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Personal Calendar using Microsoft Office
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Activity Description
For student success in school, learning how to organize time is critical. This begins with a calendar to write assignments, projects, deadlines, and tests. In this activity students learn how to use Microsoft Office to create a personal calendar.
Preparation
- Take or gather photos students might want to use on their calendars. (of class, school, etc.)
- Create several calendars as examples using both Word and PowerPoint.
- Print instructions.
How-To
- Discuss ways to succeed in school.
- Narrow discussion to how to organize time.
- Demonstrate creating a personal calendar.
- Hand out instructions.
- Assign each student to create a personal calendar including class dates (list) and personal dates.
Teacher Tips
This project is very successful. Make it a monthly requirement and/or the stepping off point for a goal setting meeting between the teacher and student.
More Ways
You can expand the discussion to include placing holidays on the calendar. Use the following sites for holiday information:
- Holiday Calendar Dates
(This site had a great variety of unusual holidays as well as the standard ones)
Program Areas
- ABE: Adult Basic Education
- ESL: English as a Second Language
- ASE: High School Diploma
Levels
- Low
- Intermediate
- High
- All Levels
Lesson Plan
Activity: “How Do You Spend Your Time?”
- Begin with a short discussion or brainstorming session.
- Ask students to list activities they do in a week, including school, extracurricular activities, homework, and leisure.
- Write their responses on the board and categorize them into school-related and personal activities.
- Icebreaker: “Two Truths and a Lie about Time Management”
- Have students pair up and share two truths and one lie about their time management habits. Partners guess which statement is the lie.
- Discuss the Importance of Time Management
- As pairs students discuss why organizing time is critical for success in school and beyond.
- Share with class. Mention the benefits such as reduced stress, meeting deadlines, and having more free time.
- Ask the question: What are things you can use a calendar for? Introduce the concept of using a calendar to keep track of assignments, projects, deadlines, and tests.
- Show Examples
2. Display a few pre-made calendars using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
- Highlight different styles and features.
Demonstration: Creating a Personal Calendar
Step-by-Step Guide: Demonstrate how to create a calendar in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.
Key Features to Include: Inserting tables, adding images, formatting text, and including important dates.
Have students give ideas for things to add to the calendar.
Activity: Create Your Calendar
- Students create personal calendars.
- Ensure they include: School-related dates (assignment deadlines, test dates)
- Personal dates (birthdays, holidays)
- Encourage creativity by adding photos (students can use provided photos or their own).
Collaborative Work
Pair students to review each other's calendars.
- They can provide feedback and suggest any missing important dates or design improvements.
Peer Review Session
- Organize a peer review session where students present their calendars to the class or in small groups.
- Provide a checklist for peer reviewers to assess: completeness, clarity, creativity, and organization.
- content and completeness
- accuracy of dates (school assignments, test dates etc)
- includes personal dates
- includes holidays
- organization and structure
- layout and design
- Visual appeal and Creativity
- design elements
- Personalization
- Functionality
- can it be easily updates
- content and completeness
Teacher Feedback
Walk around and provide feedback and assistance as students work. Offer suggestions for improvement and praise well-done elements.
Pair Review:
- Pair up with a classmate and exchange calendars.
- Use the checklist to evaluate each other’s work.
Discussion:
- Provide constructive feedback based on the checklist.
- Highlight strengths and suggest improvements in a positive and supportive manner.
Written Feedback:
- Each student writes a brief review addressing the points in the checklist.
- The review should include specific examples and actionable suggestions.
Peer Review Session
Allow time for students to present their calendars to their peers in small groups or to the entire class.- Encourage a positive and collaborative environment where feedback is shared respectfully and constructively.
- By using this checklist and structured peer review process, students can gain valuable insights into their work and learn from their peers, enhancing their calendar-making skills and time management abilities.
Discussion: Monthly Calendar Check-ins
Discuss the idea of making calendar creation a monthly activity.
Emphasize the importance of regularly updating their calendars to stay organized.
Goal Setting Meeting
Plan a brief one-on-one meeting with each student to set personal and academic goals, using their calendar as a reference point.
Documents
- 8bb67e19-5056-a629-c8966820b0186075_FINAL.docx - Assignment for Creating a Calendar
Subjects
- Language Arts - Writing
- Organization of Ideas
- Reading
- Critical Thinking/Decision Making
- Employability
- Learning to Learn
Standards
- Reading
- CCR Anchor 1 - Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
- Writing
- CCR Anchor 2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
- Speaking and Listening
- CCR Anchor 1 - Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- CCR Anchor 2 - Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
- Language
- CCR Anchor 3 - Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.