I had some ideas to get my classroom into shape after a long month of December. It seemed like I was just throwing things anywhere. Not anymore...everything has a home so that I can stay organized for the rest of the year!
I had a list of tasks to accomplish...always a good starting point!
1) Organize task cards and create a container to house them.
2) Organize a space for "extras". The extra materials will be for absent students and for students who lose items! (dislike)
3) Organize a binder to hold teacher-created materials.
I LOVE TASK CARDS!
I found this crate on sale at AC Moore. It was originally $22, but with 50% off and a coupon, I snagged it for $6. Then, a couple of packs of natural, large envelopes and I was ready to get started. I already had some labels to put through the printer. I just gathered all of the task cards around my classroom and organized them into categories.
The task card crate, along with some larger crates, make perfect storage for my custom, classroom shelf.
EXTRA PAPERS ARE A MUST!
These magazine file boxes were purchased at Staples a few months back and I knew I would find a purpose for them. The dividers are actually Martha Stewart stand up files which are specifically designed for magazine boxes. I had to cut each file apart to use as dividers since the file folders were only intended to hold a few sheets of paper. Then, labels for each day of the week were added. I can easily grab a sheet from the day of the week that a student was absent. Or, I have easy access to an extra when needed...it seems extras are ALWAYS needed!
BINDERS ARE A BLESSING!
The white binders are for the district curriculum. But, like many teachers, I create a lot of my own materials. I also get awesome supplemental lessons, worksheets, games, etc. from Teachers Pay Teachers and other sources.
These cute, dotted, one-inch binders are fun and functional.
*side note: I had a horrible time getting the label sticker off of the front. I never understand why companies do that. I almost returned them, but I just thought of a solution to be able to keep them and not hate the way they look after trying to scrape off the label with my fingernail.
Now, I'm happy. I just created a label of my own to cover the exact spot where the sticker wouldn't come off. Inside are all of the materials for each unit that didn't come from NYS or my school district.
I'm already preparing a list for the next school break. Looking forward to even more organizing! It's so great to show up at school and have everything in its place. Now on to my house...
