How to rock ESY Lesson Planning in a Self-Contained Special Education Classroom
When summer hits, many special education teachers transition into ESY lesson planning. Extended School Year (ESY) programs are designed for students with special education needs, and although the schedule is shorter and often less intense, it still requires thoughtful planning. Whether you’re teaching half-days, four days a week, or on a rotating schedule, ESY is an opportunity to maintain student progress, practice IEP goals, and keep routines consistent.
But here’s the thing: ESY lesson planning doesn’t need to be overwhelming. You’re not expected to teach new grade-level content or push for mastery. The focus is maintenance, and with the right mindset and a simple plan, you can create engaging, meaningful lessons without burning out.
Let’s talk about what your ESY lesson planning should look like, how to make it work in real life, and ideas to keep your students engaged while still targeting their individual needs.
What’s the Real Purpose of ESY and lesson planning?
Before diving into your plans, it’s important to pause and remember why we’re teaching during ESY in the first place. The goal isn’t to introduce tons of new content or push for major academic gains—it’s to help students maintain the skills they’ve already learned and prevent regression over the summer. For many of our students with disabilities, even short breaks in instruction can lead to big setbacks, which is why consistency matters.
ESY programs are usually shorter—often just 3 to 6 weeks—and may only run for a half day. That means your planning should focus on:
- Maintaining progress on IEP goals that were already in motion
- Keeping routines familiar to reduce transition struggles in the fall
- Using fun, real-world activities to support skill generalization
When you keep this purpose in mind, it takes the pressure off and lets you build a plan that’s meaningful and manageable.
Why Lesson Planning Still Matters During ESY
Even though ESY is shorter and more relaxed than the regular school year, ESY lesson planning is still essential. It helps you stay focused on what truly matters—like reinforcing key skills, providing structure, and supporting student confidence. With limited time and a wide range of needs, a clear plan ensures that your teaching is purposeful without being overwhelming. Plus, when you walk in each day with a plan (even a simple one), you’ll feel less stressed, your transitions will run smoother, and your students will benefit from the consistency. ESY lesson planning doesn’t have to be complicated—they just need to be intentional.
So don’t feel like you have to start from scratch or plan a full curriculum. You can absolutely reuse and repurpose materials you already have and structure your day around familiar routines.
Focus on Routines and Predictability during ESY Lesson Planning
Even though it’s summer, most of your students still benefit from a consistent and easy to understand visual schedule.
Sample ESY Schedules for Different Day Lengths
To help you visualize your planning, here are some sample schedules you can adapt based on your day length and students’ needs. This has a couple different versions depending on how many days and hours that you are having ESY for.
| Schedule Type | Half-Day (3 hours) | 4 Days a Week (4 hours) | Short Morning (2 hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Visual Schedule Review + Morning Greeting | Visual Schedule Review + Morning Greeting | Visual Schedule Review + Morning Greeting |
| Focused Goal Practice | IEP Goal Small Group (30 mins) | IEP Goal Small Group (45 mins) | IEP Goal Individualized Time (30 mins) |
| Sensory/Movement Break | Sensory Break or Movement Activity (10 mins) | Sensory Break or Movement Activity (10 mins) | Movement Break (10 mins) |
| Thematic Lesson | Thematic Group Activity (30 mins) | Thematic Group Activity + Functional Skills (45 mins) | Thematic Group Activity (30 mins) |
| Snack/Functional Life Skills | Snack Prep or Functional Task (20 mins) | Snack Prep or Functional Task (30 mins) | Snack Prep or Functional Task (15 mins) |
| Independent Work | Task Boxes/Work Systems (30 mins) | Task Boxes/Work Systems (45 mins) | Independent Work or Play (20 mins) |
| Wrap-Up & Review | Review Schedule + Calm Down (10 mins) | Review Schedule + Calm Down (10 mins) | Review Schedule + Calm Down (10 mins) |
Use a predictable routine that includes:
- A morning meeting or welcome activity
- Focused time for IEP goal practice (1:1 or small group)
- Movement breaks and sensory activities
- A simple functional life skills lesson
- Some independent work or choice time
When you keep the structure steady, your students will feel safe and supported, and you’ll spend less time managing behaviors. Use something like this template to get started with your ESY lesson planning. It doesn’t have to be fancy or Pinterest-perfect, just something that you and any staff you work with can easily understand.
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Use Hands-On and Functional Activities
Students are often more wiggly in the summer, so ESY lesson planning with hands-on and functional tasks can increase engagement. This also is a great time to put more effort into teaching students life skills that there may not be as much time for during the regular school year.
Here are some ideas:
- Cooking or snack prep (measuring, following steps, requesting ingredients)
- Sorting and matching activities for colors, letters, or community signs
- Adapted books that are interactive and support comprehension
- Fine motor tasks like put-in tasks, Velcro sorting, or life skill simulations
- Art or craft projects with step-by-step visuals
You don’t need fancy or complicated lessons. Use what works and keep things familiar but fun.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel with ESY Lesson Planning
Why would anyone think that ESY is the time to switch up the routines that have worked well for our students all year long. Whether you are working with students that you had during the school year or a mixture of students that you know and don’t the best think you can do is keep the routine simple, easy, and something familiar.
It can help to touch-base with the teachers of the students you don’t know to see what you can do to keep that consistency for the summer too!
This is the perfect time to use:
- Print-and-go worksheets that align with your students’ levels
- Visual supports they already know (First-Then boards, token charts, etc.)
- Task boxes or work systems from the school year
- Resources from your regular school year matierials including something like the Teach Love Resource Membership!
Repurposing materials saves you time and reinforces skills your students already understand. Try rotating the same few activities across the weeks to minimize planning but maximize effectiveness.
Data Collection: Keep It Simple
Yes, you’ll still need to monitor progress on IEP goals, but remember—it’s about maintenance, not mastery. Use simple checklists or tally sheets to record whether students are demonstrating skills with consistency.
You can track:
- Prompt levels (independent, verbal, physical)
- % accuracy or participation
- Whether a student is maintaining a skill across environments
Keep your data sheets brief and easy to fill out, so you can spend more time teaching and less time buried in paperwork. You can read more about simple data collection here.
Final Thoughts on ESY Lesson Planning
ESY should support your students—but it should also support you. You’re showing up in the summer, often with limited prep time, and giving your best to kids who really need the consistency.
So give yourself permission to keep it simple:
- Reuse resources.
- Stick to a visual routine.
- Focus on functional, hands-on lessons.
- Track progress in a low-stress way.
And most importantly—make it fun. ESY is a great time to build relationships, reinforce life skills, and keep students feeling confident.
If you are looking for resources that can support you with that, take a look at these.
