We hit the halfway point in the school year and I noticed that our pencils were running out quickly. I felt like I was constantly picking up pencils off the floor and my students just expected me to give them more everyday. So, I came up with an idea with the help of pinterest. I gave each student a pencil pouch with their number written on the back. Inside each pouch I placed 3 pencils and a large eraser. I decided to bring this idea up to my students before we tried it out and they seemed a little skeptical. So, I explained that they would be responsible for their pencil pouches throughout the week. If they turned their pencil pouch in on Friday, with the 3 pencils and large eraser, then they would receive a small prize. This got them excited. The small prize could be a pencil top eraser, a pencil gripper, tickets, etc. Something that didn't cost me much, but something they would enjoy. I know what your thinking, "Why do I need to give prizes to my students for something they should already be doing?" I thought the same thing at first, but I figured out that these small things cost less then the price of the new pencils I would need to purchase. Also, a lot of these things you can get donated to your classroom at the beginning of the school year. After assembling all the pencil pouches, I handed them out to my students. The first week came and went and I am pleased to say that I only had to replace 2 pencils after the first week. The added bonus is that it only takes a couple minutes at the end of the week to check and distribute what they need. I have saved so much time and patience when it comes to handing out pencils. I would never go back to what I was doing before now that I know how well this technique works.
Homework
In order to keep my sanity, I bought this organizer for my students to turn in their homework. Each student has a number and their number corresponds with a slot. Each day that homework is due, they turn it into the slot and I can easily check to see who has turned it in and who has not!
On another note, I recently started using a weekly math homework program. My students had a hard time getting their homework in daily and it took FOREVER to grade all of it. So, I decided to switch to this program and it has been AMAZING! My students and I did a two week trial with this type of homework and I gave the students the chance to vote. It wasn't even a vote. All of my students said they wanted the weekly homework. They told me they love to have the chance to work ahead if they have extra time at night and make up days if they have a lot to do another night. After about 8 weeks, I am pleasantly pleased with my students progress.
Lesson Plans and Materials
Organizing your lesson plans and the materials that go with them can be tough, but after a couple of tries I think I have it figured out. (Or at least I think I do.) My mother bought me a crate with hanging folders for graduation and I had no clue what to do with it. After looking at it, picking it up, setting it down, and looking at it again, I finally figured out its purpose. I decided to buy 24 drop folders in 4 different colors. Each color corresponds with a subject I teach. Red - Math, Blue - Math, Yellow - Spelling/Writing, Green - Science/Social Studies. There are 6 folders for each subject. This gives me enough folders for each day of the school week and an extra one for anything I might find that could fit into my plans. We also have homework everyday in math, so I have regular manila drop folders that are put in the same hanging folders for each day. Overall, this system helps me plan for the week and organize my materials so that when I get to that subject I am ready for it.
Table Tubs
Teaching elementary students involves a lot of materials. That means organization of those materials is key. After my first year of teaching, I realized that there are a few items that we use very often. These items include: highlighters, scissors, whiteboards, whiteboard markers, correcting pens, sticky notes, crayons, and whiteboard erasers. All of these items do not fit well in my student's desks, so I decided to buy bathroom caddies from Walmart. The best time to buy these are when they go on sale at the beginning of college season. You can get them really cheap, about $4 or $5 based on when you get them. $24 for 6 groups is not a bad price for keeping your sanity. After introducing my class to these tubs, we talked about the importance of each group keeping them clean and organized. We also discussed how these items are meant to be shared with all the people at the group. After 5 months, they are still looking good and I only have to replace a few of the items occasionally.
No comments:
Post a Comment