Preparing for back to school is incredibly busy. These meet the teacher tips are sure to make the event run smoother!
Learn a key organizational hack that Evernote expert Stacey Harmon uses to create an Evernote workspace that supports maximum productivity. In this post, she answers one of the most common questions she gets when people see screenshots of her personal Evernote account and explains the logic behind i
Are you looking for tips and strategies to organize guided reading materials?
You first need to understand the mind of a hoarder before you can tackle the clutter. Randy Frost explains the meaning possessions play in our lives and how and why this can go astray.
Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism
Inside my monthly boxes, I have everything that is seasonal...crafts, TPT products, worksheets, etc. in hanging file folders. I hope to organize these further as I get to each month, but who knows #typeBforever
Some of my most favorite teacher hacks that save money and time! This adorable little organizer is just cereal boxes and wrapping paper...
I'm linking up with Jivey for this week's Workshop Wednesday: Response to Literature! When I take reading groups, we spend a lot of time discussing the story (as much discussing a first grader can handle anyway!). I always remind them what good readers do and I model it for them. For example, I'll say a good reader thinks about what the author wanted us to learn by reading this story. Then I'll pick a story we've previously read and have say I think so and so wanted us to learn blah, blah. After, I ask the kids to think back and see what the story we're working on is about. I do this for setting, main idea, pretty much everything! I also have a little graphic organizer flip chart that I use in my groups. It's part of our Reading Street reading program and can be written on with Expo markers. It has a page for character, plot, beginning, middle and end of a story, and lots more. Many times, I will use these for the kids to show their understanding of the characters, setting, and the stories problem. They especially love the part where they have to answer how they would solve the problem in the story. :) My kids do a lot of written responses in their writing journals as well. Often times, I'll give them a sentence or question to get the started. For example, our first unit is about pets, so their journal prompts may be about how they would take care of a pet, their favorite type of pet, or if they could have any pet, what would it be....things that activate prior knowledge or make them think a little more about the topics we are reading about. :) How do your kids respond to literature? :) One more thing before I take a break for dinner!! Here's a little something special I made for my classroom this weekend! I found the idea on Pinterest (surprise, surprise!). I think it came out pretty good!! I brought it to school on Monday and my kids absolutely LOVED it!! Lately they've been feeling sad because I've been doing special "second grade" things with them and they don't want to leave first grade. I don't want them to go either! But I told them whenever they're feeling sad, they can look at this and remember what a super bunch of friends they have! :) Happy Wednesday!
The KonMari Method of decluttering is sweeping the world, and we have a free printable KonMari Checklist to help you every step of the way. This KonMari Checklist will lead you through decluttering each category from clothing to photos so you can get organized once and for all! For more popular organizing posts, check out...
Have you wondered if a new approach to productivity could help you in your home management, homeschooling, or business? I have. My Passion for Productivity My life is full with being a wife of an active husband, a mother of six, a home educator, fitness enthusiast, scrapbooker, tennis player, church volunteer, speaker, writer, and …
Hello there! Coming at you this time with my fellow SUPER teacher/bloggers over at Primary Powers for a fun Organization Blog Hop. If you read the title of my post then you might be thinking I am not the most organized person. Well, you are absolutely correct! I don't know about you, but I am constantly looking for ways to be more organized. I even have 2 Pinterest boards - one for the classroom and one for home - where I pin all those fabulous ideas that I plan on doing probably will never do, but they look so pretty!! So I am just as excited as you might be to be hopping along here because I cannot wait to pick up some more tips on how to be better organized. My organizational post is about how I organize my student data in my classroom. In the days of Common Core, RTI, APPR, and whatever else is out there that I'm forgetting, a teacher can go a little bonkers trying to keep track of everything and have the evidence needed to support student performance. It can be exhausting and stressful just gathering all the data you need, but it can also be challenging finding a way to organize that data once it's collected. Last year I decided to keep an all-inclusive Student Data Binder. To get started, I went to Office Max and got a large binder - mine is only 2 inches and I think I need to upgrade to a 3 inch binder. I also got these numbered dividers. In my classroom, I assign numbers to students from the first day of school and we use those numbers for a lot like our lunch choices and behavior chart. The dividers come with this Table of Contents page, so I laminated that page and each year I will just tape in a copy of my student's names and numbers into it. This way I can reuse it for as long as it will last. I have tried to include as much into this binder as I can so I have one place to go when I need information on a student. One thing I keep in the binder is any and all parent communication (that is not in an email). I bought this 3-hole punched, plastic zipper pouch at Dollar Tree this summer and they are awesome. They are very sturdy. This one is in the front of my binder and I put any notes that parents send in throughout the year. I keep them all! The only ones I don't keep in this pouch would be excuses that go to the office. I'm always surprised when I need to go back and look at a note, whether it's to grab a phone number or email that I can't find anywhere else or if I just need documentation of correspondence with parents- I am always happy that I keep them. Under each student's tab I also put in the parent letters I have parents write to me in the beginning of the year about their expectations, goals, and concerns. I also keep our parent conference notes and other notes I take when making phone calls. This is so helpful during report cards to remind myself of what our goals are for each child and what I've already discussed with parents. I also keep each student's assessment data in my binder. This includes running records and other testing documentation like AIMSWEB or informal assessments. I also tend to write anecdotal notes on post-its during guided reading or math and then I can just stick them in the student's section so I don't lose them. I don't keep copies of the actual assessments in my binder because they take up way too much space. I keep these in a crate with numbered file folders. So in my binder I do keep any grading sheets that have the scores for these assessments on them, but the tests themselves get filed away. (I don't have a picture of my grading sheets, but they are very basic). The last thing I keep in my binder is behavior data. I use a card system in my room for behavior. Each day I very quickly take some markers and document what color card each student was on. I will often write a quick note as to why they were on a different color or again use a post-it and stick it in there. I keep these so I can look back at trends, for report cards, and so I can share this with parents if I need to. I allow students to earn a sticker when they are on green and then earn a reward when they get to 5 stickers. It might seem like it would take a lot of time, but actually it is only about 2 minutes at the end of the day and it is SO important to reinforce the child's behavior for the day - especially the positive! So that's about it for my Student Data Binder. It has really helped me stay a little more organized this year. I can grab it when I have conferences or if I need to bring a student up for intervention support. This week as I am finishing up my report cards for the quarter, I am so, so happy to be able to grab this binder and just get to it. If you would like to start your own binder you can find the binder cover in this download below. There are also binder covers for Lesson Plan, APPR, Common Core Assessments, and more! Just click on the picture. Thanks so much for visiting. I'd love to hear any other great ideas you might have on how you organize your student data or really how you organize anything. I'm always looking for more ideas!!! So it's time to hop on to the next tip from Valerie over at All Students Can Shine. (I just love her, so I know she'll have something great to share).
I LOVE using short video clips in my classroom; with Youtube, a projector, and a screen in my classroom, it has become so much easier to use...
Here’s how to do an effective brain dump and create a productive action plan. Grab a printable ‘brain dump page’ -- the perfect tool for overwhelmed overthinkers.
Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism
One of the first rules of parent communication is documentation. Ideas and a free printable to make documenting and organizing parent communication easy!
Organizing isn’t one size fits all, there are four different organizing styles. Take the quiz and discover what style you are.
Create a distance learning space at home with an organized homeschool cart. A rolling cart is an easy way to turn any room into a virtual learning environment. Get all the details about to organize a remote learning cart and what school supplies to include.
We are having SO much fun hunting down cute, hands-on activities for our homeschool preschool routine this year. While we’re searching, I thought it would be fun to make things easier for YOU by rounding up tons of FREE Preschool and Kindergarten resources from me and my friends! Below you’ll find 15+ FREE Preschool and …
We decided to try using a homeschool crate system to organize our entire year of curriculum. The draw for me to try this was that it's beautifully organized, easy to track which week of the school year we are in, and everything is ready to go for the whole year. This crate system took me
Setting up a book rotation system is quick and simple. You'll be amazed at how excited your kids will be when you pull out "new" books!
Want to set up a successful alphabet literacy center in your preschool classroom? Learn how to make learning the ABCs fun for your kids...
Hey bloggers! I'm back for another Monday Made It with 4th Grade Frolics! First up, some alphabet letter holders for guided reading! I have 2 sets of magnetic letters but I usually have those at my word work station. So, I decided to buy some foam letters from the dollar store and make my own holders! I got the containers from Menards. You can adjust the sections inside to the size that you want. I was originally going to make each box 13 sections...but decided to make the first box 12 equal sections and the second box 14 sections (6 are smaller, you'll see in the next picture!). After deciding how I wanted my sections to look, I used alphabet stickers to label each section. This makes student clean up much easier! Then I slapped some modpodge on each letter for extra hold. And that was it! Sooo simple! Now I have a few extra sets of letters to use for word work during guided reading. :) I also made some containers to hold random supplies. My husband loves peanuts and when I saw the containers he was throwing out, I about lost my mind. He didn't understand that they could be reused! I thoroughly washed the containers a few times (I have had a student with a nut allergy before so I didn't want to run into any issues with that), made some labels in powerpoint, and printed them. Then I wrapped some duct tape around the container and adhered the label. I made one for erasers, one for pens, and one for pencils! (sorry for the poor pic, I couldn't get one without the reflection!) I have two weeks left until school starts...what about you??
15 classroom organization hacks to make teaching easier that every preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and elementary teacher should know. FREE theme box labels too!
I need things put away but easy to access, and our homeschool materials are all around us, for quick and easy learning without feeling like I live in a preschool!
Preparing for back to school is incredibly busy. These meet the teacher tips are sure to make the event run smoother!
The best ideas in classroom organization including organizing bookshelves, creating a teacher cart, plus create the perfect teacher space!
Hi friends! I'm finally on summer break and getting ready to move into my sixth classroom/space in seven years of teaching. 😅😅😅 Last year, I was preparing for two big moves, one to a temporary space since construction was taking longer than expected and then another move during Christmas break. During the second move, we moved into our brand new building! A little stressful, but it was nice to go through my things and get rid of some of the stuff I've been holding on to! Before the big move, I needed to get rid of my file cabinet. I've always used my file cabinet for my centers, posters, and other random things....but I've never really liked it. My things always got folded, ripped, and I have a hard time finding what I needed! Since we would no longer have our file cabinets, I needed to change up my storage! Please note, that this blog post may contain affiliate links. That means I can receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you purchase from one of the items linked. Affiliate links allow me to keep blogging and providing more freebies to you! :) You can read more about this at the bottom of my post! These are the EXACT bins that I used! They are from Sterilite and are very good quality! These bins have lasted me many years and through many, many moves! They are kind of an investment, but I think they are totally worth it! I love that I can easily stack and store them. Since these bins can be an investment, I slowly ordered them, a few sets at a time, and began organizing my things. They come in sets of six. If you want something a little less expensive, check out the bins below. These bins are almost the exact size as the ones I used and come in sets of four. They are quite a bit cheaper than the ones I listed above. I found these bins (below) on Amazon. As I organized my things, I made labels so I could keep track of everything. I organized my things by seasonal resources and by skill. Below I will link a free and editable template so you can make your own! These labels will fit the bins shown above from Amazon. After I created and printed my labels, I laminated them. I love my Scotch Laminator! It hears up quickly and is jam-proof! It has also lasted me a few years. I love using this laminator because the lamination pouches always seem to make my labels so much more sturdy than the school's laminator. To attach the labels, I used VELCRO coins. That way, I could easily change out the labels if I needed to. Plus, as a special education teacher, I always have a TON of Velcro! You could also use a hot glue gun! Below is the one that I use for crafts in my classroom and at home. Finally, you can grab the labels FREE! Make sure you read the instructions on page 2 on how to duplicate the pages so you can create as many as you want! I've also included a printer friendly, white background, version too! I hope this post and freebie were helpful! If you use these labels, I would love to see them! Feel free to tag me on Facebook or Instagram! :) Happy organizing! ********************************* Want to come back to this post later? Pin the image below! Glitter and Glue 4 K-2 is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com
We have had great success using this phonics program! Want to know how we use Abeka phonics in our homeschool? Check it out!
A new year has come and I am once again planning for our upcoming school year! This is going to be my fourth year homeschooling. Where has the time gone?! A lot of learning in the process for the k…
An ABC Chart is a great tool to help children with letter recognition, letter sounds, and letter-sound correspondence. Get your free ABC...
Not everyone has the ability to have a homeschool room. Click here to find tons of homeschool organization ideas for small spaces!
Are you looking for classroom organization ideas for kindergarten or first grade? Read more about some tips and tricks for storage and decor.
Happy Tuesday! I don't know about you, but I am soaking in every last minute of the summer before we head back to school. However, I couldn't help but get a jump start on things for my classroom. This year I'm planning to use black and brights as my classroom theme. What do I mean? Well, check out these ideas below and the links! As with all projects, with every theme comes my own modifications. My old alphabet and number line have seen a few classroom moves and needed to be ditched. Instead of going with the typical number line from a teacher store, I decided to design my own to match my theme for this year. Check them out below! :) If you like them, the links to my Teacher's Pay Teachers Store are included. Colorful Number Line and Cursive Alphabet Bundle Colorful Number Line Colorful Cursive Alphabet Line Black and Brights Classroom Ideas 1. Objective Headers from Learning in Wonderland 2. Colorful Baskets: 2nd Grade Stuff Supply Organization: Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits
We decided to try using a homeschool crate system to organize our entire year of curriculum. The draw for me to try this was that it's beautifully organized, easy to track which week of the school year we are in, and everything is ready to go for the whole year. This crate system took me
The best ideas in classroom organization including organizing bookshelves, creating a teacher cart, plus create the perfect teacher space!
