The Sustainably Organized Teacher

“The Sustainably Organized Teacher” [email protected] Page 1

The Sustainably Organized Teacher A workbook

By Kristen Taylor - STL ’06

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

Visit me at www.TeacherThrive.com

for FREE downloadables and customized curriculum, organization documents, and tips!

(Please excuse the construction.)


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

Action Plans Phone apps Notebook (running record)

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

Time MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY Prioritized TO DO LIST

6:00

6:15

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

Weekly Action Plan DAILY ACTION PLAN Date: ____________________ Day: ___________________

HOURLY SCHEDULE COMMUNICATION PRIORITIZED TO DO LIST

5:00 Emails 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 Phone Calls

� � � � � � � � � � � � �

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 Texts

� � � � � � � � � � � �

7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30

ACTION PLAN Week of: ___________________________

MON

DAY

Email/Call Buy/Make Do Bring/Give

TUES

DAY


WED

NESD

AY


THUR

SDAY


FRID

AY


Email/Call: NOTES: Don’t Forget!

Buy/Make: Upcoming Dates: Saturday

Do: Bring: Give: Sunday


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


Running Records: Stay organized in a single, consistent way.

Color Codes: Use colored pens, highlighters, colored pencils, etc.

• Blue:

• Black:

• Red:

• Purple:

• Green:

Acronyms • E – Email

• BR – Bring

• B- Buy

• C – Call

• Q – Question

• P – Prep

• D – To Do

• P – Print

Dif ferent Pages • To Do List

• Ideas to Implement

• Questions to Answer

• People to Contact

• Stuff to Do

• Things to Bring or Buy


Part Two: Organize Your Classroom Plan your classroom space.

• First outl ine the classroom itself .

• Then decide how your students are going to sit .

• Then add al l of the shared spaces and dedicated teacher spaces.


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 è ç è ç è ç è ç



“Triads”

Three Students Per Desk

ê ê ê è ç è ç è ç ê ê ê

è ç è ç è ç ê ê ê

è ç è ç è ç

(Front of Room)

“Paired” Two Students Per Desk

(Front of Room)

é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é

“Partnered”

Two Students Per Desk

(Front of Room)

è ç è ç è ç

è ç è ç è ç

è ç è ç è ç

è ç è ç è ç

“Independent”

One Student Per Desk

(Front of Room)

é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é é

“Simulation” One Student Per Desk

î ê ê ê ê ê ê ê í è ç è ê ê ê ç è ç è ê ê ê ç è ç è ê ê ê ç

(Front of Room)

Key

Student Behavior Patterns Shy Disruptive High Performing ADD Unmotivated Talkative


Plan your teacher space. Long Term Storage

File Cabinet

Closet

Short Term storage Teacher’s Desk

Staging Area

Plan your shared spaces. Bulletin boards

Anchor posters

Everyday materials

Binders/portfolios

Clock

Boards

Flag

Computers

Pencil sharpener

Tissues

Hall passes

Textbooks

Projector

Small group space

Check out these overlooked gold mines!

Use them to create a word wall.

Print on transparencies to use

this area without sacrificing sunshine!

Windows

Use doors (cabinets included) to create

space for manipulatives, student mailboxes, and extra

papers that float around your classroom.

Door

Use wooden boards to protect the items you

place on there.

Radiator

Use magnetic hooks to provide a place

where you can hang stuff.

Filing Cabinet

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.

Clothesline

These are great for helping create bulletin boards,

These are portable so you can create them

at home.

Science Fair Poster Board


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.

• Fi le 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 unti l 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

(Long Term)

Accessible to Teacher

(Short Term) Accessible to Students and Teacher

What to store:

• For Office

• To be Graded

• To Be Filed

• Notes from Parents

• To Be Copied

• Memos

What to store:

• Master copies of handouts

• Anecdotal Notes on Students

What to store:

• Handouts for the day

• Handouts for the Week

• Prizes

• Stickers

• Manipulatives

• Graded Papers

How to store:

• Desk Trays

• Pocket Folders

• Hanging Folders in a cabinet

• Accordion File

How to store:

• Hanging folders in a crate

• Filing Cabinet

How to store:

• Milk crates

• Baskets

• Hanging Shoe Holders

• Ziplock Bags

• Plastic Shoe Boxes

• Tupperware Containers

Magazine Holders


How can I store stuff? Item What it can be used for

Crates • 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

Plast ic 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

Plast ic Shoe Boxes and Tupperware Containers

• Manipulatives


Part Four: Organize Your Systems

Organize student tracking.

• Keep a cl ipboard 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

o Answer Keys

o Class List

o Copies of Class Packets

o Seating Charts

• Create class l ists. 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.

o 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.


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.

• 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 al l graded papers unti l 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

Check for quality

Accuracy

Check for correct answers

Rubrics

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.

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


• 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.


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

Excel lent 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

Penci l 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


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 t ime 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


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

Goal: Catch up

• Go Shopping for stuff to organize your papers and classroom organization materials (pens, clipboards, folders, etc.)

• Start using your teacher organization system (folder, clipboard, etc.)

• Create piles and use the circular storage unit (trash can).

• Use your student tracking sheets to write down grades for stuff already graded.

• Pass back the graded papers

• Use the stuff you bought to utilize space better.

• Train your students about where stuff is.

• Figure out what needs to be graded when and how. Then plan to do that in that way next week.

• Make sure your stuff is in the right place and add/delete parts of the system if necessary.

• Just Catch Up! J

Year One August

Get it started – organize the teacher, students, and classroom.

September Organize and get into the habit of staying that way.

October Give stuff away that you don’t use or don’t need.

November Change what you NEED to only – system-wide.

December Have students give their opinions about what is working and what isn’t. Make the changes with them.

February Organize and get into the habit of staying that way.

March Make the necessary changes to your structures to support MAP requirements.

Apri l Have students give their opinions about what is working and what isn’t. Make the changes with them.

May 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.


Decide what is trash.

1. When was the last t ime 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 i t 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 emotional ly 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 TRASH PASS BACK

• Master copies of handouts

• Anecdotal Notes on Students

• Graded Student Papers


Shopping List

Target Office Max Dollar Store Your School Desk Trays Baskets

Baskets

Hanging Folders

Hanging Shoe Holders

Ziplock Bags

Plastic Shoe Boxes

Tupperware Containers

String

Magnetic hooks

Milk crates

Hanging folders

Documents

The Sustainably Organized Teacher