One of my constant struggles in the classroom is organization. I am not a very organized person. Period. And I know this has impacted my teaching and my classroom. So, in the last few years, I have really tried to get more organized. One way that I’ve done this is with a teacher binder. This binder has everything I need all in one place so it helps keep me organized.

Teacher Binder

Ya’ll! Trapper Keepers are back. I actually ordered mine from Amazon about five years ago. But you can get them at Target and Walmart this year! This is what I use for my teacher binder. It’s big enough to hold all the things and comes with some folders for extra organization.

Teacher Binder Organization

Here’s what is kept in my teacher binder and how I use it!

First is a class roster and our schedule. This information is handy in case I need it during meetings or if I’m working on something and need quick access to my student list!

Next, we have our color-coded dismissal chart. This chart is color coded for our dismissal. Each of our dismissal types has a color assigned. This chart gives me a visual of that dismissal so I can instantly see what each child does for dismissal. Adding their pictures is also helpful. This is also a great resource for subs! And, we use this for our split list. If I am absent with no sub, my class is split into the other kindergarten classes. On this chart is the teacher that they are assigned to for a split. This chart is packed with information and is easily updated as needed! To make this, we made a table in PowerPoint and filled in the colors, and added the images!

Then we have our weekly lesson plans. We don’t have a required format but our admin wants something written down. These help keep me organized and on track each week!

This is where we also keep our small group plans, notes, and information for center groups!

Next, we keep our student information sheets! I always know where these sheets are. In the past, I would need to call a family or need some information and I could never remember where I put those sheets. Now I always know where they are!

At the end of the binder is some other information! We keep our Blooms flipbook here. We use this for planning purposes to help with higher-order thinking questions. We are required to do a portfolio for our evaluation and this is where I keep the artifacts that we collect as well as the rubrics and instructions for the required state portfolio.

Here is our Facebook live explaining how we use the binder!

For more information and to access our back-to-school documents, check out these posts!