Organization Part 2: How to Organize Data and Important papers

Welcome back friends! I hope you are having a fantastic week so far! I know most of you must be very busy trying to get your classroom organized and decorated for this upcoming school year. I also know most of you are finding new stuff to add as you keep scrolling down on Instagram or Facebook!! lol I know! I am one of you, too!

This post will be short, but I wanted to share with you the last part of my Organization Blog posts! This time I would like to talk to you about Organizing Data and important papers. Very important post so you can stay organized and keep your sanity! (Whooppp!!)

Reading Groups Binder

I know there are hundreds of different TPT products you can find that has to do with small reading groups. I have seen them and most of them have so many sheets and so much information you can keep on your binder, and I LOVE IT! However, I will be honest with you. I know I would never been able to keep up with the forms. They are all so helpful, but the more overwhelmed I felt. So I decided to simplify my life! Something simple and yet highly important that I will be able to keep doing throughout the school year.

So I created my own simple Reading Groups Binder!

Inside this product you will find:
1. the Guided Reading Groups Sheet - This will be helpful for you to keep organize your groups. It is designed to use with post-its so you can keep writing and changing students to different groups. Note on the picture, I use tabs to separate my groups. This is just a suggestion to keep your papers organize, but if you have a different method, go for it! :)

2. Guided Reading and Running Records Schedule Chart - On this sheet you can plan what groups you'll see for the week and how many running records you need to schedule for the week as well.
3. Guided Reading Group Books - On this sheet you will write down the book you'll be reading with a specific group and other information about the book. You can keep track of how many fiction or Non-fiction books you are reading to mix up the genre in the group. It is also helpful so you don't bring a book that you have already given them.
*After the Group Tabs, I have an Avery Index Table of Contents dividers. I use the following sheets and place them under the first letter of my student's last name.*
4. Student's Personal Note sheet - On this sheet I keep all my notes about my student. All my students have one or more throughout the school year. Things my students need to improve and things they are successfull.
5. Reading level progress sheet - This sheet contains the levels of beginning, Middle, and End of the Year. This are great to see the student as a whole. To remember how they came, how much they have improved, and how much they have accomplished by the end of the school year. This sheet is great to use during Parent-Teacher Conferences!
6. Running Records Progress - All the running records results I have given to my student.

I think this is a great binder that will help you and will help ME for this upcoming school year! I have included the link above (above of th first picture shows), but if you missed it, please click HERE to take you to my store!

Parent Conversation Log

This is another important thing to do in order to stay organized! Create a Parent Conversation Log binder! Mine is very simple! I bought some Avery Index Table of Contents dividers and put some blank writing paper inside of each divider. Every time I had a conversation over the phone with a parent, I would write down the important things we said or agreed during our conversation! Maybe you are wondering why I do this. Well maybe, just maybe, one day there is a missunderstanding and misscommunication with a parent. You will have your log to remember and show what was said and what was agreed. I have learned the hard way, that we can't remember it all and that you need to have a proof of something. This log is a life saver to keep information! I would also use this for important information during Parent-Teacher conferences. My parents used to like it when I wrote important things they were saying about their child. We all need to establish good communication with parents from the beginning!

File Hanging Folders

Last, but not least! Where do you keep important tests, forms, letters, etc.? I have a simple way to do this! Many teachers loveee binders and I do too! But I have so many binders for other things that I really want to make this as simple as possible. The answer is "Manila folders in hanging folders!!." My school kind of makes you have a teacher desk (like the old ones), so I take advantage of my heavy-old friend by using its drawers. In there I keep a hanging folder for each of my students. I keep al important information there. Something that I can just pull when having a Parent-Teacher conference or having to meet with someone regarding that student.
Maybe you don't have a file cabinet. Crates are perfect for hanging folders as well! Remember these folder contain personal information for each of your students. So if I had a crate, then I would keep it under my desk so my students or any other person would not get the attention of the folders.

My friends this is all for today! I hope you have learned something new and something important! Hope you are very motivated to try new things so you can be more organized! Stay tuned become up next will be all about classroom management and rewards!!!