Preparing Materials for the New School Year

Prepare a Model Binder to Get Organized For New Classes This Year

Jul 24, 2009

Finding efficient ways to distribute and organize lesson materials, worksheets and handouts can be a challenge. Here's a simple solution for savvy teachers.

A model binder is a three inch, three-ring binder that contains all handouts, class notes, and important information you expect your students to have. A master copy of each handout should be placed in a plastic page protector, and extra copies available for student use should follow each master copy in the binder.

Benefits of the Model Binder Organizational System

Once teachers distribute a handout to students, they often tuck them away in a file cabinet and then have to retrieve additional copies for students upon request. This can happen a dozen times a day, and it wastes precious teaching time. To avoid this inefficient routine, teachers can plan for the new school year and opt for a new organizational system that puts students in charge of retrieving paperwork. This binder is helpful for students who:

Maintain a Model Binder

Teachers can place the binder in the student work area or on a table in the back of the classroom. Each master copy should contain the date it was distributed and a page number to identify the sequence. The front of the binder should contain a Table of Contents listing the page number and title of each master copy. This way, absent students will know exactly which materials they need to obtain. To further assist students, the binder can be placed next to a desk calendar which briefly summarizes the lesson for each day.

Help Students Organize Materials

Because many students lack organizational skills, teachers can encourage students to follow the same organization as that displayed in the model binder. This includes students maintaining a table of contents for all of their handouts, worksheets, and class notes. Each page should be dated and contain the same page number identified in the model binder. This way, teachers can say, “turn to page 42 in your binder,” and know everyone will be on the same page. This system will also help students develop better study habits.

Conduct Binder Quizzes to Reinforce Organization

To motivate students to develop consistent organizational routines, teachers can give a binder quiz toward the end of each quarter. Questions can include the following:

This model binder system benefits both teachers and students. Further, it communicates to students that it is important to develop organizational skills and to be in charge of completing missed work. With this system, the responsibility is placed on the student, rather than the teacher. Teachers can then focus on the upcoming lesson, rather than shuffling paperwork.

The copyright of the article Preparing Materials for the New School Year in Lesson Plans & Materials is owned by Thadra Petkus. Permission to republish Preparing Materials for the New School Year in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.