How to: Create a Handy-Dandy Class calendar
I’ll be totally honest: in my first few years of teaching, I had absolutely no idea how to calendar my curriculum. I remember watching one of my colleagues printing her worksheets for months at a time, passing around neat, orderly grids showing every test, quiz, and assignment to come. I, on the other hand, was using raw intuition to set up my pacing, sometimes even turning to the kids and asking: “do you guys feel ready for a test on this?” Needless to say…they did not.
Now, don’t get me wrong: great teaching does require a bit of intuition: after all, you need to review student data to decide when your classes have truly mastered the material. But, teaching without using a calendar is a lot like driving without a map—it can be done, of course, but it’s best left to the experts. (As for me, I can barely make it to my local Target without using my GPS app; I definitely can’t teach without a calendar.)
And, the calendar isn’t just for teachers…my students love the calendar, too. While some course teams use calendars strictly for planning, I use mine as a digital one-stop-shop for nearly everything in my classroom. It’s the first place my students go to find my daily slides, my upcoming assignments, my retake deadlines, and even my study resources…it’s typically the first tab they open when they hit their multi-colored plastic chairs.
In fact, as I type this, I realize that the word “calendar” might be too mere a moniker for the enormous role that this digital document plays in my classroom: perhaps it should be thought of as more a “dashboard,” a “hub,” or, yes, even a “learning map.” (Which sounds like a cheesy tool I would have earnestly clutched during grad school.) I can assure you: the calendar is practical, it is responsive, it is sanity-saving…and, it is one of the single biggest things I have done to improve student satisfaction. If student surveys are a-coming, this is the friend you need!
Now, maybe you’ve toyed with starting a class calendar for years, only to struggle with implementation. The key to starting small, in my opinion, is to create a calendar that exists only digitally, where everything can be adjusted in real time. Printed calendars are simply too rigid: they require students to be constantly apprised of changes, they don’t reflect adjustments for formative assessment, and they definitely don’t take well to a sick day. It’s no wonder that I put off printing a calendar for oh-so-long!
So, below, let me share some of my top tips for implementing a calendar in your classroom. Check out the Calendar Template on my Freebies page to get the gist—or, give it a download to make it all your own!
Show the Calendar at the Beginning of Every Period
Great teaching is all about bringing the material to our students—not waiting for our students to come to us. Don’t rely on students checking the calendar independently: while, yes, it might technically be their responsibility, the headache that you can avoid by sharing the calendar daily is well-worth the two minute time investment. Use this time as your daily “housekeeping” segment, making sure that all announcements are reflected somewhere on the document itself. This also allows you to make quick-pivot changes: no need for the last-minute-email-announcement-of-shame. When you look at the class calendar daily, it’s all taken care of!
Link Instructions, Homework, and Slide Decks
Life is hard enough as a teenager without trying to juggle seven confusing platforms for each of your seven classes! (This is especially true for our students with IEPs, with 504s, or who struggle with executive functioning.) Link turn-in pages directly to the assignment title, and link daily slides into each calendar square for your perusal. This makes it easy for absent students to keep pace while they’re away, and it also makes it easy for resource teachers to support your curriculum. And, when the coffee hasn’t kicked in, yet? It’s even easier to find your morning slides!
Color-Code Assignments, Homework, Daily Slides, and Administrative Notes
To help students quickly process information as they skim the upcoming weeks, create a set color scheme for at-home assignments, in-class assignments, daily slides, and administrative notes. This will make the information more salient for everyone, but especially for students with ADHD. I like to go with a subtle, custom “kawaii Japanese highlighter” theme, rather than the glaring neons of Google Drive. But, to each their own! Whatever makes you smile and gets the job done.
Switch Your Format to Pageless
The most infuriating thing about calendaring is getting everything formatted correctly—fortunately, my digital template will save you the hassle. But, whether you use my template or create your own, don’t waste your time as you wrestle with the spacing. Just mouse over the “format” tab at the top of your Google Doc, and set your document to “pageless.” That way, you can jot down as much or as little as you want, without the fuss of fitting each month on a single page.
Include Study Resources Week-by-Week
Sometimes, students don’t know how to study—and, other times, students claim they don’t know how to study. In either case, consider using the would-be “Saturday” square for weekly resources: are there textbook pages that would be helpful to review? Flashcard sets? Handouts? Create a checklist for students who would like to review at home, so that they know exactly where to turn. (This is especially helpful for students who like to complain about their grade!)
Add Late Work and Retake Deadlines
Late work and retake policies are a thorny topic in the staff lounge: whatever your policy, make sure that it’s clear and consistent for all students, across all assignments. Keep your deadlines on your class calendar, whether writing them on calendar dates for individual assignments, or as a more general note at the bottom of the page. This way, students know exactly where your boundaries lie. They’ll appreciate the clarity, and they can visually see that these policies are fair and equitable for all. No favoritism, here!
Combine Block Days and Special Schedules
Calendars can be especially tricky if you’re on a block day schedule: how do you link the same material for classes happening on different days? Consider merging cells for block days, to create a “Tuesday/Wednesday” or “Thursday/Friday,” indicating both dates in the combined square. (You can see an example of this here.) Also, don’t forget to mark down special schedules: I like to set aside time at the beginning of the semester to write down the instructional minutes for each day.
Indicate Paper vs. Online Assignments
In the digital age, it can be hard for students to remember whether assignments are supposed to be submitted virtually or “on paper”—and, I have to admit, sometimes I forget, too! Mark assignments submitted in-class with an asterisk, and pop a little note at the end of each month to clarify its meaning. For digital assignments, you can just link the submission page—or, if you’re feeling lazy, a “double asterisk” will do the trick!
Link the Calendar to your Email Signature
Finally, share, share, and share. The calendar is the ultimate secret weapon for the student with the flu, the helicopter parent trying to get their child into Stanford, or the concerned administrator checking in on an IEP. Add a link to the calendar at the end of your email signature, and set it so that “anyone with the link can view.” It’s much easier to type a quick note referring to the link than it is to dig up specific assignments from a particular class day. (“Thanks for letting me know! Be sure to review the slides and assignments on our class calendar below. Hope to see you soon!” Boom. Done. Tenured. )
Ah…the class calendar. A brilliant tool for every occasion! And, I’m happy to report that I can save you hours of legwork with my handy-dandy digital document. (No weird catch—I promise.) Let me know if you’ve used it in the comments—I’d love to hear. Happy calendaring, everybody!
