Get Organized For Teachers!

This week, in a continuation of my focus on getting organized for the new year, I have some tips for teachers to share with you. And please do enter the grand giveaway for a classroom set of GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT LOSING IT, and more!

Here again is what the giveaway contains:

  • a complete classroom set of copies (25 copies total) of GET ORGANIZED WITHOUT LOSING IT
  • a hard copy print-out set of each of the reproducible worksheets
  • a hard copy print-out of the Activity Guide written by Deb Gonzales
  • a free fifteen-minute Skype visit to your classroom, grades 5-7

I’ve been a teacher, and I’ve seen students who have a hard time in school simply because they’re not organized. I’ve tried to work a few lessons into my schedule to teach some basic organizing skills. Here are some ideas for you, especially if you teach grades 4 through 7:

  • Most kids have no clue where their free time goes. They wonder why they can’t get homework done. Have students keep a record of their after-school activities and time spent on each for a day or two. Have them share any insights with classmates (there’s always a surprise or two!)
  • Does your school use a planner? If so:
    • Schedule a “planner walk-through” early in the school year. Students need to feel comfortable with their planners, and be able to customize them. Little things make a difference: “Do I write my homework on the day it’s due or the day I do it?” Show them how to clip pages to mark the current week.
  • If your school doesn’t have a planner:
    • Before entering middle school, kids need to learn how to manage their time. Teach “time awareness” by having them estimate how long something takes, then compare how long it actually takes.
  • You may already have a classroom cleanup time. I recommend that students clean up their desks, backpacks and binders, too. Guide them in this exercise to avoid the “dog ate my homework” look.
  • Give students interim deadlines on projects to teach long-term planning. Make sure they write these deadlines in their planners, with a clear path to their final goal.

And here’s a link to a pdf file of a long-term planner that you can share with your students. Be sure to enter the contest, and best of luck!

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2 Responses to “Get Organized For Teachers!”

  1. Rita Painter

    This sounds like an invaluable tool for our fifth graders as they prepare to move on to middle school. Thanks!