On-going project: Binder Organization

For many of my students, binder organization is a big challenge, or quite low on the priority list. I have promised myself that this will be the year that I incorporate binder organization into the daily lesson plan. And actually be consistent with it!

Some things I have observed about student binders and binder organization:
1. Some students have no binder at all.
2. Binders are often a place to place papers, but generally not securely within the rings.
3. Some binders are organized from back to front, not front to back.
4. Some students do not like to carry binders back and forth from school because of the size. (There were three binders left in my class over the summer vacation!)
5. Most papers are not dated.
6. Separating papers from the morning class and afternoon class is challening.
7. It takes some students a long time to find their homework.

Our tools:

My plan:
After a month or so in school, students will have a sense of what being in my class is like - routines, style, approaches, and types of papers I give out. Students will brainstorm and decide upon categories for binder division so that they are in control of it and remember how to organize it. Students write on the labels, and organize all the papers according to section and date.

The results:

Headings chosen by the class.

So tidy!

 

The final test: Hold the binder up and see if any papers fall out.

  

Success!

Routines, Activities and Strategies for Literacy Learners
1. Binder Organization - organize it together and maintain it together
2. Respect learners' knowledge and experiences in having them list and decide on the categories as a group.
3. Provide learning strategy instruction. Now that the binders are labelled, teach them how to use this system. This can help them in class and at home.
4. Play a game. Once the binders are organized and the papers are all dated, have a scanning game. For example, find the grammar handout from September 27. Find the citizenship paper from October 10.