Over the years I have accumulated sooooo much bulletin board border. Really! I was going through it yesterday to find solid red border and was thinking to myself, "Where did all this COME from?"
I used to store them in a long box, but now it's just a disaster!
I started to look for some way to organize it better and came across this.... I wonder if it's any better than the box I currently use (which isn't long enough so I have to fold the border in half).
Or maybe this one would be better for seeing what you need easily?
Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organizing. Show all posts
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Being prepared for the week
As I complete my plans for the week, I start making my copies or labeling my masters for copies to be made (we are lucky enough to have someone who makes our copies for us).
Right near my desk I have an organization unit to hold all my worksheets and needed items for that day. My bins look like this:
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Each drawer is labeled with the day of the week (Monday-Friday) and the sixth one is labeled "extra". My extra bin is for having things on hand in case a lesson goes faster than I thought, or a special is cancelled that day and we need something to do. I keep extra math worksheets, spare Scholastic News, word searches, etc in there. You'll know what you need in there when you have your own classroom. It really depends on what the students are currently learning, what needs to be reviewed, what they enjoy...
Besides it making it easier for me, it also makes things easier for a sub if you are out with short notice. I always make sure I find a couple responsible students and show them where everything is in case I'm ever out. Some of my students can run the classroom themselves!
Right near my desk I have an organization unit to hold all my worksheets and needed items for that day. My bins look like this:
Besides it making it easier for me, it also makes things easier for a sub if you are out with short notice. I always make sure I find a couple responsible students and show them where everything is in case I'm ever out. Some of my students can run the classroom themselves!
Organizing and keeping it organized
It's important that when organinzing your classroom that you keep the materials for the students where they can reach it. If not, you'll spend most of your day getting things down and putting them back up.
The Dollar Tree is my favorite place to shop for baskets and bins. In both my preschool and kindergarten rooms my bins were labeled with a picture and words. Also, the spot on the shelf was also labeled with a picture and words. So if a child took the bin of markers, they weren't putting the bin back where the scisosrs should go. It may not seem like a huge issue, but having a place for everything makes the children feel secure and safe. They know exactly where to find what they are looking for. Imagine if you put your cups away in this cupboard on day, and this the next, and then here the next. Imagine how annoying that would be!
In my third grade classroom I don't label the bins or the shelves. I figure by now they should be able to put the crayons with the crayons and remember where they took the bin from. I also have my books in bins and those are labeled. I have holiday books, religion books, relaxed reading (aka easy reads-I don't want a low reader to feel "dumb" because they have an "easy" book). Then if I have multiple books, like Babysitter Club, or Goosebumps, I have a bin for just those.
When students "check" a book out, they fill out their card and place it in a pocket on a large piece of poster board. I have a librarian that checks each week to see if the book is back, if the child still needs it, and to put the returned books back in their proper bins.
My students know where to find everything and know where everything goes. Why? Because it never changes. They know exactly where to turn in their homework (the "in bin" by my desk). They know where to find loose-leaf paper (on a caddy in front of the room). They know where to get scrap paper and where to put scraps of paper (in the bottom drawer of my printer stand). It makes for a smooth operation and not a lot of students asking where things are.
It's important that the first week (or more if you teach younger kids) to remind them where things are. After that, I tell them, "I haven't moved it. Where was it before?" After me asking this, they suddenly remember! Small miracles!
The Dollar Tree is my favorite place to shop for baskets and bins. In both my preschool and kindergarten rooms my bins were labeled with a picture and words. Also, the spot on the shelf was also labeled with a picture and words. So if a child took the bin of markers, they weren't putting the bin back where the scisosrs should go. It may not seem like a huge issue, but having a place for everything makes the children feel secure and safe. They know exactly where to find what they are looking for. Imagine if you put your cups away in this cupboard on day, and this the next, and then here the next. Imagine how annoying that would be!
In my third grade classroom I don't label the bins or the shelves. I figure by now they should be able to put the crayons with the crayons and remember where they took the bin from. I also have my books in bins and those are labeled. I have holiday books, religion books, relaxed reading (aka easy reads-I don't want a low reader to feel "dumb" because they have an "easy" book). Then if I have multiple books, like Babysitter Club, or Goosebumps, I have a bin for just those.
When students "check" a book out, they fill out their card and place it in a pocket on a large piece of poster board. I have a librarian that checks each week to see if the book is back, if the child still needs it, and to put the returned books back in their proper bins.
My students know where to find everything and know where everything goes. Why? Because it never changes. They know exactly where to turn in their homework (the "in bin" by my desk). They know where to find loose-leaf paper (on a caddy in front of the room). They know where to get scrap paper and where to put scraps of paper (in the bottom drawer of my printer stand). It makes for a smooth operation and not a lot of students asking where things are.
It's important that the first week (or more if you teach younger kids) to remind them where things are. After that, I tell them, "I haven't moved it. Where was it before?" After me asking this, they suddenly remember! Small miracles!
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