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4toWays PACK UP like a BOSS Pack Up & Get Out For some of you, it may seem like the end of the school year may never come. For others, the end may be coming too soon. Either way, come the end of June, you'll have to figure out what to do with all that stuff packed into every nook and crannie in your classroom. Whether you've packed your room for 30 times before or this is your first go at it—take a minute to learn or remind yourself of these simple tips to make the process easier at the end of the year.
Put Your Students to Work If you've ever been surprised by the willingness of your children to help you with chores, you will likely find the same to be true of your students. Here are some ideas to involve your students while they are still learning. •
Sort Supplies-Toward the end of the year, as students use supplies like markers, glue or crayons, have them check to see what's out of ink, which crayons are too broken to use, and even ask them to sharpen pencils before putting them away for use next year.
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Check Games-Inevitably pieces of games or puzzles get lost in the mix throughout the year. Ask your students to make note of what's missing as they use the items in the last weeks of school. Have them mark each game with a colored stickey note and write on the note what piece is broken or lost. With this method, all you have to do is find the stickies and fix what's broken or add pieces to the games.
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Review Classroom Books-You've likely all asked yourself this question at one point—"What the heck happened to that book?" As the year winds down, ask students to place aside the books that look like they've been through a battle and need to be repaired or returned to the school library. Then ask students to sort the books by category or reading level, depending on how to organize your library. This whole process can be done during the final weeks of the school year as students are selecting books to read during any quiet reading time.
Chuck It This is a no-brainer, and seems easy enough but deserves the reminder. Don't be afraid of the trash can and recycling bin. If you are sure you're not going to use it, toss it, give it to a colleague, a student, anyone but don't leave it in your room to take up space.
Label It Get organized now. Find the "home" for your worksheets, manipulatives, calculators, etc. and label each spot with a purpose. It's easy when you want to leave for the end of the year to pitch everything into a few bins and call it good. The better idea is to is to take the time to separate morning worksheets, or lessons by category and labeling them now will save so much time at the end of the summer when the weather is really warm and your classroom is really hot.
June 2018 • www.maineea.org
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