Teachers need high-quality lesson planners! This post gives you the new 2022-2023 Erin Condren teacher lesson planner review. Not only will you see a variety of planner options, but you’ll also see some functional accessories to match!
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Erin Condren New Teacher Planners
Ahhh…I remember my first Erin Condren planner. It was love at first sight! ❤️
Gone are the days of using those flimsy, unattractive, cheap planners from my local teacher supply store.
Not only are the lesson planners from Erin Condren beautiful but useful. They’ve kept me on track for years.
Which is why I keep coming back to review the new ones being offered.
And every year, they continue to improve. If you’re new to any planners from Erin Condren, these posts will catch you up to speed:
- The Best Teacher Lesson Planners Ever
- New Erin Condren Life Planners 2022-2023
- Desk Organization Accessories for Teachers
An Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner Video Review
They say that if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million!
And this video review showcases the FIRST EVER 7×9-sized lesson planner. I do a side-by-side comparison of this newbie with last year’s planner.
Not only that, but I give a few ideas and tips on how to use different sections of the planner.
If that sounds like your cup of tea, then enjoy:
DISCLAIMER: The detailed review mainly shows the smaller sized planner. If you already know that isn’t for you, then hang around on this post to see the other teacher lesson planners available.
An Overview of the New Teacher Lesson Planner Cover Designs
Since the outside of the planner is the first thing you see, let’s look at the latest cover designs.
This year teachers get to choose between these four different themes:
- Bold and Bright
- Focused Collection–Minimum and Neutral
- EttaVee Art
- Fabulous Floral
As you can see from the pictures, you have several options for how you want your lesson planner to look.
And honestly, this isn’t even the full list of what’s available!
When it comes to Erin Condren’s coiled planners, you can customize the front and back covers to have any design you want.
Personally, I usually lean towards any designs that are bright and colorful, but this year I’m switching gears and choosing the neutral Half Moon sand colored lesson planner.
But it’s not just the outside of this planner that caught my attention…let’s talk about layout options.
The New 7x 9 Focused Teacher Planner
In the past, all the planners I’ve used were in the biggest size, which is 8.5 x 11. That’s the lesson planner I gave vivid details on in the video above.
But this year, Erin Condren offers–for the first time ever–a smaller teacher lesson planner size.
The Focused Collection has a 7×9 planner size for teachers who don’t want to carry a bulky, heavy lesson planner around.
This lighter version also comes with:
- a gorgeous vegan leather cover that feels so high-quality
- minimal design on each page, which works well for teachers who like to use stickers and colorful writing utensils
- horizontal layout with lines on every page making lesson planning more organized
Some teachers have told me, “Tanya, I don’t want my lesson planner to look like a scrapbooking project! I just need something sturdy to hold my lessons.”
Well, if you agree with this sentiment, then this smaller more neutral planner is just right for you!
All the Beautiful Softbound Lesson Planners
Another option for you relates to the softbound planners.
These beauties do not have the large coil, which makes them lighter to carry. However, no coil also means no changing the cover.
But all the softbound planners are vegan leather and gorgeous enough that you probably wouldn’t want to change the covers anyway!
Here’s a picture of the new In Bloom floral design with a Blush colored softbound planner from Erin Condren:
As you can see, these options aren’t as big as the coiled planners; they are 8 x 10 in size.
It’s also a really nice bonus that every planner design has matching accessories!
Being matchy-matchy with your lesson planner goodies won’t save time lesson planning, but it is a really fun extra treat!
I had a softbound planner last year as my work planner, and it offered plenty of space to write everything I needed.
Plus, if you are left-handed, the softbound planners lay flat when writing, which makes it very convenient for you to add your lessons to the book.
Layout Options for Erin Condren’s Teacher Planners
Speaking of space for writing, what about things other than the outside design?
I mean, a gorgeous planner doesn’t write your lesson plans for you. 🙃
This chart helps explain all the layout options available with the latest planners:
Every single teacher lesson planner by Erin Condren has a horizontal layout.
Yet, several of them have other interior features that could make or break your decision. Features like:
- longer student checklists if you have a large class size
- folders with pockets and page protectors built into the planner
- extra stickers that also come with your planner
On top of these extra features, some layouts have extra coil colors you get to choose. That’s another thing which could be a deal-breaker for some teachers.
Details About the Student Checklist Section for Grades
Design, size, and layout are all very personal choices. This is one of the reasons why Erin Condren teacher lesson planners offer a variety when it comes to those.
But regardless of personal taste or even what grade level you teach, there are other features that EVERY teacher needs.
And the biggest one is the student checklist grading section.
You can see those markers HERE.
Here are some details to keep in mind when it comes to this:
- There are only 28 lines for student names in the 7×9 Focused planner. This could be an issue if you have bigger class sizes.
- Your 8.5 x 11 coiled and the 8x 10 softbound lesson planners both have 32 lines in the checklist section.
- All of these planners have 7 student checklist pages–which in my opinion is not enough.
- Each of the bigger planners have 35 slots for different grades or things you want to record.
- But the 7 x 9 allows you to only keep track of 32 things/grades.
If you fall in love with a lesson planner that doesn’t have the student checklist size you want, then you may want to get the full Teacher Record book.
I did this last year and was SO glad I did. 🙌🏾
What Do Teachers Need in a Planner?
Besides the student checklist pages, teachers also need to keep track of several other important things.
Over the years, I’ve been able to keep everything written in my Erin Condren teacher planner without having to carry an extra notebook or binder.
These are some of the things I keep written in them because the planners have specific sections that you keep you organized:
- Class / Desk Setup–graph pages ready for this
- Attendance records
- Communication Logs
- Yearly Graph–where I write novel studies and read-alouds for the year
- Notes pages where I write literacy stations and math centers
- You can also write class lists, to-do lists, or staff meeting notes on the notes pages
In addition to these, I also appreciate how these planners have an extra column or sidebar notes section on each planning page so I can write lesson prep reminders for myself.
How to Save Money on Erin Condren Teacher Planners
Seeing all the new planners could be overwhelming if you aren’t financially ready to spend too much.
It may even lead you to wonder whether it’s worth splurging on Erin Condren items.
Trust me, I’ve been there. Here are some quick and easy ways to save on buying these new life planners:
- Follow EC’s Facebook and Instagram page for coupons
- Affiliates like myself offer generous giveaways on our YouTube channels and blogs, so be sure to subscribe to your favorite influencers for freebies
The TOP, fastest way to save big on your purchases is to sign up for the EC Insider Program.
This is a points earning program that’s free to join, but gives you lots of perks like:
- free gifts with purchase
- deep discount coupons
- first dibs on shopping days and sale events
In fact, you automatically get $10 off your first order, so join the program HERE.
Where to Buy These New Lesson Planners and Extras
I always buy new Erin Condren teacher lesson planners directly from their site.
If you live in or near one of their stores, you can purchase any of their items in-person. They have store locations at:
- Austen, Texas
- Fairfax, Virginia
- Hawthorne, California
- Irvine, California
I seriously doubt you will be able to find these newbies on Amazon or Etsy. If you do, be leery and careful of it’s authenticity and quality.
Yes, there are Erin Condren items available on those sites, but not the latest planners featured in this post.
So, what are you waiting for? Go have a blast shopping for your new planner.
But first, let me know in the comments section which design is your favorite?
Happy lesson planner shopping 🛍️
