Monday, August 18, 2014

Reading log FREEBIE

Teachers have two “New Year” celebrations: one in January and the other one in August. Start the year off right by establishing a routine for reading, even if your students are not able to read or write yet. 

This reading log is designed for beginner readers. It contains a parent letter (English/Spanish), and a reading log calendar (September-June)

I hope you can use it in your class! Click on the picture to download. 





Saturday, August 16, 2014

Classroom Organization

Susan's Organization Tips
To go to Susan's store, click here.


Organization is key in the classroom!  Ask anyone I work with, even my students, and they will tell you that I am a freak about being organized.  One thing I like to do from the first day to keep us organized is color coding.  My students have colored duct tape on their notebooks.  Each color is for a certain subject.  I also have a sign that hangs on the board and tells them which notebook we are currently working in.  Each morning when students I arrive I have signs telling them which supplies they will need from their cubbies for the day.  These signs include the colors of the books and notebooks.  I also have students turn in their work to a bucket that is color coordination.  Y'all, I'm here to tell you, color coordination is awesome!!!


 Carmen's Organization Tips
To go to Carmen's store, click here.

With so much going on in the classroom every day, there are two places that I MUST keep organized in order to stay afloat: my desk area and the front board.

#1. THE DESK.
The stacks of important papers on my desk cannot be contained on just one desk. I use extra student desks along the wall to create more surface area, and hide the actual desk with a table cloth. :) On these extra desks I use crates with HANGING FOLDERS to organize papers. This is a lifesaver! In one crate I store all my texts and running records for guided reading. In another I have a folder for each day of the week. All my copies and plans go in—every morning I pull out what I need. Super simple!

#2. THE BOARD.  The school day goes MUCH more smoothly when I have a clear idea of our schedule and when the kids know what to expect next. Having the schedule posted on the front board is vital for my sanity. :) I also post our learning goals on the board. It helps me stay focused on the tasks at hand throughout the day, and I love having a visual organization that everyone in the class can refer to.


(Here's a link for the picture of the Daily Schedule: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Daily-Schedule-Labels-1323803)


Jessica's Organization Tips
To go to Jessica's store, click here.

I use colorful file folders for organizing my classroom.  In 5th grade, students have trouble keeping their work in one place.   I number the file folders with calendar numbers (this way I can reuse them year after year).  Each student is assigned a number, and they put all of their work through out the week in their folders. On Friday, I have the students sort out the work from their folders into *my folders*.  The teacher folders are labelled with the assignment name.  Inside of each teacher folder, I have a grade recording sheet.  After I am done grading each folder, I just need to enter the grades from the grading sheet into my grade book.  When I return assignments to students, they can 1. take them home, 2. throw them away, or 3. store them in a hanging folder file to show off their work during parent teacher conferences.  Most good students like to store their work through the year.  This system helps my students stay on track.  Many of them choose to keep an assignment sheet in their folders, so they can "check" things off as they go.  I also keep extra file folders with me in case of a surprise test or pop quiz, so I can easily find them.





Timeless Tips for Teachers

For the guest blog posts this month, we are talking all about fun teacher tricks for classroom organization!  First up, we have timeless tips from Trisha.   Click here to visit her store!



The Number System:
Assign each student in the class a number
based on alphabetical order. Put the number on each desk nametag.
All textbooks for the student will be that specific number. The student
will need to put both their name & number on all papers.
Benefits of the number system:
 * Easy to find the owner of a lost textbook
 * If a volunteer is needed, chose a number.
 * Easy to put papers in alphabetical order for entering grades
 on the computer or in a gradebook.


Deck of Cards Groups:
 Use a deck of cards to put students in groups
of 3 or 4.
Example: All 8’s are together. Then assign jobs based on
the suite:
 Diamonds: LEADER
Hearts: SUPPLIER
Spades: CLEANER
Clubs: RECORDER


SMARTIES candy: 
A quick way to reward students for simple tasks.
It’s smart to….
 * Keep your desk clean!
 * Help a classmate!
 * Follow directions quickly.
 * Listen quietly!


ARTWORK ENVELOPES:
Give each family a 9 x 12 envelope with
directions to address it to a favorite family member: Grandparent,
Aunt, Godparent, etc… Then, sometime during the school year,
allow the child to send an artwork to the special person along with a
friendly letter.





BUSINESS LETTER WRITING: When doing the business letter
lesson, have students write a letter to a company requesting an item
from the Freebies for Kids website. Students look forward to getting
the free item and it makes the lesson more meaningful.



Also, check out these freebies from Trisha's store. This first freebie's job is to help with documenting behavior and to hold students accountable for their own behaviors.

Click here to go to the Behavior Journal Freebie!

And check out this student information sheet as well to help with classroom organization.

Click here to go to the Child Information Sheet Freebie!