or clear the selected open circles to publish or unpublish the applicable units/lessons. When a green check mark displays, the unit/lesson has been published on the parent/student Calendar.
10. Click the right arrow in the Units & Lessons panel to minimize the panel.
Click the left arrow to open the Units & Lessons panel.
11. Click the content to open and edit information pertaining to the lesson and/or unit.
The pop-up window displays lesson information including the following tabs: About, Resources, Assignments, and Standards (if applicable).
a. Click the magnifying glass to preview the web page lesson.
b. Click the circle to publish the lesson on the parent/student Calendar.
If a check mark displays, click the check mark to unpublish the lesson.
c. Click the trash can icon to delete the lesson.
d. Click the About tab to display and/or edit the lesson description.
e. Click the Resources tab to display any created resources, such as a link, file, folder, calendar event, etc., as well as add additional resources.
f. Click the Assignments tab to display linked or created assignments, as well as create a new assignment, or link an existing assignment.
g. Click the Standards tab (if applicable) to view linked standards, remove standards from the lesson, or add additional standards.
Teachers must create units in which to house linked lessons, which are both based on a web page.
Units and lessons created display via the user's Calendar based on the user's selection from the the Display pull-down to Show Lessons and/or Show Units, in addition to gradebook assignments and classroom sections.
You cannot create units that overlap.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Click the web page arrow to select the web pages that should be included in the Lesson Planner.
a. To remove included web pages, click the gray X next to the applicable web page.
3. Click New Unit or Lesson + to add a new unit.
4. Select the course/web page for which the unit is to be created. The courses displayed here depend on the web pages selected in step 2 and the courses attached/linked to the web page.
5. Click Unit to create a new unit.
A Unit must first be created before lessons can be added.
6. Enter the unit Title in the provided text box.
7. Enter the unit Length (days) for the span of the unit.
8. Enter the State Date of the unit.
9. The End Date calculates automatically based on the Start Date entered, the Length (days) entered, and the school calendar.
10. Select the Published check box to publish the unit on the parent/student Calendar.
11. Click Create.
The new unit displays in the applicable dates of the set time frame.
Upon adding a Unit, lessons are automatically created for each day and named after the date.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Use the navigation features to locate the lesson plans you want to view.
3. Create a unit as described in the Adding Units section.
4. Once a unit is created, a predicted lesson is automatically created for each day and named after the date. To create the lesson based on the prediction made, click the green addition button.
5. A lesson pop-up window displays where you can define lesson information, such as description, resources, assignments, etc. See Adding Lesson Information for step by step details on defining the lesson.
Once units are created, teachers can create lessons, which are based on a web page. Teachers can customize Lessons so they contain a description, resources, assignments, and standards (if applicable).
This section describes how to add lessons from the Lesson Planner.
Units and lessons created display via the user's Calendar based on the user's selection from the the Display pull-down to Show Lessons and/or Show Units, in addition to gradebook assignments and classroom sections.
You cannot create more than one lesson in the same course for the same day.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Click the web page arrow to select the web pages that should be included in the Lesson Planner.
a. To remove included web pages, click the gray X next to the applicable web page.
3. Click New Unit or Lesson + to add a new lesson.
4. Select the course/web page for which the lesson is to be created. The courses displayed here depend on the web pages selected in step 2 and the courses attached/linked to the web page.
5. Click Lesson to create a new lesson.
6. Select the unit for which the lesson is to be added.
7. Enter the lesson Title in the provided text box.
8. Enter the lesson Length (days) for the span of the lesson.
9. Enter the State Date of the lesson.
10. The End Date calculates automatically based on the Start Date entered, the Length (days) entered, and the school calendar.
11. Select the Published check box to publish the lesson on the parent/student Calendar.
12. Click Create.
Once the lesson is created, it displays in the lesson planner for the designated date.
Once units are created, teachers can create lessons, which are based on a web page. Teachers can customize Lessons so they contain a description, resources, assignments, and standards (if applicable).
This section describes how to add lessons directly from a unit.
Units and lessons created display via the user's Calendar based on the user's selection from the the Display pull-down to Show Lessons and/or Show Units, in addition to gradebook assignments and classroom sections.
You cannot create more than one lesson in the same course for the same day.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Click the web page arrow to select the web pages that should be included in the Lesson Planner.
a. To remove included web pages, click the gray X next to the applicable web page.
3. You can add a new lesson from the applicable unit. Click the Unit tab.
4. Click the left and right arrows to navigate to the correct unit.
5. Then, click + New lesson.
6. Enter the lesson Title in the provided text box.
7. Enter the lesson Length (days) for the span on the lesson.
8. Enter the State Date of the lesson.
9. The End Date calculates automatically based on the Start Date entered, the Length (days) entered, and the school calendar.
10. Select the Published check box to publish the lesson on the parent/student Calendar.
11. Click Create.
Once the lesson is added, it displays in the Unit where additional information can be added.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Click the web page arrow to select the web pages that should be included in the Lesson Planner.
a. To remove included web pages, click the gray X next to the applicable web page.
3. Click the lesson from the calendar to add or edit additional information.
3a. From the Unit tab, click the left and right arrows to navigate to the applicable unit. If there are multiple lessons linked to a unit or a day, navigate to the applicable lesson, as shown in the example below.
4. Click the blue pencil to edit the lesson Title, Start Date, End Date, and Published status.
a. Click Edit to apply changes.
5. Click the blue pencil to add or edit the lesson image.
a. You can select from the existing System Images. upload an image, or take a photo with your webcam. Click Choose a file or drag it it here to browse for an image on your computer. You can also drag and drop the image into the Your Images section. Click Take Photo to take a photo using your computer's webcam.
6. From the About tab, click No Description Yet to add a description.
a. Enter or edit the Lesson Description by clicking in the provided text box to display a Public description for the lesson, which will display for all users who can view the web page.
b. Click the Internal tab to add a lesson description for the lesson that will be viewable only to you.
7. Click Save.
1. Click the Resources tab to add different resources to the lesson, such as documents, links, calendar events, and more.
2. Click Create Resource to post a resource to your web page for the lesson.
3. In the resource pop-up, enter a Title in the provided text box.
4. Select whether the resource provided is a Link, Folder, File, or Calendar Event from the pull-down.
5. Depending on the type of resource selected, the follow steps will vary. See the appropriate step for each type of resource. See Adding a Calendar Event as a Resource for more information on calendar events.
a. If you selected Link, enter the Web Address in the provided text box.
b. If you selected Folder, you will upload multiple resources to the Folder, such as a file or link; therefore, nothing will be uploaded here.
i. Click on the created Folder to add resources.
ii. Click Create Resource to add links, files, calendar events, or additional folders to the folder.
c. If you selected File, click No File to browse your computer and select the document to be uploaded as a resource.
i. Once the file is uploaded, the file displays along with two additional icons. Click the cloud to download the file. Click the red x to delete the file and upload a new one.
6. You have the option to share uploaded Resources with other teachers by selecting the Shareable to other teachers check box. Selecting the check box allows other teachers to search for and share the same resource on their web pages via Assessment > Resource Browser. The same is accessible for administrative profiles via Grades > Resource Browser.
If you do not have permission to access the Resource Browser enabled by the district via Users > Profiles, the Shareable to other teachers option does not display.
7. To display an image for the resource link, folder, or file, click Select Image.
a. You can select from the existing System Images or upload an image. Click Choose a file or drag it it here to browse for an image on your computer. You can also drag and drop the image into the Your Images section.
8. Once all selections have been made, click the Save button to post the resource to your lesson. You can also click Cancel to return to the Resource tab without saving the resource.
9. Click the resource to open the link, file, or folder. To edit the resource, click the blue pencil located in the lower right corner of each resource.
10. You can also click the four arrowed icon in the right corner of each resource to rearrange the order of the icons. For example, if you wanted the Movie Clip resource first, click the four arrowed icon and drag the icon to the left.
Adding a calendar event will be available to you if your district integrates with Google Classroom and/or you have the Show Google Classroom permission enabled by the district via Users > Profiles.
1. Click the Resources tab to add different resources to the lesson, such as documents, links, calendar events, and more.
2. Click Create Resource to post a resource to your web page for the lesson.
3. In the resource pop-up, enter a Title in the provided text box.
4. Select Calendar Event from the pull-down.
5. Click Sign in with Google to link the Calendar Event in your lesson to a calendar event in your Google Calendar.
6. Follow the prompts in order to sign in to your Google account. Once signed in, your email address displays next to Google Account. Click the unlink button to sign out of the account.
For more information on step by step information on Google Classroom, see Focus & Google Classroom.
7. Your Google Calendar(s) associated with your Google Classroom now display in the Calendar pull-down. Select the applicable Calendar from the pull-down.
See the following links for information on enabling Google Classroom: Focus & Google Classroom, Preferences, Gradebook, and/or Google Classroom for Teachers.
8. Select the days the event should repeat from the Repeat every pull-down.
If the web page has linked sections, Focus will auto-fill the scheduling fields based on the superset of the section schedules. For example, if the web page is linked to Section A, which meets on Monday from 10:00am to 11:00am, and Section B, which meets on Tuesday from 12:00pm to 1:00pm, then the event will be repeated weekly on Monday and Tuesday from 10:00am to 1:00pm.
9. Enter or edit the dates and times the event should be active in the corresponding text boxes.
10. Select the Link directly to Google Hangouts check box so the event gets created with a Google Hangouts meeting. If the check box is left cleared, the calendar event will be saved in the associated calendar without going to Google Hangouts.
You can select Link from the resource type pull-down and enter the Google Hangouts meeting URL, which will navigate directly to Google Hangouts, as opposed to creating an Event Calendar resource. For more information on creating different types of resources, see Adding Resources to Lessons.
11. You have the option to share uploaded Resources with other teachers by selecting the Shareable to other teachers check box. Selecting the check box allows other teachers to search for and share the same resource on their web pages via Assessment > Resource Browser. The same is accessible for administrative profiles via Grades > Resource Browser.
If you do not have permission to access the Resource Browser enabled by the district via Users > Profiles, the Shareable to other teachers option does not display.
12. To display an image for the resource link, folder, or file, click Select Image.
a. You can select from the existing System Images or upload an image. Click Choose a file or drag it it here to browse for an image on your computer. You can also drag and drop the image into the Your Images section.
13. Once all selections have been made, click the Save button to post the resource to your lesson. You can also click Cancel to return to the Resource screen without saving the resource.
14. Click the created resource to open the event in the Google Calendar or with Google Hangouts.
If the resource has been linked to Google Hangouts, when clicked, Google Hangouts will automatically open for the meeting.
If the resource hasn't been linked to Google Hangouts, when clicked, Google Calendar opens and the event is displayed.
1. Click the Assignments tab.
2. To create a new assignment for the lesson, click Create Assignment.
a. Clicking Create Assignment navigates to the Gradebook. See Adding Assignments for details on adding assignments.
Once the assignment is created, it displays here.
3. Click Link Existing Assignment to attach an assignment already created in the Gradebook to the lesson of the web page.
a. From the pop-up window, select the Gradebook Category from the corresponding pull-down.
b. Select the Assignment from the corresponding pull-down.
c. Click Link.
You can also click Cancel to close the pop-up window without linking an assignment.
Once the assignment is linked, it displays here.
1. Click the Standards tab.
The Standards displays when viewing Units and Lessons for courses that are more than 7 digits long set via Scheduling > Courses & Sections by administrative users.
All attached standards display at the top of the screen.
All Available Course Standards display at the bottom.
2. Click + Add to attach a standard to the lesson.
3. To filter for specific standards, enter key words in the Filter field.
a. Click the X to remove the Filter.
4. Once added, click Remove to remove a standard from the lesson, if applicable.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Click the web page arrow to select the web pages that should be included in the Lesson Planner.
a. To remove included web pages, click the gray X next to the applicable web page.
3. From the Unit tab, click the left and right arrows to navigate to the applicable unit.
4. Click Delete Unit.
Deleting a unit also deletes all linked lessons.
5. Click Confirm from the pop-up window.
Click Cancel to keep the unit and disregard the deletion.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Click the web page arrow to select the web pages that should be included in the Lesson Planner.
a. To remove included web pages, click the gray X next to the applicable web page.
3a. Click the lesson from the calendar to add or edit additional information.
3b. From the Unit tab, click the left and right arrows to navigate to the applicable unit. If there are multiple lessons linked to a unit or a day, navigate to the applicable lesson, as shown in the example below.
4. Click the trash can icon to delete the lesson from the unit.
5. Click Confirm from the pop-up window.
Click Cancel to keep the lesson and disregard the deletion.
Deleting a lesson with an attached assignment will not delete the assignment from the Gradebook.
Teachers can Import data into a lesson from an existing template, as well as Preview template data created before importing. Teachers can import data from templates they created from Assessment > Lesson Templates or School Templates/District Templates created by administrative users via Grades > Lesson Templates.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Click the web page arrow to select the web pages that should be included in the Lesson Planner.
a. To remove included web pages, click the gray X next to the applicable web page.
3a. Click the lesson from the calendar to add or edit additional information.
3b. From the Unit tab, click the left and right arrows to navigate to the applicable unit. If there are multiple lessons linked to a unit or a day, navigate to the applicable lesson, as shown in the example below.
4. Click Template to view a templates pop-up window from which you can Import data from an existing template, as well as Preview template data created before importing.
5. To import data from templates you created from Assessment > Lesson Templates, click the My Templates tab.
Click the School Templates tab for templates created by administrative users via Grades > Lesson Templates. The templates found on this tab are available to the school selected from the School pull-down upon creating the template.
Click the District Templates tab for templates created by administrative users via Grades > Lesson Templates. The templates found on this tab are available to all schools in the district.
6. To preview the data before importing to your lesson, click Preview.
7. Click Import to import the data to your lesson.
8. If there has already been a description entered, a pop-up displays alerting you that applying a template will overwrite your current description. Click Confirm to import the template. Click Cancel to keep the existing data and stop the importing.
You will see the data you imported from the template in your lesson.
If lesson plans have been reviewed by administrative users via Grades > Lesson Planning Teacher Completion and left feedback for the teachers, teachers can click the Envelope icon to view comments made.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
If an administrative user has left feedback, an Alert displays on the Portal. You can click this portal Alert to quickly navigate to Lesson Planning and review the feedback left.
2. If administrative users left feedback on your lesson plans, a message icon displays the number of messages left. Click the envelope icon to open the message(s).
The pop-up window displays the Week, From the user, the Message, and whether the message was Seen.
3. Click Go to week to open the week in question in the Lesson Planning calendar.
1. In the menu, click Lesson Planning.
2. Click Print to print lesson plans.
3. Select the Course(s) from the pull-down to determine which lesson plans print.
4. Enter the date range using the From date and To date text boxes to determine the Units and Lessons that print for the selected courses. The dates default to the dates displayed on the calendar of the main Lesson Planning screen but can be edited as needed.
5. When the date range is changed, you also have the option to select the lessons that should be included in the printed lesson plan from the Include Lesson(s) pull-down.
6. Click Finalize to print.
Click the white X to close the pop-up window without printing.
7. The Lesson Plans display in a print preview, adjust settings as necessary then click Print.
The Lesson Planner displays units and lessons in a color-coded format as defined per web page. See Web Pages > Defining Settings per Web Page for more information on web page settings.
1. In the menu, click Web Pages.
2. Click the applicable web page.
3. Click the Settings tab.
4. Click the Lesson Planning Color to determine the color that displays for all units and lessons attached to the web page when viewing the Lesson Planning screen. The color selected also displays on the web page.
5. Select the color from the Lesson Planning Color pop-up window.
6. Click Submit.
7. Click Save.
The color selected displays for all units and lessons in Lesson Planning, as well as the web page.
