Organization 101. Is there a college course for teachers on this? Well, there certainly should be. Being organized is the first step to establishing a well-functioning classroom environment. When I learned that we would start the school year with 100% remote learning, I put all of my initial focus on organization.

I love to color-code everything! I highly suggest selecting a color for each subject and using it for both physical and digital materials. Choosing uniform colors starts with the supplies you are provided, such as workbooks. Since our math workbook is blue, I made the other math materials that color. Since yellow spiral notebooks were provided as a student supply this year, I made all writing materials yellow. The uniform colors will help kids and families categorize content. Magazine files make great subject totes. Remember to use a splash of these colors on your presentation pages to tie it all together. Check out the at-home classroom I provided each of my students for remote learning (3 subject totes, clipboard, dry-erase board with markers and eraser cloth, workbooks, journals, folders with resources, Scholastic News magazines, books, red/green communication paddle, etc.).

Since every students has identical materials, it makes transitions during lessons smoother. No one has a good excuse for not having the item or knowing what/where it is! “In your green reading tote, find your green reader response journal.” Color-coding has maximized my time-on-task with students.