Gearing Up For Y3: Organization
This is repeat of some comments that I posted at Room 407. I felt like it was good information that should reach more than just a “comments” audience. LOL. She wrote about organizing her teaching materials. I’m working on this as we speak. I have always been a fan of the “keep everything b/c you might need it again philosophy” with paperwork. How do I do this and still keep everything neat: EGG CRATES . . .LOL, so I have about 6 or 7 egg crates with a missmash of things. With the help of Joel, and a teacher friend of mine, I decided this system was not working. I knew it wasn’t working, I just didn’t want to face the reality. And throwing things away, is always a great experience. Here is how I decided to solve this problem.
One of my colleagues at my school followed a process similar to this at the end of the school year–of course I modified it to meet my needs. She’s a 20 yr veteran and had tons of stuff, so you can imagine what it was like. This has worked well for me b/c I don’t have that much stuff.
To get started you must take a “mission organization” approach to organizing your stuff. (Check out the show on HGTV–it excites me . . . .) Here what she did with the help of about 3 students:
- Set up chapter stations in on desks in her classroom. Each desk collects the materials for each chapter/subject/topic. Most of the stuff you have has chapter notations on it. Put the appropriate stuff on the appropriate desk. Have one desk as the “unknown” desk. It’s your job to sort through these things, while the kids sort through other things. Also, keeping your teacher text out as you sort through your pile helps in deciding what goes where.
- Put the appropriate things on the appropriate desk. For me, it only took a couple hours.
- When everything has been sorted through, begin your mini sort. Pick up one chapter/topic at a time and go through it. Delete stuff that you know you are not going to do again. organize the stuff you are going to keep. You’ll find most of your lesson plans/strategies with this process.
- The things you decide to keep put them in to binders or you may use file folders for your organization system. I like using binders b/c they get full and you can keep an entire term’s work in one binder. Make sure that you separate the different topics by tabs.Now you are all set up for the year.
Things to keep in mind about this process.
~When you are finish with a particular days materials: PUT THEM BACK. Joel emphasize having clean spaces. So at the end of the day, put it back and take it out again the next morning.
~Add new materials to the appropriate sections b/c these lessons will always be a work in progress.
~You will need to spend some time at the end of the year purifying your binders. I think this important b/c it will become apart of your reflection process. You can evaluate what worked, what didn’t work, etc. Don’t be afraid to throw things away.
~You might want to start a “Mishmash” binder. This is stuff you don’t necessarily want to get rid of but you don’t want it in with your regular stuff. Be careful to limit this pile of stuff to ONE BINDER!!! ONE ONLY!!!
I would love to hear how you organize your lesson plans and teaching materials.
classroom management | Miss Teacha | 
July 22, 2007 2:21 am
5 Comments
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Weekend Wrapup 07/23/07 | So You Want To Teach? — July 23, 2007 @ 12:55 pm
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By Becky, July 22, 2007 @ 8:29 am
I’m glad you posted this. I really like that idea, and I’m definitely going to use it (although I’ll modify it some – I don’t have that much stuff to organize, yet!).
I’m interested in how other people organize their things, too.
By Eric, July 22, 2007 @ 8:35 am
One of these days I’m going to collect up all the great things I’ve read on classroom management and strategies, etc and post about it. I mean this is good stuff. Thanks for posting it.
Oh, and I responded to your tag! Thanks.
By M, July 22, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
I do several things:
1. I keep a folder for every chapter/unit I teach. I used to keep folders by topic, i.e. verbs, vocab., culture, etc. but I found that I did not have the things I needed readily at hand. As the students and I work through each chapter, I make notes on Post-Its re: what worked and why, and what didn’t and why. At the end of the year, I purge papers, etc.
2. At home, I keep several three-ring binders on my bookshelf. In one binder, I keep materials I have gathered from workshops. In a second binder, I keep things that I have collected on my own or via colleagues that I liked.
Awesome comments. I love the post it idea!!!!
By Betsy, July 23, 2007 @ 1:02 pm
1. Binders of each unit, divided into two tabs- originals and keys.
2. File folders of each handout throughout the year, put into two file drawers by unit- top file drawer is Semester 1, bottom file drawer is Semester 2. These are the folders that I keep extra copies of the assignment/handout in, because sometimes my binder has material in it that I didn’t actually use. Each hanging file has the unit written on the tab, and the individual file folder are in each hanging file.
3. All of *my* school papers (observation notes, referals, etc.) are kept in hanging files in the file drawers in my desk, nicely labeled so there is no confusion.
I’m rather anal about the file folders. I learned from a disorganized 1st year.