Organizing Your Classroom
Do you love to organize? Do you have your own parking spot at the Container Store? (I wish I had a parking spot there). I love to organize, and organize and reorganize to the point where things begin to feel like a book by Laura Numeroff and I’m not actually getting anything done, just adding another layer upon layer —- If I have milk, then of course I need a cookie. So I have to really force myself to focus on what matters, and that’s making sure things are organized for me to keep track of my students as well as making things easier for them to locate. — It is all about Simplifying My Teacher Life!
One classroom is crazy enough, but many teachers may have two sessions of kindergarten, like my friend Jennifer, with as many as to 25-30 students per session. That can be 60 kids a year and that’s a lot of stuff to keep track of! Her dear friend taught her her a trick of organizing each session by color. For example, her morning class has the cover of every workbook printed in green and the afternoon class is printed in blue. This way these items can easily be located and not mixed in with each other. She uses the same strategy for homework folders, journals and anything else the students might use. This is also a great strategy for keeping track of differentiate groups! I have my groups a certain color and everything is organized in that color for me to easily grab for our busy center time.
Jennifer’s color-coding tip will save us all a lot of time in many different areas in our busy classroom lives.
I work on organizing my cupboards and shelves in a way that makes the most sense. I’ll probably figure it out by the time I retire, so I press on. So far I have managed to get all my art supplies in one area. I have set up a table with easels for art and the cupboards in that area are filled with paint, foam stickers, googly eyes, paper and so forth. I find it easier to have these supplies consolidated so I don’t lose anything.
This year I am also labeling pencils with the student’s name using a small label to put near the top.Last year I gave the students the responsibility to sharpen their own pencils and they did a great job with it. By labeling the pencils, I am hoping this will cut down on the spreading of germs. As well as what to do with all the pencils that land on the floor and get moved around. With a name on it, I can easily hand the pencil back to its owner.
The last thing I am incorporating into my organization plan this year is access to other supplies. I filled a few containers with glue sticks, pencil tip erasers and larger erasers and other supplies that students can have quick access to when necessary. My goal is that students will be able to grab supplies when they need it if I am not readily available to grab them a new eraser to finish a project. I think I’ll even add a drawer for crayons so kids can grab a color that has been lost.
While I am not an organizing master, I do try to make things as simple as possible for all who enter my classroom. I’m still learning and each year brings me another chance to improve. Good luck to all you amazing teachers this year.
Want to organize student work in a meaningful way? Check out our post on portfolios here.
Also available at Teachers Pay Teachers!
A portfolio contains work samples that are representative of where a child is at a particular time. It clearly shows development as it continues throughout the school year. A portfolio is an effective assessment tool that authentically documents a child's progress and serves as a great reporting tool as well.
Memory books are also a great tool to keep "favorite" school memories alive. We have merged the memory book idea and included it as part of the portfolio system.
This product has been built for your flexibility. There are portfolio covers and binder end tags provided for all grades Pre-K, K and 1st. There is also a black and white option to run on colored tag, as colored ink is generally at a premium.
The product is then divided into sections: Beginning of the year essentials, month by month work samples, pages to use throughout the year to document memories, and an end of the year section.
If you’re a kindergarten teacher looking for job opportunities in the United States or abroad, you can search for such opportunities on Jooble.