In a good classroom, the teacher makes the lesson plans, but the lesson plans do not "make" the teacher. Especially in preschool classrooms, teachers learn that each year's lesson plans must be modified to suit the disparate personalities and growth rates of students. Having a good system for modifying plans lets teachers retain valued content while tailoring it to new learners.

Analyzing Your Lesson Plan

Make a copy of your old lesson plan, such as children using colored construction paper to make a paper chain to count the days from Dec. 1 to Christmas. Using a marker or highlighter, cross out what will never work again. Because increasingly early childhood education de-emphasizes holiday-centered projects or encourages a broader view of holidays and celebrations beyond classroom and immediate community, cross out Christmas.

Underline the parts of your plan you want to keep. Under skills, you may have listed cutting straight lines, making chain links and using tape.Under goals, you may find working as partners and talking about family or community. Underline the good stuff--cutting straight lines, making links, using tape and partners, and discussing family andcommunity.

Write at the top of your blank sheet of paper three good outcomes from your old plan: children liked making something big, colors looked great on your wall on gray days and children liked counting together.

Making the New Plan

Give your modified plan a new working title: Counting Chain. List your good outcomes and the skills your new plan still will teach. Maybe it stays in your winter plans--the colors cheered up your room a lot, and the children who could count only to five or six in the fall will have progressed. Think about what your counting chain could count--in one small school, children in three classrooms and all adults on staff joined to make a school-community "All of Us Together" chain to hang in the main hall.

Add any changes you need to make to suit your plan to this year's class. Carrie, Mack and Nate are all left-handed. Plan cutting practice for everyone and check that you have enough left-handed scissors. Connie has vision problems; tell her aide that she may need extra help. Vern and Emma want to take work right home to Mom; make enough links that they can do extra. Add reminder notes to your new plan.

Give your new, modified plan a place in your calender and overall plans--January, with counting games and math table toys. Have each child write his or her name on a link and use it to take attendance. Bring it out with the yardstick and use it to measure when you record winter heights: Jenny is 41 inches and 12 chain links tall. Let children measure each other and teachers in links. One or more of those ideas will give your quickly modified lesson plan a new place in your curriculum. On to the next lesson.