“How do I teach my students to manage their school materials?”

This is one of the top questions we are asked on a daily basis by our customers.

Our first response, “Start the FIRST day of school!”

It is important to set explicit expectations on that first day and practice those expectations over and over for the first two weeks of school.

Hear are five tips to successful school

 supply and material management. 

Sort Supplies:

Have students keep materials in their bags until you are ready to work with them on how to sort their school supplies.

• Work with students in groups to sort their materials. 
• For communal supplies, have clear bins with pictures and labels of what you will want put into those bins when you begin sorting.
• Have pictures of how you expect students to sort school supplies that will be kept at students seat. Categories to sort school supplies in.
  • Books
  • Folders
  • Spiral notebooks or binders
  • School Supplies
    • Communal
    • Personal

Color Coding:

Color-coding can be used in schools for a variety of reasons, but especially for classroom management.

• It helps with organization and structure in the learning environment.
• It also plays an important role in facilitating children’s cognitive development and learning, especially for young children. For example, colorful learning materials can draw children in and help with organization.
• Bright colors will help students to quickly identify materials by subject and allow the teacher to use that color cue with their instructions. Example: if you color code your books and folders, you can ask them to pull out their “green” math materials.
• Research has shown that color coding can help with memory retention and recall, especially when compared to verbal or textual cues alone. This can be useful for students when identifying key points or important information.

Products like the Seat Sack chair pocket shown below assist with

classroom management and organization.

This multi-color classroom pack is perfect color coding groups and tables.

Visual Clues:

It is also important to have a visual of those expectations.

• First, start with an anchor chart to provide a visual of how you would like the school supplies and materials to look at their desk, table or in their school supply organizer.
• Before students first use a supply, create an anchor chart that explains what it can and can't do.
• Have students share what they've learned so they feel like they own the procedure.
• Make sure the anchor chart is placed in a visual position where students can easily access and be reminded of the expectation.

Model:

Modeling is key to showing students how you want them to manage and use their school materials. It is important to physically model, model, model your expectations of how to put their school supplies and materials away. 

When modeling how to use school supplies:

•  Explain step-by-step

Demonstrate how to use supplies safely and effectively, including how to hold them correctly, how to cut, and how to apply glue.

• Reinforce expectations

Encourage responsibility and respectful use of supplies by explaining what supplies can and cannot do, and what the "do's and don'ts" are.

• Have students’ model

After explaining expectations, have students come up to model how to use the supply correctly. Teachers can also invite students to model in small groups or visit each group to have all students model the skill. Teachers can even assign each supply to a group of students and those students will model how to use the school supply. These students will also demonstrate how to properly put the school supply away.

• Keep it interactive

Instead of narrating, teachers can model the desired behavior and let students do the work. Modeling can also invite questions from students to deepen their thinking.

• Refer back to the anchor charts

Teachers can create anchor charts that outline what each supply can and cannot do, and how to use it correctly. Students can share the information from the charts to take ownership of the procedures. 

Practice:

Once lessons have been modeled and visual clues are displayed, then it is time to practice.

• First, practice removing items and placing them back. Refer students back to the anchor chart or other visual clues you have provided. Make this a game so that students learn that it is fun to keep their school supplies organized.
• Have students remove all their school materials and then have them quickly place the materials back into their designated space.
• Provide incentives for having their school materials ready at the beginning of the day or at the end of the day with a quick visual.

Repeat:

Through out the first two weeks, it is important to continually remind, refer to the visual clue, ask students to model and practice how to put their school supplies and materials away correctly. Provide monthly reminders and repeat the above steps after students have come back from any breaks.

Develop a plan and get organized before the first day of school. It is important to repeat all of the steps several times a day until it becomes a habit for students. Follow through and stay the course for a successful school year!