This Little Piggy Reads: Upper Elementary Back-to-School Blog Hop

Hey there friends in bloggie world!

Great News...this is a blog hop! Better News...You Can Win TpT Gift Cards!! Whoop!

If this is your first visit to my blog, I'm Deniece from This Little Piggy Reads and I'm a GT Specialist in Texas. For 3 years I taught 3rd Grade Reading and I began this blog to share ideas and strategies with Upper Elementary Teachers.

My heart belongs in Upper Elementary! Yes, there are standardized tests, but tests don't scare me. Bloggie World is full of Primary blogs, but this hop celebrates & showcases Upper Elementary teacher bloggers.

Most Upper Elementary classrooms in my area are departmentalized. So teachers see multiple classes throughout the day, not just 1 homeroom all day. It can quickly become overwhelming - especially grading. My solution was to color code EVERYTHING! I taught 3 classes and my classes were assigned colors according to their turn-in baskets. Mine were pink (red journals), green and blue.

What did I color code?

Folders
Journals
Grading
Portfolios
Student Names on Classwork & Homework
Binder Clips for Paperwork
Tabs in my Grade book

Of course my folders & journals were color coded. The pink class was pink/red because 3rd grade boys don't like pink (who knew?). When my students turned in their assignments, they highlighted their names in the appropriate color. I used sticky notes to organize my gradebook. I hope my color coding tip helps you start the year out organized!

One more tip, if you haven't ever used Frixon Erasable Pens...they rock. GO GET THEM!

Onto the goodies...

My newest product is free student binder covers. I love how they turned out! They will be free for August. Hopefully they will help your students stay organized throughout the year!