Contest Alert: Tell Us How You Keep Your Students Together! [enter by Friday, August 9]

Aug 1, 2013

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It’s back-to-school time! Share your number one practical tip as it relates to STUDENT organization for the start of school. Your tip can cover (in 100 words or fewer, please) getting kids organized or getting yourself organized to help your students.

For example, at the start of every year I gave my each of my students a number (according to their alphabetical order) and then used it all year long for EVERYTHING. . . I could:

  • Group students at the drop of the hat. . . Hey, Multiples of 3, come join me at the reading table!
  • Grade like lightning since the papers were always organized in order of the numbers.
  • Quickly tell who was absent and whose work had not yet been turned in.

Diagrams of backpacks and binder contents? Seating charts? Tell us! Two randomly selected winners will receive a copy of the tried and true First Year Teacher’s Survival Guide by Julia G. Thompson to help prepare for back-to-school—or gift to a new teacher in your life. Thanks to Jossey Bass (my publisher) for providing us with these copies!

The fine print: Please include your first name and last initial. 100 words or fewer. US mailing addresses only. Positive comments please! I reserve the right to delete comments that may not be respectful to students or colleagues. Sorry, folks, just had to put it out there!