With middle school students, organization is key. They come in each year with the deer in the headlights look, and I think to myself, “Am I going to be able to get these kids where I want them without saying any bad words or letting the you know what hit the fan?!? These 3 strategies help improve student organization, whether they’re in person or online, every year!
#1- Post a Daily Agenda
I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep a daily agenda posted in the same location on your class website. Having been in school just under a month, we’ve seen many students who are sick or quarantined. They know to always refer to the daily agenda to see what assignments we’ll be doing in class that day. I update it every single morning, and the few times that I have forgotten, my email blew up! We go over the agenda first thing in each class which also means I don’t get the question, “What are we doing today?” a hundred times. This keeps our class streamlined and has improved student organization more than I ever imagined. You can get my free agenda template and learn more about how I use it here.
#2- Teach Students to Use Their Planner (digital AND printable)
At the beginning of class every single day, I have my students copy the daily agenda that also includes the homework for that night. Just like I tell my own kids, there is no way you can remember all that you have to do for 6 classes (or however many they have at the secondary level) if they aren’t writing (or typing) it. That’s when I created my printable and digital planner templates. It comes in the following formats: 4 periods planner, 6 periods, 8 periods, subject specific, and a generic template. My students can choose whether they want to copy the agenda on the digital one or if they would like me to print. I want them to decide what works best for them; otherwise, the chance of students using their planners consistently isn’t likely. After all, the key is promoting student organization and holding them accountable.
#3- Keep the School Supplies Needed to a Minimum
First off, the parents will love you for this! Every year when I go buy my boys’ school supplies, our whole living room is full of notebooks, binders, folders, paper, pencils, pencils holders, and more spread out everywhere. This is crazy to me! This is where- if you teach in teams- you discuss the must haves with the other teachers on your team. Do students really need a binder for every class? Can they have one 3-inch binder separated by dividers that are labeled with each class? For some this isn’t feasible, but this works great for my team at school. We spend the first week or two of school showing students how we want it arranged, and we have notebook checks every couple of weeks, especially at the beginning of the year. This took student organization to another level.
What organizational tips work for you? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
