Speaking of Binders...

I am so happy with my teaching binder this school year. In fact, I have shoved it under the nose of most of my coworkers to show off my pride and joy. Even the cover is pretty!

I created the cover by trimming a piece of scrapbook paper to the correct size. I then used pre-cut letters from the same scrapbook paper packet (Wal-Mart, ya'll. They've got everything!) to punch out the letters for my name and room.

 Inside, I have adorable tab dividers from Target. They were a bit of a splurge, but they're simply irresistible! I have five sections in my binder: Roster, Data, Calendar, Curriculum, and Plans. Last year, I only kept my block plans in my binder. Bo-ring!

 In the Roster section of my binder, I have a copy of my class roster as well as a list of how each member of my class gets home (which bus, walker, pick-up, etc.). My favorite part of this section, however, is pictured above. I have each student's name with space to write the name of parents or guardians, a phone number, emergency contact, the child's birthday, and any important notes that need to be recorded. I copy this vital information from my Getting to Know You sheet which parents complete at Open House. This makes it easy to access everyone's information quickly in a pinch. I even have a couple fill-in-the-blank pages so I can add new students throughout the year!

Using a ribbon to cover student names in a photo? Class-y!
Keep your eyes open--that ribbon may re-appear in an upcoming post!

In the Data section of my binder, I have pre-made data collection sheets for each of the assessments we do at the start of the school year. Being the nerd I am, I typed these up on my own so the fonts would be consistent between assessments as well as being...cute.

The Calendar section of my binder contains, well, a calendar. I printed this darling generic calendar printable from Organizing Homelife. You should definitely check out this site. She's thought of everything!

My Curriculum tab is home to my Scope and Sequence for the school year. (The label says Curriculum because that fits much more neatly into the tiny space.) Each month's CCSS are delineated under a heading stating the month in which they are to be addressed and the subject area they cover (ELA or Math). That gives me quick access for planning purposes as well as providing an easy reference when administrators need specifics.

The final section of my binder, Plans, is home to my block plans. I have more than enough copies of these block plans for one school year. You probably use these in your own classroom--add a few notes and you've got a quick and easy way to see what's coming up on your agenda without having 18 lesson plan guides floating around. Ain't life sweet?

I could not be happier with my binder for this school year. I hope you can incorporate some of these ideas into your own personal organization system! Keep it class-y, ya'll!