Fresh Start...Working Smarter!

Happy Thursday!  It's Shannon here from Shannon Bryant's Brain Train, and I wanted to share 3 ideas for helping you stay organized by "WORKING SMARTER" in the new year!

Ready for my top 3 tips? Well, here they are...

Focus on what matters!

This year I have purposed to try to avoid distractions.  I have adopted a "classroom catch phrase" to keep my thoughts and efforts centered on what's truly important to me.  You can see my guiding questions here:

By channeling my energy and efforts in this way, I have a clear focus for planning, for instruction, and for assessment.  How about adopting your own teaching motto or guiding principle?  Might be an awesome way to begin the 2nd semester!

Keep a running list!

Each day there are no less than 30 things that need my attention.  Some things I am prepared for, and some things catch me completely off guard.  For example, I knew today I would need to grade 45 student timeline projects...

But I didn't know that I was also going to need to arrange a sub for a dentist appt, update our pacing plan, schedule a conference, and then after school, drive my 10th grader to lip sync practice for School Spirit Week LOL.   

By keeping a running list on my desk at all times I can see what I need to accomplish, what I have already accomplished, and when projects are due.  My jot list is just that...a messy jot list of tasks to take care of, but it is a tool I find instrumental in keeping things running smoothly in my classroom and also at home.  When I fill up one list, I start another.  When I cross everything off, that list goes in the trashcan...and I sigh and smile and savor that sense of satisfaction...for a few seconds at least!

Avoid self-sabotaging and silly mistakes!

Yesterday, just before beginning my Science lesson, I realized that the 3 class sets of copies I had made last Friday afternoon were--in fact--stapled and hole-punched...in the WRONG ORDER!  You have got to be kidding me...seriously!  As I stood there frantically undoing staples, re-sorting papers, and trying to maintain order, I realized that I was undoing a mess of my very own making.  

So what is my solution?  Well, I am not perfect, so some of my mistakes are certainly unavoidable.  BUT, the mistakes I make when working in haste can definitely be avoided.  My goal for the new year is to plan at least 2-3 weeks in advance, check and recheck BEFORE beginning a task or pressing start on the copy machine LOL, and being present in every lesson and every decision...after all, it's not the papers that are important...it's my interactions with my students and my enthusiasm for the material.  Even little things deserve my full attention...especially if I want to avoid frantic mornings like this one was!  

I hope these ideas help and that your 2016 is off to a great start.  In this spirit of great organization, how about a printable calendar freebie from me?!  Happy New Year, sweet readers!  Thanks for stopping by!  

Be sure to check back here at the Peach daily for more organizational ideas!

Fresh Start: Organizing Themes Throughout the Year

Hi everyone!  I'm Liz from Polka Dot Firsties and I'm here to share how I organizing different themes  throughout the school year.

When I first started teaching, I didn't do any themes throughout the year.  I was there to teach the curriculum!  Those poor babies, I probably was so not fun! ;)  Luckily they've all made it to high school by now.

During my second year of teaching, Pinterest was starting up and I was happy to score an invitation.  (Anyone else remember those days?)

Check out our Primary Peach boards!

Soon I was quickly overwhelmed with so many different ideas!  My students were way more engaged  in lessons.  I would jump around from bats to spiders to pumpkins and back to spiders and then more pumpkins, etc. in October.  I keep finding more and more....but I was running out of time and space!

First I switched to themed boards on my Pinterest instead of monthly ideas.  It helped me be able to go back to find the resources I needed quickly.

Every month, I use my old school day planner to plan different themed weeks.  Here's a quick snapshot of January's calendar.

Once I've organized my weekly themes, it helps me focus on pulling resources for that specific theme.

I hope this tip helps you manage all of the wonderful teaching ideas out there!  Blogging, TpT, and Pinterest have really changed the way I teach for the better!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for more organizational ideas!

Get a Fresh Start- Organizing with Post-It Notes

Hello Friends and Happy New Year! My friends and I at the Peach are bringing you a month of organization, tips, and fun ideas for the month of January.  Today I want to share FOUR ways that you can use Post-It notes for organization!

I LOVE post-it notes! In my opinion, sticky notes don't always work as well so I always purchase the Post-It note brand. To me, it is worth it!

1) Using post- it notes whole group- For this activity, we used a pink post it for the problem and a pink post it for the solution. Then we found another problem and used a different color for the problem and solution. This allows for students to visualize each problem with it's own solution.

2) Using Post it notes to differentiate between boys and girls- We taught Johnny Appleseed at the beginning of the year, so to help me learn the students' opinions, I had the boys use green apples and the girls use red apples. By the way, I LOVE the post it notes that are shapes. They make anchor charts pop!

3) Using Post it Notes for Individual Student Learning- For this activity, the students used a specific color for each story element. The kids LOVED this, and it helped organize their thoughts.

4) Using Post It Notes to organize groups- #reallife Groups Change! Post it notes give you a way to organize and re-organize your groups. I posted on how I use this for my math groups here on the Primary Peach, but I also use it for reading groups. This is GREAT because it is SO easy to change and a great visual.

How do you use Post-It Notes to organize?!?! Leave me your tips in the comments. I would LOVE to see how you use them in your classroom!

Don't forget to visit each day for fabulous Organizational Ideas and Tips!

For even MORE ideas from The Primary Peach, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!

Fresh Start in 2016 - Organizational Tips

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

The seconds have been counted. The ball has dropped. The kissing is over. 2016 is officially in the HOUSE!

The brains over at the Primary Peach are aware that sometimes we party a little hardy when the new year rolls in. It's often slightly difficult getting back into the swing of things once your two week break is done.

So, they've made it easier for you to get a handle on your classroom before the grand testing season begins. Follow the Primary Peach this month as they provide you with TONS of ideas, tips, strategies, and suggestions for getting organized in the new year.

I use two strategies in my room to help keep the chaos down to a minimum.

I really want my students to react with each other, not just with their chosen cliques. I found this fun idea for using 'cell phone buddies' as a way to get them to talk with different people. Several times I need them to discuss what we are learning. I love telling them to 'Pull out your phone and call # ___." They jump all over it and love checking their list to see who they wrote down next to each number. It gets them excited even before they need to discuss things such as moon phases.

If you click on the picture above it will take you to a pdf you can use for yourself. It is definitely NOT  my idea though. I can't remember where I got it from.

I do have to confess it is a bit of a struggle as we initially fill in our phones. I print out the phone buttons side and the number list side for each student. They choose a color of construction paper to glue each down on the inside. Then I tell them to go and find a partner for number one. They are to exchange phones and write down their own name on the correct slot and return the phone to its owner. We then switch to another person and write down a new name until our phone is full.



I don't know what happens, but somewhere along the line they get mixed up and write their names on the wrong line. Sometimes, their partner is absent. To solve this I tell anyone who doesn't have a partner to join me in the "Parking Lot" and then pair up from there.

Another strategy I use is for Parent Conferencing is my File Box. I bought a file case with a handle and several hanging folders, one for each student. In these I keep portfolio information I want to use during conferences. I also keep samples of handwriting, clinic passes, absence notes, behavior cards, and any other note sent in from home.

This way I can keep them all neat and tidy and pull out the one I need during the conference time. I do have a hard time keeping up with the filing of all this paperwork. So what I do is stuff all these things in the front of the box and then the day before conferencing I have student helpers pass out all the papers. I give each of them their portfolio and walk them through how to organize the materials I'll need for the meeting. Yes, it's a little noisy but a quick way of getting it all done at once.

Let's make 2016 a banner year together!

For even more ideas from The Primary Peach, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook to catch all the latest news and updates!
  

Easiest Classroom Mailboxes Ever

Happy New Year!!! I hope you had a wonderful break {I hear some of you are still on break? Sooo, jealous!} The entire month of January The Primary Peach is bringing you a new series..."A New Year of Organization!"

I always think about the new year and a fresh start, both in and out of my classroom. It's the perfect time to try something new, or fix something that isn't working. Who doesn't love to be organized? We all have our varying degrees of organization, right?

Today, I'm talking about mailboxes. Not the kind in front of your house...the kind in your classroom. A quick search on Amazon brings up lots of options for mailboxes, but they can be pretty pricey. My biggest issue though, is that they take up so.much.space! Umm, hello eyesore?

My co-teacher has actually been using a mailbox system that costs less than $15, and can sit on top of one desk (and still have room left over!) Whhhaaat? I immediately adopted it for my classroom too, and I.love.it!

Officially introducing...the EASIEST CLASSROOM MAILBOXES EVER!

Here's what you'll need:

- Milk Crate ($2.99 at Target) White | Black

- Hanging Files ($9.99 through Amazon) Teal (16 different colors) | Assorted Primary Colors How gorgeous are these teal ones?

- Space in your classroom (not sold in stores, although wouldn't that be nice?)

That's it! You can either type your students' names, or just write them on the tabs.

What goes inside?

- Graded work

- School-wide papers (you know the ones that come from the office that everybody gets)

- Permission slips

- Anything that needs to get inside Take-Home Folders

I use this in conjunction with "Communication Central" - a space in my classroom that handles the flow of papers in and out of the classroom. 

- Take-Home Folders (Students place their folder here each morning)

- Notes for the Teacher (absence notes, tardy slips, notes from home, sweet notes from students) - this eliminates a student handing me a random piece of paper and then me losing it!

- Homework basket

- Mailboxes

The best thing about this system is that it's pretty much student-run. I check folders daily, and look at any notes that have been put in my basket, but other than that, student jobs take care of the rest.

UPDATE: I've added a FREE mailbox label! You can grab them HERE or by clicking the image below!

Be sure to check out the other posts so far:

- Mandy shared a simple but super effective strategy (plus a FREEBIE) HERE!

- Jivey shared how to get organized with your PHONE! HERE!

Get a Fresh Start: Get Organized With Your PHONE!

Happy New Year, Peaches! It's Jivey here, and I'm bringing you five tips to help you organize your life with something I know you ALL have: your phone!

If you are like me, your phone is attached to you. You have it wherever you go. So why not make your life easier with it?

My first sanity-saving tip for you is to download Dropbox IMMEDIATELY on every device you own, not just your phone. Dropbox is a cloud that allows you to store files and access them from any device. Did you buy something on TPT from your phone as you waited at the doctor's office? Save it to Dropbox and you can access it from home, school, or anywhere you can sign on Dropbox! Maybe you were doing some surfing on the sofa and noticed The Primary Peach's Sharing Sunday- and you want to save those free resources! DROPBOX!

Use your alarm for more than just waking up! Set a timer for your mini-lesson to truly keep it "mini," or to remind yourself to do something daily... like leave school by 5 PM! ;-) Don't forget, the calendar app can also alert you with an alarm of upcoming events!

TAKE SCREENSHOTS!! Seriously- anything you want to remember, whether it's a teaching idea or a recipe, screenshot it so you'll remember. Even if it's next month when you see it again because you are scrolling through your pictures to make space on your phone, you'll be glad you did.

Do you love checking things off of a to-do list? Because you're a teacher, I know you have lots of planners/calendars/notepads, but you can do it all on your phone, too! Search for free to-do list apps, and play around until you find one you like. Personally, I love Wunderlist.

And if all else fails, email yourself. If you are like most teachers, the first thing you do when you get to school is check school email... Are you Netflix binging and you just remembered you need to send a note home with Rodney tomorrow? Email yourself. Maybe you are waiting for softball practice to be over and just realized you didn't sign up for media center time... Email!

Make sure to come back to The Primary Peach this month for tons of organization ideas!

For even MORE ideas from The Primary Peach, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!