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Coach Tool
Weekly Calendars
By
Kristin Rainville, Assistant Professor, Manhattanville College
Matthew Hall, Literacy Coach/Staff Developer,
Ella G. Clarke Elementary School, Lakewood Public School, Lakewood, NJ
Janice McDowell, Reading Specialist & Testing Coordinator,
Wayside Elementary School, Ocean Township, NJ
Purpose
For literacy and reading coaches, keeping plan books in the same way as classroom teachers
is not conducive to their work. The work of coaches is complicated and includes a variety of
tasks at various levels including working at the classroom, school, district, and sometimes
the state level. Coaches work hard to negotiate their varied practices to meet the needs of
all individuals with whom they are working. The work of coaches also includes preparing
materials, staying abreast on current research, and preparing larger scale professional
development opportunities.
With these varied responsibilities, keeping track of this type of work would seem difficult.
Instead of traditional plan books, coaches can keep weekly calendars outlining the type of
coaching work they have completed. The weekly calendar becomes a record of the work
completed during the week, a place to record next steps, and a way to keep track of
reflections.
Use
A coach’s weekly calendar is laid out to encompass one week’s worth of coaching
interactions. The top is a space for a coach to record the individual interactions he or she has
with teachers. The boxes in this section ask for the name of the teacher, school, grade level,
coaching method, purpose and next steps. This information gives a snapshot of the
coaching event or interaction and enough information for a coach to be reflective on that
work with the teacher. Each day of the week has three boxes set aside for recording this
information. (This section usually is used to record educational discussions, demonstration
lessons, conferences, etc). A key is located at the bottom of the page as a shorthand way to
code each type of interaction.