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Organizational Techniques For Teachers

Use Color Folders To Organize

Get yourself 5 folders that are fully colored. Make sure each is a different color. Play Video

Each folder has specific information that you need with you at all times. A basic setup might look like this:

Red folder - For critical information. Medical information and parent contact information should appear in here.

Green folder - Attendance. You never know when you need to know where your students are.

Blue folder - Grading. Maybe daily grades or weekly posted grades.

Pink folder - Community news. Events and activties that are going on in the school community.

Yellow folder - Missed work and assignments. The first folder you will need for students that were recently absent.

Sign-in and Sign-out Sheets

Being aware of where your students are at all times is critical. Parent entrust us with their children. Here is a simple way to monitor your students automatically. We also provide the printable sheets to go with the tip. Play video

I'm Late Sign-in Printable | I'm Leaving Printable

"Keep Track of Absentees for Makeup Test" Mrs. Steckert: Spanish Teacher

"Easy way to keep track of Absentees for Makeup TEST:

1. Markoff a section of the whiteboard with the heading MAKEUP TESTS: and Periods l, 2, 3, and so on.
2. On the TEST day, I write absentees names on the TEST paper and put in a "hotfile" by the whiteboard to keep the untaken TESTS.
3. When a student returns, they find the TEST PAPER in the 'hotfile". After taking the test, they erase their names off the whiteboard!

No longer do I have to check my gradebook as to how many absentees still have to take the TEST...before I mistakenly pass it out to review the answers."

"Make-Up Work Board" Laura Becker: 7th Grade Math Teacher, Salisbury Middle School

"I have two laminated weekly calendars up in the back of my room. I place a brief description of what was done in class for each period for each day of the week, including any class or home assignments. One calendar is for the current week and the other is for the previous week. Students that are absent no longer have to ask me, "What did I miss?" They just look at the calendar and find their missing assignments. Any worksheets needed are placed in a "Make-up Work Folder" near the calendars. My 7th graders are responsible for getting and submitting their own make-up work. This really makes life less difficult for me."

"ASSIGNMENT SHEET l step better!" Mrs. Steckert, Spanish Teacher

"In addition to having students keep a daily Assignment Sheet, I developed a code system that helps eliminate the endless questions "do we turn it in?", "does it go in the notebook", "will it be graded today?", "Is this homework?", "Do we get more time to finish tomorrow". Whenever I put the Assignment up, I also put the CODE IN A different COLORED MARKER. I KEEP THE CODE POSTER by the Assignment Board for easy reference.

P.I.T.--put in tray
P.I.N.--put in notebook
TBGT--to be graded today
TBGND-to be graded next day
TBFT--to be finished tomorrow
QS-quickstart (5 min. warm-up exercise)
Hmwk ? = homework if not finished
P.P. = partner practice (if done with classmate)

To encourage the students to learn the code, I reward students with "extra points". If a student forgets what the directions were when given, they can check the Assignment. If another student answers their question...without teacher help and disturbing the class...that "helper" gets 2 pts. for assisting others. Everyone likes the system. It shows self-reliance and helps students to be organized.

Another tip: If students keep an assignment sheet, have the students write down from the MASTER board, what the assignment is. When a student returns from their absences, they are to HIGHLIGHT it IN YELLOW so it serves as a visual reminder to do the MAKEUP WORK!

Later, this same assignment sheet can be used as a MAKEUP LIST. Call each student up to tell them what they are missing and they HIGHLIGHT it in PINK. Its a fast way to give out makeup work, by date and page, since it was written in sequence of assignments."

Medic Job Lauren McGowan: 4th Grade Teacher

"For my fourth grade class, one of the jobs is "Medic". The two students accompany any student to the office, that way if the ill student should throw up or not be able to make it to the office, one can get help while one stays with the ill student. Also, they give out band-aids and alcohol wipes which they get from the first aid box. Because we are all concerned about the spread of blood, this keeps the student with a small cut from opening the first aid box and, perhaps, leaving blood there. Also, I don't have to stop what I'm doing to help with minor cuts."

"School Post Office" Gary Nelson, Science Teacher

The grade level teachers at my school have created a cooperative school post office system that helps reinforce responsibility and critical thinking in our students. All of the mail for our grade level teachers is placed in one box in our school office. On a daily basis, we assign a pair of students from the various class to manage the mail. The mail is delivered by these students twice a day. Students sort the mail and place it in our classroom folders outside our doors. Students really take pride in doing a great job!

Next 5 Class Organizational Techniques