INTRODUCTION LESSON is designed to be a school teacher's "best friend". It will produce, maintain and print a file of lesson plans for 180 school days with a maximum of three different preparations (classes). It will run in color but should present no problems for the monochrome monitor. I've taught for eighteen years, twelve at the middle school level and the last six at the high school level. For the last six years I have taught the same three courses. Every Monday, at 7:15 am., my principal looks my way and asks "How about those lesson plans?" This year I have actually been able to hand them in on time. It has taken me six years to realize that there is a better way. Documentation LESSON does not come with a voluminous manual. I decided early that a good program should not need a large reference manual; it should run itself! This explains how to get started with LESSON and from that point it should run "on its own!" The LESSON arc file should have the following files: File Description ----------------------------------------------------------- create.exe Begin by running this program to create a new file date.fil Data file with dates and info required by lesson.exe go.bat Batch file that starts up the system. Will allow you to review the info in the date.fil before LESSON executes. lesson.exe Executable file plans.scr File bloaded by lesson.exe (Color or Mono is OK here!) lesson.fil My lesson plans for 90 lesson days so you can see how it will print. Careful - the create.exe file will overwrite it. lesson.doc This doc file SETTING UP AND RUNNING LESSON 1. If you are running LESSON for the first time or if you are starting a new set of three courses, type CREATE at the dos prompt. Answer all prompts. Make sure you have at least 25K free on your default drive. If you want to edit or print my lesson.fil skip this step. 2. Use your editor to modify the date.fil file. * Line 1 - Used in title block of lesson.exe. Don't exceed 42 characters. * Line 2 - Course names. You must have three names separated by commas. If you have less than three, type some dummy data like "Blank" or "No Course this year" * Line 3 - Give the range of dates to be printed. Maximum is 5 dates (3/9/87 - 3/13/87) * Line 4 - The number of dates to be printed. Maximum is 5. Call it X. * Line 5 - Each individual date of the plan separated by commas. Maximum is 5. You must have X dates. * Lines 6 -20 You must have X sets of three titles. for your lesson plan report. Fill in with dummy data if you have less than three preparations. 3. Type GO at the dos prompt. This will give you a chance to review the date.fil data. It will boot the main program LESSON.EXE. 4. The
will appear giving you a set of four options: A. Enter data This option will allow you enter a plan for your three courses for one day. It will prompt for the lesson day. This is a sequential number beginning with 1 in September and ending with 180 (for full year courses) in June. On my wall calendar I log in the lesson day so I know where I'm at in my file. My courses run for 90 days (half a school year). For example March 2 is lesson day 18. (Eighteen days into the 2nd semester). A maximum of 12 lines of 40 characters is set for each course for each day. Full screen editing is supported. B. Print plans This option will allow you to print a set of plans. It will prompt you for the lesson day to start and the number of days to print (most of the time it will be 5 for 1 weeks plans.) Make sure you have your printer loaded with 15 inch paper or have tripped your dip switch for the condensed font. My principal has a hard time with 18 cpi so I print on the 15 inch at 10 cpi. Give the guy a break! Also the paper must be at the extreme top of form. This will take some getting used to. C. Edit plans This option will allow you to modify a plan already in the file. It will prompt you for the lesson day and the course. Full screen editing is supported. E. End program This option will allow you quit the program. Make sure you always quit though this option. Files are closed here ensuring that no data is lost in the "buffer". Good luck with it and good planning! Any questions or comments will be greatly appreciated! Please send them to: Jeff Thomas c/o Hopatcong High School Box 1029 Hopatcong, New Jersey 07843 (CompuServe 71500,3110)