I think that an annual plan for each subject (and then hopefully combined for all subjects) has a lot of advantages. Having an annual plan allows me, the teacher, to see the whole year of curriculum in a specific subject at one time, to rearrange content so that it flows smoothly (in comparison to what is suggested in a pacing guide) and to identify and develop areas of integration with other subjects. I think that having an annual plan enables the class to stay on track throughout the year, instead of getting to the end of the year and having to rush through content in “fast forward lecture mode”, as described in Lindquist, p. 2, scenario 4. With an annual plan, it will be easy to see connections between goals and objectives, both within single subjects and between subjects. An annual plan allows for deeper learning, and the possibility of making those connections both to other subjects and to the real world. An annual plan makes the whole year of content flow “together”, instead of made up of little, disjointed pieces that seem to have little or no relation to each other or to the students. Looking at the whole year at one time allows planning for deeper learning; the teacher can focus on the “bottom of the iceberg” instead of skimming along the top of subjects. By seeing everything at one time, it will be easy to make and answer the “how”, and “why” questions instead of just the “what happened and when” questions.

The only thing to be careful of is inflexibility; teachers will have to remain flexible with their annual plan, and be willing to change it if the learning takes another path than specifically outlined. The annual plan should be general enough (not scripted down to the minute) to allow for flexibility. Teachers can then respond to their students’ interests and questions, and explore different avenues that they may not have considered. However, I think an annual plan is a necessity for every teacher and I look forward to using them in my own classroom.