#2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. We chat every Tuesday night at 8 pm EST using #2ndaryELA. We'd love for you to join us!
Hi! My name is Lauralee, and I will be hosting tonight's #2ndaryELA chat. I teach high school in Central Illinois and blog at https://t.co/QVjkSzPMQq. My first book just went on sale TODAY! Tonight, we are chatting about organization with students.
A1: Physical organization of all the papers they get as well as writing things down and then reviewing the information they've written. Same as adults, in my experience! #2ndaryELA
A1: A lot of my kids don't seem to understand the concept of notebooks/binders. Everything just gets thrown in their bookbags. And then I get, "Miss, I can't find it!" #2ndaryela
A1: Some of my students do not put items where they belong when they receive them. They put them on the floor or beside their binder. I can go around after every class and collect lost papers. #2ndaryela
A2: I once had a binder system, and this worked! I need to decide if I want students to have certain digital folders, bc I want the system to make sense to them. #2ndaryela
A2: We use Canvas for digital and I keep the calendar updated. I also use mailchimp to send home weekly email reminders with bullet points (Middle School). #2ndaryela
A2: Students use paper planners and accordion file folders. Some prefer digital tools but my school likes the accountability of paper more, so that's what we use. #2ndaryela
A2: For paper, I once had students use an accordian file system. That actually worked really well. They even named them. We called them "llamas" (Middle School) :) #2ndaryela
A2 I think we need to TEACH organization - not just implement. Many people aren't naturally born organizers...our Ss have binders using the AVID way, I use digital folders/Gclassroom and spiral notebooks. #2ndaryela
A2: I personally love Google Drive. I have folders and folders within folders within folders. And all kinds of notebooks. For my students: each class has a color, and everything for that class (turn in tray, bins for workbooks, missing work folders) is that color. #2ndaryela
A2- My students have folders that stay in their binder for every class, but they do not use them. They just cram everything in their binder and go. We tried to make it easier by having one binder, oh well. #2ndaryela
I give this lesson everytime we open a new document and show them how to do it on the screen. It's like they can't be bothered - it's the digital version of cramming paper into bookbags. Ha! #2ndaryela
A3: Definitely modeling - yes - @elaclassroom Also I've recently considered giving bonus points to those who can show me the week's work in their folders... #2ndaryela
YES! Many teachers think that kids know how to do it...and it just makes it worse. I'm struggling now with my teaching team to support kids writing in their planners, not just telling them to do it and figuring they've done their job. #2ndaryela
A3: I share my own difficulties with organization and how I overcame them. I let students know the "why" and heavily model organizational habits as well as acknowledge students who write down important dates or correctly file papers/documents. #2ndaryela
YES! Many teachers think that kids know how to do it...and it just makes it worse. I'm struggling now with my teaching team to support kids writing in their planners, not just telling them to do it and figuring they've done their job. #2ndaryela
Totally agree. We need to show them how we do it, think outloud as to the why, and be consistent and give them time to do it. Like anything else we teach, really! #2ndaryela
WE have to do things like that to build in habits...it will stick for most, and then we can spend the time triaging those who have more complex issues. #2ndaryela
A2: I love using google drive, but not a huge fan of classroom. Actually, I brought back the class binder this year and it’s working like a charm. Granted it was inspired by Leslie Knope - but it works! #2ndaryELA
I make my high schoolers hold up their planners and we all write down the homework at the same time. I know it sounds a little controlling but it's the best way I know of to make sure it gets done! #2ndaryela
A3: I go over organization practices in class and go over it again when I notice an issue. Students “buy-in” when they see others pull out the assignment immediately while they are still looking for their assignment. #2ndaryela
Yes in fact, I used to play a song and everyone had to have their planner stamped by the end of the song and begin the bell work - it was our routine. So much so that one day a new students came and the kids were teaching him the routine. :) #2ndaryela
WE have to do things like that to build in habits...it will stick for most, and then we can spend the time triaging those who have more complex issues. #2ndaryela
A4: in my previous school we did an end of year portfolio. Well organized kids did a much better job evaluating their work because they could find everything. #2ndaryela
A4: I don't think I'd ever give a grade for organization, I'm more interested in what students can produce. Students are kind of naturally held accountable if they end up not turning in work, doing it late, or doing a half-hearted job because they forgot about it. #2ndaryela
A4b: Also if a student is unorganized but can still do good work, doing a binder check seems like giving a grade simply for compliance rather than their actual achievement. #2ndaryela
A4 I don't give a grade for organization, but build it into the assessment by keeping the lesson/unit itself organized. Using #hyperdocs is one way to help! https://t.co/f4gAk4iBa5#2ndaryela
A4: I do not grade a binder check some teachers in my building do this. After we finish a unit of study, I will have them turn in a packet of their work. If I am requiring they have 10-12 items, I usually keep about 5 of those items just in case they lose everything. #2ndaryela
A5 I teach them how to create a folder for the year...sub folders for classes...how to color code and use numbers to organize their digital system. WE also use google sites! #2ndaryela
A5: It's all in the naming. I show them how to name their files. Once you've given a file a descriptive name, it doesn't really matter if you just shove it anywhere, Folders can be helpful, but the majority of the time Ss can just search and find it with good naming. #2ndaryela
A5 I teach them how to create a folder for the year...sub folders for classes...how to color code and use numbers to organize their digital system. WE also use google sites! #2ndaryela
A5 Google Classroom is built in organization! You can create topics - I use a topic per quarter, some do it per unit. You can create a 'resources' topic and add in generic items or things they might find useful as they go through the course. #2ndaryela
A5b: For folks like myself who are not very naturally organized, lots of folders and subfolders that are color coded doesn't appeal, even digitally. The game changer is the naming. If you can consistently name your files descriptively, you can bypass folders entirely. #2ndaryela
Join us next week for Break Outs and Escape Rooms! It's sure to be a great chat and you can be reminded by joining the #2ndaryELA Remind group here: https://t.co/deccXtXXFJ
Thanks for hosting. Great chat! Being organized is probably the thing that has helped my teaching the most. It has huge impacts on students and their achievement and mental state as well! #2ndaryela
I did this with Classroom and now with Schoology. Each unit gets a folder with all the resources for that unit. And then generic ones, like bell ringers, writing notebook, independent reading. #2ndaryELA
