Teacher Tips & Tools

This section includes resources that may be of interest to other teachers. If you find this site helpful and would like to thank me by donating a book off my book wish list at Amazon it would be amazing!

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Organizational Tips for Teachers

I found these blue caddies at our local teacher supply store. I also just found them in the Classroom Direct catalog, item 9A0200PA RUB. Some of your local office supply stores now carry them also. They are perfect for groups of four. I have pencils, crayons, glue sticks and erasers in the shorter sections. I've put one box of colored pencils, one box of markers, and one glue bottle in the tall sections. This is nice when students just want to work on something for a minute or finish something up. When they all need to use markers or colored pencils, we pass out the class supplies.

I also have chair pockets from Really Good Stuff (they've improved them, too!)

Each table position is numbered 1-4. Students rotate through the numbers, so we stay in groups for 4-5 weeks. (This is after the first few weeks of school!)

Jobs are as follows:

1-Paper Passer (I give 4 papers to this person, they take one and pass the rest to the next person, and so on around the table)

2-Supplies (get supplies for the entire group as needed)

3-Table Washer (We eat in our classroom and they wash the tables after lunch)

4-Paper collector (collect papers to be turned in to the bin)

UPDATE:

When I switched classrooms I had to use desks instead of tables. I have used them for two years now and do NOT like them. I feel first graders are not developmentally ready to keep "stuff" organized and neat inside a desk. I have tables back on my wish list at the school and hope to return to using them soon.

Besides table jobs, each student is assigned a classroom job. We rotate through the jobs until the end of the year. Some of the jobs include:

I do not use a job board, rather I keep track of jobs on my weekly behavior chart. I just move the jobs up one person each week, continuing throughout the year.

For lots of helper cards see ABCTeach.com

How I get papers back to students:

I file all returned work, notes, and newsletters in student cubbies (arranged alphabetically). I use a MOOSE notebook with sections for each type of paper. At pack-up time, students get their papers out of the cubbies, pack their own MOOSE books, and put them in their backpacks. They have been trained to put returned work (work with smiley faces, 5/5, etc) in the "Super Duper Work" Velcro envelope. Homework goes in the back pocket. Typed notes and newsletters go in the front pocket. Also, I stamp tests with a blue "parent signature" stamp and they get placed in the front pocket as well (to be signed and returned to school the next day). The students are pretty good at putting the papers in the right spot. UPDATE - I had to find another shelf when I switched classrooms, and I found this 25 compartment shoe cubby at Lowes. I just searched for it and didn't find it (Amazon has it listed as unavailable).

I have just added a paper stacker to my table. It has four sections: to grade, to file, to return, to redo.

When I check MOOSE books in the morning, I can quickly put the papers in the right place, instead of letting them get into a dozen little stacks! 

 

You can see my behavior system, including forms, on my MOOSE page. My system includes the STAR board, daily student behavior form, and my weekly behavior tracking form.

Computerized Lesson Plans: click here for an example in pdf or Word

My new template for this year: pdf or Word

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