Neat and Tidy Desks: Take 2!

I strive on organization in my classroom but the battle is real! Even with visual I created, some students needed a desk intervention.

That's when I came up with the idea of giving some students a "drawer" to put in their desks. Instead of purchasing fancy baskets I used the lids from copy paper boxes. I started with three kids and had them "try out" my idea of the "drawer" and I was quickly delighted with how well our "drawer" worked.  Of course, the rest of my first graders wanted one too! (Yes, I had EVERYONE saving box lids for me!) Now everyone has a "drawer" of their own. 

Organized Desk Visual

The "drawer" looking inside the desk.

The "drawer" organized!

It is truly amazing the difference our "drawers" have made. My first graders love the concept of a "drawer" and tidy up on their own now!

Happy Organizing!

Lisa

A Little Piece of Home

In many classrooms you will find photos of a teacher's family. Why? She wants to make her classroom her own.

I want my first graders to make our classroom their own too!

So, I invite them to bring in a favorite photo of their family to display in our classroom. The photos are displayed all year!

Thanks for visiting!
Lisa

Order, Order!

Each year my first graders are assigned a number. They use this number to order lunch, hang up their coats and book bags. 

The numbers also serve the purpose of lining up in number order. Each student has his/her own "spot" on which to stand. Lining up in number order cuts out the arguing that typically happens when students are told to get in line. 

The V.I.P. of the day gets to lead the line. The following day the V.I.P. gets to be the caboose. 

In the past, I would punch out "feet" for the kids to stand on and write the numbers on them. But, l found that the Dollar Tree sells calendar kits (for you guessed it...a $1!) and the date tags are the perfect size and shape to use and they already have numbers on them! I laminate the date tags and tape them to the floor with packing tape. 

Neat and Tidy Desks

Messy student desks drive me CRAZY! Teaching organization is extremely important in first grade. 

At the beginning of the year, the students are taught the way to organize their desks. They put their books, journals, and folders on the left side and pencil boxes on the right side. An added bonus is we review the concept of left and right.

Some of the kids grasp the idea right away to my delight. But others need reminders. So, I created a visual to hang in our classroom to show to my firsties a neat and tidy desk. 

No More Moving Desks!

Everyday before I would leave I would straighten the desks. To my dismay, not long after my firsties arrived the desks were a mess. This drove me CRAZY!

Solution 1: Zip Ties

My hubby picked me up a HUGE bag of zip ties from Home Depot. I zipped to work zipping the desks together. It worked great...until the cold winter brought the dry air from the heater. The zip ties became fragile and snapped even when I doubled them up.

Solution 2: Tumbler Cups

Two desk legs are placed in a cup attaching them together. So far this is working great! Some of the cups have cracked but they are still doing the job.

Connecting Tip: It works better if the desks are not exactly the same height.

Lisa