The Sustainably Organized Teacher by TeacherThrive

The Sustainably Organized Teacher A workbook By Kristen Taylor - STL ’06

Visit me at www.TeacherThrive.com for FREE downloadables and customized curriculum, organization documents, and tips! (Please excuse the construction.)

80% of organization is deciding what to do. 15% is starting to be organized. 5% is keeping it up. Table of Contents

Part One: Organize Your Ideas.............................................................................................................................. 2 Decide on ONE system (then use it). ............................................................................................................................... 2 Action Plans: ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 Running Records: ................................................................................................................................................. 4

Part Two: Organize Your Classroom ...................................................................................................................... 5 Plan your classroom space.............................................................................................................................................. 5 Plan your students’ space. .................................................................................................................................. 6 Plan your teacher space. ..................................................................................................................................... 7 Plan your shared spaces. ..................................................................................................................................... 7

Part Three: Organize Your Resources .................................................................................................................... 8 Decide Where To Store Stuff ............................................................................................................................................. 8

Part Four: Organize Your Systems ...................................................................................................................... 10 Organize student tracking. .............................................................................................................................................10 Organize your grading. ...................................................................................................................................................11

Part Five: STAY Organized ................................................................................................................................... 13 Train your students. .......................................................................................................................................................13 Have the students do it! .....................................................................................................................................13 How to choose students .....................................................................................................................................14 How do you let them know it’s time to do their job? .........................................................................................14 How do you announce it/keep track? .................................................................................................................14 Build Staying Organized into Your Action Plan. ...............................................................................................................15 Decide what is trash. .....................................................................................................................................................16

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Page 1

Part One: Organize Your Ideas Decide on ONE system (then use it).  Action Plans

 Notebook (running record)

 Phone apps

Organize by topic, due date, or “Do Date”. DAILY ACTION PLAN

Weekly Action Plan Time

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Prioritized TO DO LIST

6:00

Date: ____________________ Day: ___________________

HOURLY SCHEDULE

6:15

COMMUNICATION

5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 1:00 1:30 2:00 2:30 3:00 3:30 4:00 4:30 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30

6:30 6:45 7:00 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 12:15 12:30 12:45 1:00 1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 3:15 3:30 3:45 4:00 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00 6:15 6:30 6:45

ACTION PLAN

Week of: ___________________________ Buy/Make

Bring/Give

Email/Call

Buy/Make

Bring/Give

Phone Calls

Texts

Email/Call:

NOTES:

Buy/Make:

Upcoming Dates:

Don’t Forget!

TUESDAY

MONDAY

Email/Call

PRIORITIZED TO DO LIST

Emails

Buy/Make

Bring/Give

Email/Call

Buy/Make

Bring/Give

WEDNESDAY

Email/Call

Saturday

THURSDAY

Do:

Buy/Make

Give:

Sunday

Bring/Give

FRIDAY

Email/Call

Bring:

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Page 2

Action Plans: Be sure to use the boxes are they are structured.

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Page 3

Running Records: Stay organized in a single, consistent way. Color Codes: Use colored pens, highlighters, colored pencils, etc.

Acronyms • E – Email

Different Pages • To Do List

• Blue:

• BR – Bring

• Ideas to Implement

• Black:

• B- Buy

• Questions to Answer

• Red:

• C – Call

• People to Contact

• Purple:

• Q – Question

• Stuff to Do

• Green:

• P – Prep

• Things to Bring or Buy

• D – To Do • P – Print

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Page 4

Part Two: Organize Your Classroom Plan your classroom space. •

First outline the classroom itself.

•

Then decide how your students are going to sit.

•

Then add all of the shared spaces and dedicated teacher spaces.

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Page 5

Plan your students’ space. If you want to quickly learn who is friends with whom in your class, let students sit wherever they want for a couple of days. Write down where they sit and record who talks with whom, how disruptive they are and how many times they talk or disrupt. This is great to do on the first days of school since you get to use this data for the whole school year. “Quads” Four Students Per Desk (Front of Room) è ç è ç

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“Paired” Two Students Per Desk (Front of Room) é é

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“Simulation” One Student Per Desk

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Shy ADD

“The Sustainably Organized Teacher”

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Key Student Behavior Patterns Disruptive High Performing Unmotivated Talkative

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Page 6

Plan your teacher space. Long Term Storage  File Cabinet

Short Term storage  Teacher’s Desk

 Closet

 Staging Area

Plan your shared spaces.  Bulletin boards

 Boards

 Hall passes

 Anchor posters

 Flag

 Textbooks

 Everyday materials

 Computers

 Projector

 Binders/portfolios

 Pencil sharpener

 Small group space

 Clock

 Tissues

Check out these overlooked gold mines!

Windows

Door

Radiator

Use them to create a word wall. Print on transparencies to use this area without sacrificing sunshine!

Use doors (cabinets included) to create space for manipulatives, student mailboxes, and extra papers that float around your classroom.

Use wooden boards to protect the items you place on there.

Filing Cabinet

Clothesline

Science Fair Poster Board

Use magnetic hooks to provide a place where you can hang stuff.

Place a string or wire along the length of the classroom to create a clothesline. Using clothespins, paper clips, or binder clips, hang up student work, posters, or charts.

These are great for helping create bulletin boards,

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These are portable so you can create them at home.

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Page 7

Part Three: Organize Your Resources •

Be logical. Place your folders in a logical sequence like in the order of your units using hanging file folders or the order that you need them across the day, week, quarter, or semester.

•

File papers away every day! Do it in the morning the next day or before you leave every night.

•

Student supplies should be kept by the teacher until needed. Students don’t need to keep scissors, glue, crayons, markers, etc, in their desk because they don’t use them every day. This way nothing gets broken or lost.

Decide Where To Store Stuff Accessible to Teacher

Accessible to Teacher

(Long Term)

(Short Term)

What to store:

Accessible to Students and Teacher What to store:

• For Office

• Master copies of handouts

• Handouts for the day

• To be Graded

• Anecdotal Notes on Students

• Handouts for the Week

• To Be Filed

• Prizes

• Notes from Parents

• Stickers

• To Be Copied

• Manipulatives

• Memos

• Graded Papers

How to store:

• Desk Trays

• Hanging folders in a crate

• Milk crates

• Pocket Folders

• Filing Cabinet

• Baskets

• Hanging Folders in a cabinet

• Hanging Shoe Holders

• Accordion File

• Ziplock Bags • Plastic Shoe Boxes • Tupperware Containers

Magazine Holders

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How can I store stuff? Item Crates

What it can be used for • At your desk − To be graded − To be passed back − To be copied − To be filed • Containers for materials • Shelves • Can be places in student rows

Plastic or Wire Baskets

• • •

“Turn in”, “To be Filed”, “To be Graded”, etc. Extra copies Extra lined paper, copy paper, etc.

Hanging Shoe Holders

• • •

Student Mailboxes Calculators Pencils, Markers, Pens, Crayons, Markers, Manipulatives in Small Plastic Baggies

Large Ziplock Bags

•

Books for individual students

Plastic Shoe Boxes and Tupperware Containers

•

Manipulatives

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Page 9

Part Four: Organize Your Systems Organize student tracking. •

•

Keep a clipboard for each class/subject. This also saved my life early on. For every class or subject you teach, keep a clipboard with the following information on them. Also label the clipboard on the top to help identify them quickly. o

Lesson plans

Answer Keys

Class List

Copies of Class Packets

Seating Charts

Create class lists. These are a lifesaver. These lists can be used to record student grades, missing assignments, attendance, anecdotal records, or any other type of record keeping. I suggest making both of the following kinds of class lists. o

By student name – organize this list either by first name or last name. Use Excel or Word. Make a table with one column for the students’ names and more columns to the right of that. Then make a row at the top where you record what assignment each column is worth. This version works great for seeing who turned in what and what grade they earned.

By seating chart – hand write this and make copies. This works great for quick anecdotal notes as you walk around the classroom. You can write down behavior patterns on this one as well.

Make labels with each student's name. Print your students’ names on labels, which you use for folders, notebooks, and other materials that need student identification. The easiest way is to make one page of labels for each student. File Folder labels are the easiest because they are small enough for everything.

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Kristen@teacherthrive.com

Page 10

Organize your grading. •

Decide what to grade when. Everything doesn’t have to be graded by you everyday. But you are responsible for keeping track of providing your students with feedback on everything that they do in your class – otherwise, your teaching is for naught. What to Grade When

During Class

• Independent Practice - Trade and Grade • Homework – check for quality

During Planning

• Homework • Exit Tickets

In the evening

• Exit Tickets

Over the weekend

• Tests • Essays • Projects

•

Stagger the due dates for major projects, papers, and tests. It can be overwhelming if you receive a barrage of paper. You'll manage your time more efficiently if the assignments are spaced. Students who have you for more than one class will also appreciate it and produce better quality of work.

•

Insist that students keep all graded papers until the end of the term. If there is a discrepancy in what you have recorded in your grade book and what they believe they have earned, they have the final proof. This way, they are responsible for it. How to Grade Completion

Accuracy

Rubrics

Check for quality

Check for correct answers

Check for all required parts

• Just assign some points • Have students hold it up and walk around with your clipboard

•

• Use an answer key • You don’t have to grade every question – just one per section.

• Like a check list • http://rubistar.4teachers.org

Spot-check assignments that are graded by students to prevent cheating.

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Page 11

•

Use grade box shorthand. Every student won’t have everything when you check for it. These are an easy way to keep track of the weirdness that can happen (and does happen). Use pencil so you can update it easily later. Outlining the box means the work was handed in late "A" - absent (not zero) "R" – retake/redo "M" – missing assignment “S” – suspended - non-grade (not zero) “EX” – excused - non-grade (not zero)

•

Record test and quiz grades as numbers, not letters. Numbers are easier and quicker to convert into grades at the end of the term.

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Page 12

Part Five: STAY Organized Train your students. Have the students do it! You can only be in one place at one time and you only have two hands. Give students a job – they’ll love it because it gives them ownership of your classroom as well. Choose one student for each job and train that student while other students are working. Tell them the when, the how, and the why.  Animal Trainer: takes care of any classroom pets  Attendance Taker: Takes attendance and brings it to the necessary location.  Chair Stacker: in charge of stacking the chairs at the end of the class/day  Computer Captains: turns computers on and off and cleans the computer spaces  Cubby/Coat Closet Monitor: Hangs up/passes back coats  Door Monitor: holds the door as class comes and goes  Excellent Eraser: Erases the board/changes the date and objective  Homework Managers: collects/passes back/mailboxes the homework and keep a tally of who missed their homework  Homework Monitor: tells students who were absent what homework they missed  Librarian: in charge of the class book system  Material Manager: retrieves the necessary materials for their group  Messenger: takes notes, items, or sick/injured students to other areas in the building  Paper Monitor: passes papers back to students/mailboxes and organizes the papers that have been collected  Peace Maker: mediates issues between students and shares info with teacher  Pencil Sharpener: sharpens pencils after they finish their work  Photographer: Takes pictures of events in the classroom  Plant Technician: waters plants  Poster Coordinator: hangs/takes down posters as needed  Receptionist: Answers classroom phone and takes messages  Teacher Assistant: helps the teacher at any time – the catch-all (retrieves clipboards)  Town Crier: facilitates the pledge of allegiance and taking attendance

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Page 13

How to choose students -

Application process Intern process Names in a hat Ask the parents in a survey

How do you let them know it’s time to do their job? -

Tell them a time Silent hand signal Key word

How do you announce it/keep track?

Make a job chart Some jobs can be more than one student Decide the duration

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Page 14

Build Staying Organized into Your Action Plan. DON’T ABANDON YOUR SYSTEM – just update it! Week One Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Goal: Plan for your organization

Goal: Organize your teacher stuff

Goal: Organize the student paper monster

Goal: Organize the classroom

Goal: Grade better

Goal: Catch up

• Go Shopping for • Start using your • Use your • Use the stuff • Figure out • Make sure • Just Catch Up! J stuff to teacher student tracking you bought to what needs to your stuff is in organize your organization sheets to write utilize space be graded the right place better. papers and system (folder, down grades for when and and clipboard, etc.) classroom stuff already how. Then add/delete • Train your graded. organization plan to do that parts of the • Create piles and students about materials in that way system if where stuff is. use the circular • Pass back the next week. necessary. (pens, graded papers storage unit clipboards, (trash can). folders, etc.)

Year One August September October November December February March April May

Get it started – organize the teacher, students, and classroom. Organize and get into the habit of staying that way. Give stuff away that you don’t use or don’t need. Change what you NEED to only – system-wide. Have students give their opinions about what is working and what isn’t. Make the changes with them. Organize and get into the habit of staying that way. Make the necessary changes to your structures to support MAP requirements. Have students give their opinions about what is working and what isn’t. Make the changes with them. Give all the responsibilities you can to the students. They’ll enjoy it (and you deserve a much needed break)!

June

Start to plan for next year.

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Page 15

Decide what is trash. 1. When was the last time I used this item? - Is there's a sheet of dust covering the item? Did you forget to use it? Will you ever possibly use it again? If you answered no to any of these questions, give it away or throw it away. Chances are you'll never miss it! 2. Could someone else use these materials better than I? – Consider giving the materials to a colleague who could better use them. At my school, we set such items out in the staff room and it's a free-for-all, up-for-grabs situation. 3. Is it just a piece of junk? - Don't be a packrat. Just because something was available or it was free doesn't mean you have to store it forever. If you haven’t fixed it or used it yet, you probably won’t, so toss it! 4. Am I emotionally attached to this item? - If something does not directly contribute to student learning, perhaps it simply holds some sort of emotional attachment for you. Let it go. If you can't let go straight away, consider taking a photo for posterity's sake and then putting it in the round filing cabinet (a.k.a. the trashcan). The peace of mind you'll feel from the extra will be well worth the trade.

KEEP • Master copies of handouts

TRASH

PASS BACK • Graded Student Papers

• Anecdotal Notes on Students

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Page 16

Shopping List

Target Desk Trays

Office Max Baskets

Dollar Store

Your School

Baskets

Milk crates

Hanging Folders

Hanging folders

Hanging Shoe Holders Ziplock Bags Plastic Shoe Boxes Tupperware Containers String Magnetic hooks

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Page 17