Okay, so it's August 1st... School is right around the corner. I've been working off and on in my classroom trying to get it organized. Last year was my first year at this school, and the class was barely ready in time. There were a few hidden places in my room that were thrown together last minute, and, frankly, they were a little scary! Desk and drawers were okay, but some of the bigger closets were shoved full of stuff that I just didn't have time to organize before school started last year. One file cabinet was not even being utilized! I basically was dropping stacks of paper in it that I needed for future use.
One of the aforementioned closets was full of center and theme items. I bought 4 blue boxes for center pieces. I have 8 centers (counting the guided reading table), but only a few of them have a lot of items so I figured 4 would be enough. Then I bought 10 clear stacking boxes, one for each month of the school year, and filled them with all the little things that I need for each theme. All 14 boxes are the same size (about the size of a large ream of paper, but a bit longer) and have lids so they stack neatly in the closet. I won't be able to put large theme items in them, but I don't have many of those things anyway.
Last year I kept a shelf with all the books that I regularly read with each unit/theme. The problem was that they were not separated into categories, and they were close to my class library. Every now and then I would find one at a student's desk because they got confused and grabbed from my shelf. It made it very confusing to keep up with. Today, I finally moved all those books into a file cabinet and separated them with file folders that had been cut to be taller than the tallest book (and still be able to close in the file cabinet).
Also, on this same file cabinet, I have my AR chart hanging. Once my students start taking AR tests, I greet them at the door andnask them if they are ready for an AR (Accelerated Reader) test. If they are, they get on the 2 class computers while the rest put a clip on this AR chart to keep a line going of those ready.
My last name is on the clip above, for display. I keep a clothespin bag (I bought for a few dollars at the Family Dollar) with clips of every student's name. I've used this chart for many years to keep me organized, and it works very well. Once I show students how to place their clips, I then train them to tell the next person when it's his/her turn to keep the testing continually going until everyone has had their turn. I don't let students take clips off because then they want to move clips up, and it usually becomes a bit of a problem. As long as there is room to add clips, I don't worry about removing/moving clips. After all the morning AR tests, I usually clear it so that it's available for use later. It's great because if I have a student read a book in the middle of the day, they can just add their clip, and wait till I say it's time for those finished with work to take AR tests.
On the side of this same file cabinet I have a pocket chart that was initially created for counting days of the year and place value. Since I do this on my Smart Board now, I decided to use it to keep track of where students are. I bought "people sticks", as you can see in the picture, and glued magnetic strips to the back. Last year, I took pictures of all my students, and pasted their heads to the top. When they are out of the class, they drop their people stick into one of the corresponding pockets. It was so helpful last year, when things got harried, and I needed to know who had taken the bathroom pass or was out of the room for some reason.
Well, my file cabinet is finally getting some real use! I would love to hear others' ideas for organizing. Hope everyone's school year gets off to a great start!
