New teachers often become overwhelmed by the tremendous responsibility of readying themselves for the start of their first year of teaching. It is not uncommon to see a new teacher spending hours beyond the standard requirement because it is the time that is yours uninterrupted.
There are some tried and true methods for classroom organization that can assist in minimizing the extended working hours. These organization methods include things to be done in advance and things that will be established in the first week of school with your students – all will ultimately save you time throughout the course of the year.
Bulletin Boards
Bulletin Boards can be an invaluable tool in the classroom but they can also be a time consuming element of the room to put together. At the start of the year, decide on a color scheme that you would be comfortable with for the entire school year. Take into consideration any school-wide themes or mascots as you decide. If there are no requirements set out by the administration, then simply choosing soothing colors, patriotic colors, or favorite sports team colors will suffice. Prior to leaving your room, take measurements of each of your boards that need to be covered.
Once you've decided what you are looking for, head to Walmart or a craft store offering cheap fabrics. Wal-mart specifically has a shelf with one-dollar per yard fabrics and there are gems to be found on that shelf. Buy the requisite fabric based on your measurements, purchase those lovely borders from your local teacher store and you are set for the year with your backdrop for a bulletin board. By doing this you will avoid the usual faded butcher paper displays and the need to change the backdrop each time you change the content of the board.
Classroom Library
Organizing the classroom library is essential for ease of use for your students. Start with creating a checkout system. Create a pocket chart with numbers that coordinate with the number of students on your roster, adding a few extra for those students who show up at the last minute or later in the year. Put pockets in the back of each of your books with the title of the book at the top. When your students want to check out a book, they should sign and date the card, then place it into their numbered pocket on the pocket chart. This allows for you to have a record of which books are checked out and who has them.
Organize your books by genre, level and topic if you have an ample supply of books. If you have a minimal library, use levels as your primary method of organization because your students will be working at their level for most of the instruction outside of research. Use plastic bins or some other container that will work and label them with the appropriate level. Place books in their appropriate bin. This will seem like a daunting task at the start of the year, but you will be rewarded with a well working system leading to minimal loss of books.
Student Organization
Deciding how to organize your students is a tricky process and choosing the right method will be important to ensure student success and teacher sanity. Consider a color-coded folder system for each subject area. For example, yellow folders for spelling lists and assignments, blue for math notes, red for response to literature, green for social studies notes, purple for science. These folders should be labeled with their names, student numbers and subject. Interactive Notebooks are another great option for student organization. Interactive Notebooks are “one-stop-shops” for notes, journal responses and assignments.
At the start of the year, assign a number to each of your students based on their place in the alphabet. Once they are assigned this number, make it a requirement that they add this number to the heading of each and every paper they hand in to you, including notebooks. This will allow for quick alphabetic organization of all work turned in, which translates into more efficient grading. A few additional uses for student numbers include but are not limited to - the classroom library check-out system, random questioning in-class, creating groupings for activities, and counting off during field trips.
Classroom organization done well will ensure a successful school year. While each teacher has his/her own way of organizing their classroom, there must be a consistent system in place at the start of the school year. Students should begin day one with the system you have chosen to put in place for classroom organization. By organizing your classroom and sticking to that plan for organization, you as the teacher will optimize learning and avoid time consuming problems in the future.
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