It's the Little Things

Why is it that the simplest of changes can make our daily routines so much easier and organized?

I've done two things this week that have really helped my work flow:

1. Reorganized my bookshelf. I moved my set of binders for a prep I'm not teaching to a cabinet, moved mine for my current shelf down one, and then created a go-to place for frequently need items. Now I can keep a tub of teacher supplies (markers, highlighters, glue, colored pencils) separated and within easy reach. Then I have my binders of parent contact and student info for each block (1st - red, 3rd - blue, 4th - yellow). This is followed by my binders of resources for my current units. Finally I have my new favorite resources ever, a binder of algebra resources I bought (post to come on that!). The bottom shelf has various binders of resources (problem solving, graphic organizer templates, lesson planning ideas/models, classroom management tips, etc.)

Before the move, many of these things were just sitting on a random part of my desk, or under a stack of papers. Now I feel like it is so easy to get what I need and return it to an exact place.

2. Took out all my plastic utensils from their cover and separated by type.

So...this may seem ridiculous, but I hate wasting any amount of time...thus, when we were having another snow day = work day last week, I took my disgusting, broken paper bag full of drive through utensils (donations thanks to the parents) still in plastic or - more typically - plastic with just the spoon and/or knife left after I used the fork...and organized! Now once I make my lunch all I have to do is grab what I need. No more torn paper bag. No more searching for a bag that has something besides a knife in it.

Hey, every minute counts!

What simple things have you found save time and energy?

My Sanity Savers

Two of my favorite things I've fully implemented this year are my "Do Now" board and my entrance table. Both of these greatly help me to save time at the beginning of class, and during class, so I can spend as much time on instruction as possible.

As I said in an earlier post, I train students the first day to pick up a copy of everything that is laid out on my white table by the door.

Close up of what I laid out yesterday 

This is an example of a day with a lot of paper. Usually they are picking up 2-3 pages.

Then they are supposed to read the board and do what it says...now (thus the name =P)

Don't you love my beautiful handwriting? Sadly that is me trying a bit. Sometimes I'll also be projecting something for them to read/copy/consider.


These take a couple extra minutes to set up in the morning, but it makes everything else run more smoothly.

Keeping track of it all - Daily To Do's

If you are any bit as type A as I am, then you probably write a ton of to do lists. I get a great sense of accomplishment from crossing things off. But, after a while I found I  was writing the same thing every day...which seemed to lack efficiency. Plus there were things I should have been thinking of daily...but sometimes forgot. Thus, one planning period I whipped up this lovely time saver. I call it my Daily 10.

I printed it on card stock, laminated with some contact paper and had a handy little reminder to keep by my desk so my changing list of tasks isn't too cluttered.

PS - This is on beautiful lime green card stock =P. I don't know what is going on with my camera!

Update: Better picture with the to-do list in action!

Making Interactive Notebooks Work

MY TOP 10 TO SUCCESSFUL INTERACTIVE NOTEBOOK IMPLEMENTATION

1. Start off day one with the notebooks. 
This summer when Office Depot had composition notebooks for sale, I stocked up on enough for class sets for one semester (I'm on block). This way I can start off teaching expectations from the beginning and not have to wait for students to bring in one - especially since we all know there are a couple who will never bring one. On their supply list is a notebook to replace the one I gave them.

2. Page Numbers 

Last semester I started putting the page number on copies. Changed...my...life. If you are tired of hearing "What page does this go on?" look no further. I put mine in a box in the top right corner. 

3. Manage your supplies. 
Check out my post on my group supply bins and how to make them work. Then students have everything they need and aren't constantly searching for supplies. It also helps decrease movement, prep time, and holds students responsible.

4. Control Paper Distribution
I have a table when they enter where they pick up all their copies for the day. I will be writing a post later on how this works day to day. But, I instruct them on the first day to get the papers on the table as they come in and reinforce it for a couple days. After that it is on autopilot and we don't have to lose momentum in class to pass out materials.

5. Keep everyone on the same page
I've started using Math = Love's Unit TOC's and I'm loving it. I've also put a place on the back to stamp for homework and classwork which is a new addition this semester. I made a TOC for the front bulletin board out of poster board, marker, and contact paper. I can write on it in Expo marker and erase when necessary.

6. Use some sort of tabs
This makes it so easy for students to use it as a reference, for you to do notebook checks on a particular section, or to find specific material more quickly.

7. Envelope for piece-y parts
Part of why you probably when to do an INB is to be more interactive, which often involves cutting and pasting. But we all know sometimes things happen and we don't get to an activity when we thought and all those pieces are lying about. We have an envelope at the front of the notebook that is the home for such things. I got mine at a supply warehouse our district keeps for teachers based on donations.

8. Embrace the pocket
I make pockets out of construction paper cut in half both ways. Students tape on bottom, right and left. These are great to put full size paper or packets that you just can't cut down. Or put in note cards with vocab, notes, etc.

9. Don't feel pressure to put everything in the notebook. 
My students are required to have a binder where we keep quizzes, tests, and extra classwork in the classroom. I think this helps keep the notebook from being cluttered and last semester I used almost my entire notebook for the course even with keeping classwork separate.

10. Have students prep before class starts
I feel crazy for saying this but...I don't do traditional warm-ups. Students have five minutes at the beginning of class to do a "Do Now" that involves turning in homework and getting materials ready for the day. At the start of a new unit they might be putting on the new tab, they might be cutting out pieces for an activity, folding and cutting some guided notes - it depends on the day. I put the instructions in a dedicated part of the board with an example of what I want done.

I hope some of these encourage you to try something new! Feel free to leave your own tips for INB success as well. Always remember to take it a step at a time. This is my third semester doing notebooks and it is finally going much more smoothly, but it took a lot of trial and error - just stick with it!

Finally: A Homework Routine that Works for Me!

I feel like homework grading and collection is the bane of most math teachers' existence. I think I have finally done some things to make the whole process much better. 

Background - aka "The Old Way"

-Homework assigned every night

-I would go around and stamp the actual NB page while students worked on something else. If I felt rushed I would say I would check it later in class, sometimes I did, sometimes I didn't. 

-I accepted late homework at a unit test. I would take up NB and regrade as they took their test. 

-Since I accepted late homework, I just asked for homework questions and didn't project solutions

-It was hard for students to visualize how their homework grade was progressing. 

"The New Way"

-Students turn in their homework to a tray on my desk with their TOC attached. On the back of the TOC I have blanks for homework and classwork. 

-While they do their daily quiz I stamp their TOC page and might even write a note like "Solve" if they just set up questions or "Work?". I have one stamp for full credit (blue) and one for half (red)

-I don't accept late homework anymore. 

-I go over the homework and project the solutions. Students are supposed to correct them daily and I check at the unit test. Still working on making that go smoothly. But, I hope it will help some students see their answers/work is completely wrong (I feel like before I would have some clueless souls who didn't realize this until a test)

*When not in the process of being graded, their current TOC and homework for the night lives in a pocket we created in the front of the notebook*

I feel like this one thing has helped so much in establishing norms in my classroom and making all of our lives a lot more transparent. 

Now instead of collecting notebooks to record homework/classwork grades, I collect just their TOC on Fridays to add up the points for the week and record. 

What have you found works for you?

Classroom Tour

Welcome to my home away from home!

Front wall:

Place for "I can" statement, HW, and current vocab for each class. I used black electrical tape to separate the sections. I've found it holds up very well over a semester. 

Above the board is a poster set of Bloom's Taxonomy I found on TeachersPayTeachers.

This is the left of the board, where I have a board with my information (email, website, tutoring etc.) and where their table of contents is posted.

Under the board: "Motivational" Posters I got mostly from Pinterest.

 My Back Wall:

Problem solving and SMP wall:

 Word Wall: 
Organized by unit. I got the sentence strip holders from the dollar bin at Target before school started.
"Pi -i -e" painting done by yours truly.

Other storage:

Calculator Storage

Student Extra Supply storage, complete with humorous math photos on the front:

Paper and Teacher Supply Control - Type A style

So I've had this labeling and sorting problem since at least middle school. It is more like an obsession. If you've taught for any amount of time then you know that we have a ridiculous amount of paper work, extra paper, colored paper, cardstock, etc. etc. Not to mention all the supplies we need as teachers. Enter: my teacher work zone.

This little guy corrals all the paper that I need to access quickly:
1. Passes from other teachers or attendance. (You never know when there is going to be a question about a student's arrival or absence)
2. Blank passes - Our school has green passes that are a preprinted form. Mine stay in the second drawer away from students, I also keep passes I made for: (1) students to be excused from lunch to take a test (2) students to come up early for tutoring (3) students to go to practice/afterschool activity after tutoring and (4) bus passes for tutoring days. I've found that making a form where all I need is name, date, and initial has really smoothed out my after school time and the rush with the bell when many students don't complete a test.
3. Progress reports. We seem to do progress reports at every turn. Having them on my desk makes it easily accessible if there is a question about one being turned in at a conference.

My teacher wall of organization:
So...many...organizers. I love it! These bottom ones hold things like cardstock, lined paper, folders, hanging files, dividers, expos, pencils, magnets, stickerpads, extra post  it notes, ziploc bags, colored tape (duct tape, electrical tape, packing tape), and labels.

The far left tower is most of my colored paper - of course seperated by color.

The next tower houses my copies for the next week. Since I'm finally teaching the same thing twice in a row I am doing most of my copies for a unit at the beginning.

Originally the next tower was going to do the same thing for my other prep, but I've been using it to keep things for units: tabs for the INB, Table of Contents pages (copied in bulk), my Ticket Out the Door cards (post to come), etc.

Then there is all of my construction paper, once again sorted by color =).

Teacher Toolbox: By this point I feel like the whole world has seen this on pinterest. But here is my rendition.

This is where most paper that comes into my room is sorted:

Mechanics:

Bought magazine files at Goodwill, garage sales, etc. and zip-tied them together. Made my lovely labels:

1. IMPT - aka, Important - This is where I keep our staff phone list and other things that I need to refer to relatively frequently. 

2-3. This is where I deposit papers after I've made copies before filing back in my binders. This helps keep things off my desk. I try to put everything back after about a week. 

4 - Office. These are the papers I get from the office or other staff that need to be filed in my cabinet. 

5- Paper - for those extra pieces that got cut. I reuse these when planning foldables or I just need small pieces. 

6- Duty - Here I keep clip boards for Sweeps duty (our tardy system), the reflection I have students do for lunch detention, write up forms, and dress-code copies.