With teaching, organization is a huge part of making the most of the instructional day. To keep things organized in my classroom, I color code everything I use (and honestly, we color code in lessons too).  I also use baskets from Dollar Tree to “house” all of my student materials. I can just grab the basket and go. Time is money essential in teaching, so there just isn’t time to scurry around to look for things. In my room, I like to use my wall space as teaching space. My bulletin boards are working boards. This reading vocabulary word wall is referred to all year long, and especially as we gear up for testing.

 

Anything that saves me time is a winner, and I know these time savers will be appreciated. Today, I want to highlight a few products that friends have donated.  The first is from my friend, Julie, at The Techie Teacher. She’s a sharp teacher…a fellow reading specialist, and tech specialist (and she’s a great go-to friend too when you have a tech question.)  She’s sharing these editable sign templates. I picture using them to share the day’s objective, center directions, quote for the day, or maybe vocab word of the day. No need to make your own template. You’ve got it ready to roll. Julie’s tip for you, 

“Always make a child in charge of the remote to the classroom projector or manipulates you need. You will know who to call on to quickly turn it on or pass them out. Kids keep you on track when THEY have a special responsibility. “

Another friend, Jen from An Adventure in Literacy, has shared these Fluency Strips. I love to have things like this ready to go for a quick review or for those few minutes you have to wait in the hallway. Jen’s tip for you (which I never thought of) is…

“Save time and money by printing game boards on card stock and using sheet protectors instead of laminating. They still hold up well and you can store them in binders.”

Finally, I’d like to share something from the queen of organization, Rachel from Mrs. O Knows. She’s a bloggy friend from Virginia, and we have exchanged lots of teaching tips over the last two years. This writing set from her will help your upper elementary kiddos sharpen their narrative writing skills. Her organizational tip for you is…

“Save on paper by using plastic sleeves. This way you can use graphic organizers again and again without needing tons of copies!”

       

Freebie from Me

See you tomorrow, and thanks for making this celebration possible!