1. Su al…ful Year!
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2. What are your
goals?
On a post-it-note, write
what you hope to gain
from today’s presentation.
3. Objective:
By the conclusion of this presentation we
will share tips and tricks to help organize
ourselves, our classrooms, and our
students.
4. WHY?
Teachers and students spend more time on-task
Behavior issues & discipline problems are
reduced
Organized classrooms produce organized minds
(i.e. less stress)
If you don’t plan…THEY will
(i.e. I would rather manage than discipline!)
5. What’s my name?
Create a nameplate for your
desk. It should include your
name written in any style and a
small picture which represents
your mood, hobbies, or
personality. Be creative!
6. Daily Procedures
“Ideal hands are the devil’s tools.”
Post everything…
Objectives
Homework
Key dates
Activities
Schedules
Rules
Student Work /
Pictures
A clock
7.
8. Daily Procedures
Students Love Consistency!
Begin each class with a
“bell ringer” or “warm-up.”
Don’t take class time to take
attendance…be creative!
Layout materials in a
specific spot (i.e. on the
bookcase).
Set HIGH expectations and
don’t back down!
Reward when necessary.
11. Daily Procedures
Everyone say, “OOOOOOOOO.”
Assign each student a “lucky number.” Use them for…
Books
Alphabetizing tests & materials
Lining up (in elementary school)
Dividing students into groups
Asking questions orally
Helps with gradebook entry
Clickers and other equipment
12. Daily Procedures
Create a “student section” in your room.
Pens/Pencils
Sharpener
Hole punch
“Turn In” Station
Stapler
Don’t sweat the small stuff!
13.
14. Daily Procedures
Establish entrance and exit procedures (i.e.
bathroom, office, water, tardies, telephone).
Passbooks
Sign-Out Sheets
Hall Badges
Practice telephone etiquette
15.
16. Setting the Tone
Get to know your students immediately…more than
just their names!
Have students create personal nameplates.
Create seating charts…label assigned seats
before students arrive.
Take roll later…begin class with an activity!
Incorporate roll taking into the lesson.
Know what makes them tick and celebrate the
small stuff (birthdays, winnings, positions,
etc.).
17.
18. “Right or
wrong,
accurate or
not, your
reputation will
precede you.”
19. Forming Groups
Establish “group rules.”
Introduce the “appointment clock.”
Pull a Card (each card has similar picture and
groups are formed evenly)
Group by birthday month
Use UNO cards (similar numbers work together)
Famous Pairs (EX: Fred and Wilma or Rudy and Bill
Cosby)
Puzzle Pieces
20.
21. Calling On Students…
“Who’s on deck?”
Pull the Popsicle Stick (i.e. the Lucky Number Concept)
Clothes Pins
Students Select Students (i.e. the one who answers picks
the next person)
Think-Pair-Share
Use dry erase boards / laminated paper (i.e. raise your
answer in the air)
Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down (i.e. “Seven Up”)
Popcorn
22. Transition Signals
Create a saying such as “Hey – Ho”
5-4-3-2-1
Use music
Use a buzzer/bell
“When the hand goes up…the mouth goes shut.”
No Lights = Silence
Create “thumb’s up” and “thumb’s down” cards
Green Light, Yellow Light, Red Light…STOP!
23.
24. “Early in my career I felt that
organization would destroy my
creativity. Whereas now, I feel
the opposite. Discipline is the
concrete that allows you to be
creative.”
~Verna Gibson
25. Handling Papers
Teachers Go Through Mounds of Paper…Handle It Once!
Establish a place for students to
turn in/pick up assignments...
File drawers
Crates with folders
Large baskets
Mailboxes
Magazine racks
Hanging clips on the side of
student desks
Clipboards (good for class outside)
26.
27. Color Code Files…
Use different folders for each assignment.
Use folders or notebooks for originals and parent
documentation.
Select a different color for each subject or
period.
Color code by rows.
Create an “end of year” folder using a “special
folder.”
Establish folders for each day of the week. Great
for substitutes!
31. Handling Papers
Work smarter…Not harder!
Have students
Establish a “new
highlight their names student” file. There
on assignments. is always one late
arrival.
Try a rolodex file
folder when traveling
Use magnets to
with papers. place missing work
on the side of
Use hanging folders student desks or to
for student portfolios. the board.
32. Handling Papers
Work smarter…Not harder!
Assign students as
Designate a
“The Catcher” to help student as the
students who were “super filer.”
absent.
If you haven’t
Designate 1 day a looked at a paper in
week as “feedback more than a year,
day” to return papers. throw it away.
33. Handling Papers
“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.” ~ Roosevelt
Laminate a copy of
your class roster. Use
and reuse it.
Save copies
electronically. Create a
computer filing system.
Have a back-up copy.
Label everything.
34. Grade books & Plan books
Establish a grading/recording system that works for
you.
Use eSIS and print copies.
Use a physical gradebook.
Organize by students first name
Use online help (mygradebook, quia, etc.)
You don’t have to grade everything!
Plan your way – use planbooks, a spiral notebook,
PowerPoint, or MS Word.
Leave with a clean desk.
36. Let’s Share…
In a group of three or four, share
organizational strategies you currently use
in your classroom and their effectiveness
AND/OR strategies you learned today you
wish to incorporate in your class.
38. “The Bottom Line”
Be flexible…do what works for you!
Steal…Borrow…Reinvent from the best!
Have a sense of humor!
It’s okay to make mistakes! It’s never too
late to start over!
39. “The Bottom Line”
Make the custodians and secretarial staff
your friends!
Buy a large scrapbook…cherish the
memories!
Take some time for yourself…as much as
you want to please your students, parents,
administrators, you must please yourself!
