Setting up lesson plan binders using PowerPoint and Microsoft Word

By Mona Pelkey, United States Military Academy, West Point

One of my annual summer projects as a course director is to update the PowerPoint slides my instructors and I use in our speed reading class, and then update the lesson plan binders to reflect the changes. The lesson plan pages include a picture of the slide and the notes alongside the picture, plus white space for more handwritten notes. This is a particularly useful tool for instructors who are new to the course or who are substituting, and for seasoned instructors who are still getting used to newly incorporated material.
Here is a sample page from one of our speed reading lesson plan books:

SAMPLE LESSON PLAN PAGE:

Each page is three-hole punched and placed in a three-ring binder, and tabbed dividers are used to separate each lesson.
In addition to PowerPoint slide pages with notes, copies of handouts for students, pertinent readings, and other resources are included with each lesson. It's a very organized way to have all the materials you need for the lesson together in a binder.

Here is how to make these pages, using Windows XP (other versions of Windows may differ):

1. Open the Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow that you wish to use in your lesson plan.
2. From the FILE menu, choose "Send to."
3. From the "Send to" dropdown menu, choose "Microsoft Office Word."
4. A box showing some display options will appear. You can choose to place your notes next to or below your slides. You also have the option to put blank lines for handwritten notes next to or below your slides. Once you have chosen your preferred option, click "OK."
5. It takes a minute for Windows to convert your PowerPoint slides and notes to Microsoft Office Word. Once the process is complete, you may print the pages. Punch holes in the pages, insert in your binder, and you have a professional-looking lesson plan book!

Questions or comments? Contact the author at ym5330@usma.edu.