Teacher Planner/Binder

Every summer I purchase a planner for the upcoming school year.  Okay, it's not actually a planner. It's more of a calendar.  This calendar is one of the many things I carry home nightly in my teacher bag.  My teacher friends know that bag....the one that weighs a ton and sometimes doesn't even get opened once it arrives home.  In addition to the lovely calendar I just described, I always have a binder filled with basically all my important teacher forms...attendance, grades, RTI info., student info., planning pgs, etc.  In an age of everything going digital, I still manage to keep hard copies of everything.  Maybe it's my own distrust of those clouds that are supposed to keep all of our important documentation safe in digital land, or it could be the fact that anytime I desperately need a form, the internet just happens to be down!

This summer, I decided that it was time to get organized and eliminate some of the unnecessary things I carry in that teacher bag.   I didn't want to carry both a binder and separate calendar any longer.  This only added more bulk to my already heavy bag.  I did consider purchasing one of those beautiful planners that are perfectly bound together with everything included.   I tried one many years ago when I first started teaching.  It was gorgeous, but I ended up not using the lesson plan part because our campus is required to have ours digital.  That left a large portion of my planner unused.  I also found that I really needed the ability to add and remove pages to meet my own classroom needs.  Instead of purchasing a planner, I decided to go the route of a printable binder.  I started by searching my computer for all the important planning forms I've created over the years.  In my search,  I found quite the assortment of forms with different borders, clip art, fonts, etc.  I decided to stream line all the most important pages and that little giant project turned into a digital teacher planner.

I wanted to share the planner with all of my teacher friends.  It has a simple design with just a splash of color.  Several of the pages are editable.  You can check out the pics below to see if it's something you could use in your own classroom.  I'm going to include LOTS of pictures to give you a good sense of what is included.

  

 

Lol..I just love my made up class of Diney princesses, princes, and Pixar characters.

 

  

Sight word lists are also included with the planner.  The following word lists are included:

 Fry's Instant Words 1-300 (50 words per page)

Dolch Words (pre-primer, primer, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3)

Sight Word List (editable)

 

Not everything is pictured above, so peek at the preview below to see the entire resource. 

You can check it out in my store by clicking HERE. 

I'd love to give it away for free to the first 3 people that leave a comment below.  Please be sure to leave your e-mail.  

(Giveaway has ended) 

 

Year at a Glance Calendars

Happy Fourth of July.  In honor of the fourth, I thought I'd post a freebie for you!  This little goodie is a must in my lesson plan book and grade book.

There are 12 versions to choose from.  I will continue to update it yearly.

 

Library Log

Recently, I have been all about updating my classroom forms.  I needed a library log for my students to record the books that they are checking out from the library.  I put a check mark in the last column if they complete a book blurb on that library book.  We use book blurbs, because we no longer have the AR program on our campus.  But if you are using AR, you could just check off that they are taking their tests.  The Book Blurb is simply a mini book report.  They can use the same form for both fiction and nonfiction.  The images below show how they are used in the classroom.  I posted about my book blurbs in an earlier post, but you can get this form along with my Book Bucks at my Teacher Store by clicking here.  The library Log is free of course. Simply click on the image.

Clipboard

Monday is the first day of school...yikes, I still have a million and one things to do to get ready.  But, am I doing anything productive this evening? Nope, not at all.  Instead of doing what's on my To-Do list,  I decided to beautify my clipboard.  I have one of those clipboards that have an inside compartment.  They are the greatest, because I'm always losing things from the front of the clipboard.  I don't think it's meant to hold the oodles of papers I try to clip on it. I added my name to the inside, so when I get distracted and leave it somewhere on campus, it will find its way home :) 

 

Transportation Cards

It's Monday Made It time again, and almost time to head back to work!!!  So, with the 1st Day of school slowly starting to creep into my mind, I knew it was time for a new way of keeping track of how students get home after school.  I have a transportation chart that I have used for many years.  It just had all my students' names and then I mark the mode of transportation.  I keep it attached to a clipboard, but I wanted to have something more mobile that I can easily grab and take with me to my after school duty spot.  I also wanted something I could easily leave for a sub.  This is what I finally decided on:

There are 10 cards- walk, bike, car, bus, bike, daycare, Latchkey, Safe-Key, front door, and side door.  Our school's after school program is called Latckey, but there is a Safe-Key card included also.  I left blank lines, so I could just add my students' names with a permanent marker.  I'll also use the back to make any notes I need to make for any special circumstances.  The permanent marker will be easy to change if they move or their mode of transportation changes during the year.  You can check out this resource in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  Click here to head to my store.

Now, I'm heading over to 4th Grade Frolics to check out all the great ideas!

Job Cards

I'm linking up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made-It.  If you haven't checked out her blog all the great links, head on over!

I've needed a job chart for ages!  Every year, I assign jobs and can NEVER remember who has what job.  I have literally no wall space any longer, so I knew a large pocket chart just would not do.  I have a Star of the Day that does most of my daily jobs like passing out papers, line leader, etc.  But, I do like to assign everyone a job that they're responsible for the entire year.

Last year, I was talking to a teacher from another campus and she mentioned that she calls her helpers "professionals".  I loved it, and knew I wanted to start that this year.  I decided to make cards with spaces for me to write my students' names.  That way if I have to reassign a job, I can adjust it easily.  I'm crazy about colors, so they'll match that theme and it won't take up very much space at all! Yay!

You can find the job cards at my teacher store. There are a total of 21 jobs and 6 blank cards to create your own.  Click the image below to head to my teacher store.

The jobs included are:
Computers, Messenger, Recess, Assistant, Sink Area, Pencils, Lunch Leader, Library, Band-Aids, Sweeper, Lights, Breakfast, Directions, Mail Carrier, Supplies, Desk Monitor, Fire Drill, Spills, Chair Checker, Duster, Line Leader

  

 

Teacher Bucket

I'm joining up with Tara again at 4th Grade Frolics for her Monday Made-It.  It's not actually Monday, but I did make something!  Well kinda, if you call adding a bit of velcro making something.  Actually it was probably the simplest thing I've made yet, and it will be super useful in my classroom.  It's a teacher bucket:

I had seen the pic below on Pinterest, but it didn't have a working link, not sure who to give credit to.   I liked the idea a whole lot, but I noticed that the bucket used was one of those really large Home Depot buckets.

I really needed a smaller version for my classroom.  I don't have a desk, so I thought a smaller version would work well by my computer or at my teaching table.  So, with a few inexpensive supplies from Hobby Lobby, my bucket was complete!  I bought a plain bucket from the party section, a craft tote for $6.99, and some sticky back velcro.  The totes came in other colors as well. I know I saw black and white and a pink one for sure.

I simply put velcro on the outside of the bucket and on the inside edge of the craft tote.  Velcro together and you're done.  The tote does have handles, I went ahead and cut those off, so I could use the handle on the bucket.  The velcro holds really well!  I tried to adjust it, and could barely unvelcro it to adjust it, so it will hold nicely.

Here's the finished bucket.