[Dazzler]

Definately do them yourself. Over the course of time, I've put together 3 binders. One for Private and Commercial Ground, one for Private and Commercial Flight, and one for the Instrument Rating. It took a long time to do (just shy of a year), but I learned a ton, and breezed through the CFI and CFII because of it.

For each task in the PTS, I prepared two documents.

One was the Lesson Plan, with sections for: Objective, Content, Schedule, Equipment, Instructor Actions, Student Actions, Completion Standards and References.

The other was the Lesson Outline, with sections for: Introduction (Attention, Motivation, Overview), Development, and Conclusion.
Here's an example from my "Night Operations" Lesson Outline:

Introduction
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Attention
Flying at night requires more attention to detail to offset the increase in risk.

Motivation
Night flying offers rewards of lower winds, better airplane performance, less traffic, and easier to spot traffic.

Overview
This lesson will discuss elements of night operations.

Development
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Preserving night vision
1. If you need bright light, close one eye to preserve some night vision.
2. Keep cockpit and instrument lighting to a minimum.
3. Use a flashlight with a red or green lens.
4. Use supplemental oxygen. (above 5,000 feet night vision deteriorates)
5. Blink if the eyes become blurred.
6. Avoid smoking, drinking, drugs.

Conclusion
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1. A VFR-only pilot should avoid flying at night in MVFR conditions.
2. Give your eyes time to adapt to darkness.
3. Use off center viewing.
4. Do a thorough preflight to include lights and electrical system.
5. Place greater emphasis on flight instruments at night.
6. Use the runway edge lights and end lights to judge height and sink rates.


Hope that helps!
And by the way -yes, I do still use my lesson plans on a day-to-day basis in my flight instructing.