Pocket Charts

Does this pin speak to you like it does me?  Can you pass by the Dollar Spot without putting a few things in your cart?  Me neither!  One of my all time favorite finds at the Dollar Spot was the mini-pocket chart.  

These are small and can be used a wide variety of ways.  You can make a simple job chart with these.

I made this job chart for my friend Sandy, a 6th grade teacher.  She teaches 2 sections of 6th grade.  Space was limited so she didn't want 2 job charts.  On the labels are students' names and numbers.  The yellow cards are students in her A.M. class and students in her P.M. class are on the red cards.  Students' cards are kept in numerical order on the ring at the top of the picture.  At the beginning of the year, students #1-6 are put on the chart.  The following week, all the cards are moved down one row and #6 is put on the back of the ring.  #7 is put on the top row.  The following week all of cards are moved down one row.  #5 is put on the back of the ring and #8 is put on the top of the row.  This pattern continues throughout the year.  You don't have to keep track of which student has done which job.  Students don't complain about not doing a preferred job because they know eventually it will be their turn.  If you wanted to add a little seasonal fun to this chart, you could assign each student a number and then use seasonal calendar numbers instead of colored cards with labels.

You can also use this system for your centers or stations.  Here are some signs for your stations and job chart.  Click HERE to download.

You can also click HERE to download number signs.

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Biography Project made Simple

Through the years, I've seen biography projects organized hundreds of different ways.  OK, that may be a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean.  Sometimes students research past U.S. presidents, other times it's famous inventors or authors, and every other topic under the sun.  Whatever your approach might be, one of the headaches I found with organizing a project such as this, is the sign up process.  It never fails, you have 2 or 3 students who insist they are only interested in researching the same person.  Since I have the philosophy of "variety is the spice of life", I don't let students choose the same person to research.  I recently stumbled across a website that helps solve some of the frustration with the sign-up process.  It's called sign-up genius.  There are many wonderful features on this site that are beneficial to teachers.  You can set your sign-up so your students are allowed to swap slots - i.e. change the person they originally signed up to research with the person another student originally chose.  I would personally suggest adding extra people to your research list.  If you have 25 students, list 30 people.  You can also set up your sign-up to send out reminders.  You write a note/email that is attached to the signup list.  Your reminders could say something like "Just a reminder, the biography project is due ____."  You can put parents' and students' email in the account which may help with the problem of late work.  Parents are aware of who their child is researching and are given a reminder.  Electronic documentation, what could be better?

There are more ideas and printables in my Biography Reports Made Simple packet.

Click HERE if you'd like to find out more about it.

Cost:  $1.50

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Class library

Class libraries, something all classrooms need, can be an organizational challenge.  It seems like everyone has a different way of organizing their class library.  Some prefer grouping books by authors, others by topics, while others prefer genres.   No matter how you group your books, there are a few things I always try to include.

Reading levels is one of the first things.  The best websites I've found to get this information is Scholastic Book Wizard.  This site gives you:  interest level, grade equivalent, lexile level, DRA level, guided reading level, genre, topics, and a summary.  All of this information at your fingertips for free!  I write the grade equivalent level on the inside cover.  Through the years, I've heard opinions from teachers who are for and against telling students their reading levels.  To me it's a philosophy . . . . a.k.a there is no right or wrong answer, it's whether you make it work for you or against you.  I've always had good luck giving my students this information.  What I've found through the years is some parents think their child's oral reading ability is their child's reading level.  This is a problem when the child's reading comprehension level doesn't match their oral reading ability.  Or a parent will look at their child reading a really long book and assume he or she must be on a middle school or high school reading level (when they are in elementary school).  Rick Riordan's new book Red Pyramid, which is on a grade equivalent level of 3.7, is a perfect example.  A 3rd grader reading this book might look impressive because it has over 500 pages of literary enjoyment.  In reality, this book is on their grade level.  You know the old saying don't judge a book by it's cover?  It's so true!

Genre!  Genre!  Genre!  If you teach older students you realize how important this word is.  Many moons ago, when I began teaching first grade, there wasn't a whole lot of emphasis placed on teaching genre.  We might mention it, but not give it much attention.  After teaching 3rd grade and helping my daughter's sixth grade teacher, I can tell you that your fellow upper-grade teachers would be very happy for any extra help you can give on this topic.  Why you ask?  Genre can be a little tricky.  Books can fit into more than one genre.  Look at the Scholastic Book Wizard and you'll see that many of the books that you look up have 2 or 3 genres listed under the title.  As an additional little boost, I write the genre(s) on the inside cover of my books, under the reading level.  Anything you can do will be appreciated!

Last week I was in the computer lab and saw a book on the back counter.  I could tell it was from a classroom library, but there wasn't a name of a teacher anywhere on it.  Luckily, it had a colored dot sticker on the outside and I knew this was a teacher's genre coding system.  Without the sticker, this book would have been in the  lost and found box forever.  OK, maybe a slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean.  If you don't feel like writing your name 400 times in all 400 books you own, and buying that many labels would be cost prohibitive, I've got a solution for you.  Hop over to Vista Print.  They can make you a stamp with your name.  I think they are running a special on the stamp right now.  You can read about it here:

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Too much paperwork

Do you ever feel like you're drowning in paperwork?  Do you have stacks of papers as far as the eye can see?  Is it a rare occurrence when 100% of your class turns in an assignment?  I've been in your shoes and there is a way to tame the paper tiger.  Have you ever read the book "The Tipping Point"?

The author, Malcolm Gladwell, gives examples of how small things can make big differences.  My tipping point with paperwork was when I came up with this form:

The form above is a microsoft doc. For some reason when I upload it to google docs it changes the format so it no longer looks like the picture above. If you want to use this form, you will have to do some editing.  After you click on the picture above, click on "file", and then click on "download as", you will download as a microsoft doc.  After that you can edit the doc. to fit your needs.

HOW TO USE THIS FORM:

I print off several copies of this form, cut them apart, and keep a stack near my "turn in" spot for work.

I've done this differently depending on the age of my students.

When I taught 3rd grade, after I taught the lesson, handed out the assignment, I filled out the top of this form, and TAPED a strip to the counter by the "turn in" spot.  When students finished their assignment, they highlighted their name on the strip with a yellow marker, highlighted their name on their assignment, and turned in their assignment to the correct tub/slot/file or whatever the "turn in" spot is.  Having them highlight their name on the strip and their assignment solves 2 BIG problems.  You will rarely have students who forget to write their names on their assignments and when work time is over it is very easy to see who hasn't turned in their work because their name isn't highlighted.  With older students I have a "O" helper which stands for organizer helper.  My "o' helper collects the assignments from the "turn in" spot, puts them in number order (which makes it easier when you record grades), puts the strip with highlighted  names on top, and clips them together.  I have a special spot to put these collected assignments in.  If you noticed, there is a column on the strip for reason why the assignment isn't done.  The reasons are: #1 - absent, #2 - pull-outs (reading specialist, speech therapist, etc.), #3 - left school early, #4 -worked too slow, and the other column is for grades.  This is helpful if you have an electronic grade book.  I keep all of these clipped together assignments in a tub.  In the morning, I lay out the previous day's work on my reading table.  It's very easy to call on students whose names aren't highlighted to see if they completed their work at home.  If they did complete their work, I highlight their name with a blue highlighter which tells me they completed it the next day.  If they turn it in 2 days late I highlight it in pink, 3 days is green, and 4 days is purple.  On Friday, any unfinished work is finished during Friday Fun Day.  I don't input grades until that time so assignments - with the exception of students who have been absent - should be finished.

When I taught kindergarten and 1st grade, I still used these strips, put the papers in number order, had students finish their work during Friday Fun Day, but it took a lot longer to train them in the highlight your name on the strip and assignment procedure.  Once I got to know my students, I was able to train a student or two who could put the assignments in number order, but I didn't have an "O" helper as a job.

These strips are great documentation because they are color coded.  If your have a staffing for a student, look through your strips to see how many non-yellow marks he/she has.  You can also see if there is a reason why his/her work isn't getting finished.  Maybe getting pulled for support is interfering with work time so his/her schedule needs to be tweaked.  In this day and age of RTI, pressure for test scores, being held accountable to very high standards, is there really such a thing as too much documentation?      With this system, you're making your life easier, so the documentation is an added side benefit. Good luck if you decide to try it!

This system is a part of my packet which is sold at TPT.

Lorraine @ Fabulous 4th Grade Froggies is having Classroom Organization Tip Linky Party and I'm joining the fun.  Thank you Lorraine for hosting the party!

Becca @ Teaching First is hosting an organization linky party.  I love parties so I'm joining the fun.

I'm also linking up with Debbie Clement's linky party.

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Organization Tip: Stamps & Stickers

Becca @ Teaching First is having an organization linky party and I'm joining the fun!

With the amount of stickers and rubbermaid containers I've bought through the years, I should open either a Hallmark Store or a Container Store.  I'm always trying to "build a better mouse trap" when it comes to organization.  Is there really such a thing as a classroom that is too big or has too much storage?  I haven't found one yet. So, I feel it is imcumbent on me to do my best to be the Queen of ORganization. I'm still waiting for my crowning, but I'm working on it!

STICKERS:

I've tried different ways to organize my stickers and, I think I've finally found the one that works best for me.  I found  coupon organizer wallets make the perfect storage unit.  I bought one for each month and a few extra for subjects such as language arts and math.  They are small and portable which makes them easy to throw in my tote bag if I want to grade papers at home.  They stand up so I can store them in a basket in chronological order so it's easy to find which one I need.  Dollar Tree has some colorful ones in stock right now.  I put labels on mine to make it easier to identify them.  Here's a picture and a copy of the labels if you want to make some, too!

STAMPS & STAMP PADS:


I like to keep my stamps in rubbermaid container with drawers categorized by seasons and subjects.  Here's a picture and labels in case you want to try it, too!

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Organization Tips #1

If you're like me, you're always looking for ways to become more organized and efficient. Time is a precious commodity which teachers have in short supply. Here are two of my favorite systems of organization:

TIP #1:

The next time you need students or parents to sign up for something, add a touch of tech to make your life easier.  The website Sign Up Genius is free and user-friendly.  It could be used for so many things . . . parents signing up for crafts/snacks/volunteer at your next Valentine's Day party, students could sign up for who they want to research for the class biography project, faculty could sign up for the next baby/wedding shower, and a million and one other ways.  Check it out!  

TIP #2:

Dollar Tree is a great source for letters to use on your bulletin boards.  Right now they have the ones below that are so perfect for school!

I love bulletin boards.  They help create a warm and inviting environment.  Plus, they can add a seasonal touch to your classroom.  The most time consuming part of changing bulletin boards is finding the letters for the title.  Some of my teacher friends cut out the letters needed for the title with the Ellison die cut machine, kept them in a ziplock in their monthly file.  This system didn't work for me because I rarely put up the same bulletin board twice.  Plus, I like the letters below better than the ones made with the Ellison die cut.  With the die cut machine I used construction paper and the paper doesn't hold up over time.  I also tried laminating the letter but that becomes one more job to do when I'm trying to simplify my life.  The letter packets are sturdy enough to be used over and over without being laminated.

The next glitch, was finding the letters.  I originally stored the letters of the same color/pattern in a large brown envelope.  It was like letter scavenger hunt each time I changed my bulletin boards.  Finally, the clouds parted one day when I was looking in my file cabinet.  Why don't I make 26 files . . . . one for each letter, and keep all of my "A's" in one file, all my "B's" in the next one, and so on and so forth. Something so simple saved so much time!  Why didn't they teach us some of these time-saving tips when we were in undergrad?    

Becca @ Teaching First is having an organization linky party and I'm joining the fun!

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