Color-coding your classes & numbering your students
I LOVE organization! I started following another teacher's blog a while back that I LOVE! - ladybugsteacherfiles.com. She has such great posts on how she keeps her classroom organized. She teaches 4th & 5th grade ELL. She designs all of her labels and printables. You can tell by just visiting her blog for a second that she really knows what she is doing. She even has a tutorial on how to create your own printables if you do not know how to make them yourself.
One of her blog entires talks about color-coding your classroom. It is great!
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| Click here to read her blog entry. |
This got me thinking about how I could better organize my band hall (when I get a band program again). I like the idea of assigning each class period a different color. I would assign the periods colors in the order of the rainbow - first period: hot pink, second period: orange, third: yellow, fourth: green, fifth: blue, and sixth: purple. I like the idea of neon colors too because they coordinate with hi-liter colors. I would use only those colors with black and white to decorate the rest of my room. For example, I would have a black background on my bulletin boards with black and white borders and letters (I already have those). I would then add other decorations with the neon colors.
I've made my own labels that you can use for your classroom if you like. I created them with powerpoint. I then saved them as a PDF so I could print them and laminate them. I am uploading the PDF file for you here.
Another tip that Kristen shared from her blog was to number your students in each class.
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| Click here to read her blog entry. |
When students turn in their papers, they write their number in the upper right hand corner of the paper and highlight it in their class color. That simple act helps to make sure that the students write their names on their papers. Once papers are turned in, you ask a student to put the papers in numerical order which line up with your grade book. Highlighting the numbers helps to make sure the papers are organized for each class. It makes entering grades quick and super easy. I will have a small bucket with the different colored hi-liters in it for students to use when turning in papers.
Numbering students not only helps with grading, it can help with seating charts and attendance. This can be especially helpful when you have a substitute. Band classes can be pretty large, making it very difficult to draw seating charts with names. If your students are numbered, you can use numbers on your seating chart and attach a corresponding numbered roster. Also, if you have classroom set of tuners or tuner/metronomes, you can number them and the students will use the one with their assigned number which helps with keeping track of the tuners/metronomes. If a particular numbered tuner/metronome is missing, you know who has it or who didn't put it back. I few years ago I discovered a great storage solution for the tuners - hanging shoe bags. I painted numbers and the band program name on the backs of the tuners with a white paint pen. I then created and laminated labels for each clear pocket. The students were trained to take their assigned tuners to their seat each period and to return them at the end of class. I also taught them to unplug them and how I like them to wrap the cord. I had them unplug them to make the batteries last longer. Keeping them plugged in draws power/juice out of the batteries even if turned off. Note: if you use the shoe bags too, make sure they are clear so that you can see if the students accidentally left them turned on (you'll be able to see the lights).
Well, I hope I've helped inspire some of you to be more organized. Creating organization systems that work for you in the summer help your school year run more smoothly. What I like about these ideas I learned via blogs and Pinterest is that it puts some of the work back on the students - saving you time and energy.
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