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If you keep a teacher binder ... tabs question


seewah
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I am putting together my teacher binder for the year and would love to hear how others have divided up their binder.

 

So far, I have one tab for each child, one for planning, one for reading lists, and one for our co-op.

 

What am I missing? I'd love to hear how your binder is divided up! :)

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Ever since we started using Sonlight, I've switched to 1-36 tabs, one for each week. I *love* it. I still have a couple of other general tabs, but the weekly ones really help keep me organized. I have a large binder that holds the 1-36, and I pull out 9 weeks at a time and put them into a smaller binder.

 

I've seen the numbered tabs at the office supply store, but they're actually cheaper to buy from SL.

 

http://www.sonlight.com/IN01.html

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My teacher binder is similar to yours. I also have a couple additional tabs. I have one for the report cards/attendance sheets. The attendance sheets are three hole punched, but I put the report cards in a page protecter (or you could put it near the tab for each child).

 

When I am teaching a year of high school, I also use a tab to keep track of all work for transcript purposes.

 

If I have a program(s) with a small answer key, I remove them from the book. I place them in page protectors and they are also placed behind a tab in the binder.

 

I also have a tab for future items I may someday wish to buy - or just ideas.

 

I too agree with the idea of the 36 weeks! I have used Sonlight and WP, and I love the breakdown!

 

Pam

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We don't use Sonlight, but the tabs intrigue me ...

 

But we are more of a "do the next page/pages" type of homeschooling family, so do I need the breakdown of the 36 weeks?

 

Thanks for your responses so far! :)

 

If you're only using workbooks, then I guess you wouldn't need the weekly tabs (unless you read that file folder thread where everyone was tearing up their workbooks and sorting them by week! I do it, but I use the binder instead of the file folders). I keep all my kids work in the 1-36 binder (I have one for myself, and each child has one for their independent work). Having everything separated by week keeps me on track and we don't get behind, and it keeps their work in order for the reviews I have to do with the school board.

 

I tried the WTM way of having a Science binder, a History binder, etc. and it was just too much of a hassle for us. I much prefer everything in one place, and everyone gets their binder out first thing every day. It might seem a bit pricey to set it up, but we use them year after year, so we get our money's worth.

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I have a calandar in the front so I can number weeks and days to keep track of where we are (and at the end of the year how much is left). I also keep one for rubrics that help me w/ grading, I keep the paper from Chalkdust that tells how many minutes each video lesson is, cheat sheets for various subjects I need help remembering (there's a table of elements in there now) and in the back, in sheet protectors, I keep any reproducible I photocopy frequently.

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In my "master" binder, I have my notes from when I'm planning the year (these are some of my rough notes from when I'm trying to decide what to cover for each child or what TWTM says for for each subject, etc.) and a rough calendar for the school year. That's my 1st "Planning/Scheduling" tab.

 

Then I have a "Math" tab - placement tests, extra worksheets that I've printed from the internet for extra practice, and all tests from their main program. I put a little "post-it" colored tag on the first page of each child so I can find their section quickly.

 

I have a "spelling" (Language Arts) tab. Into this goes spelling tests, placement tests, beginning/end of the year writing samples, and loose sheets (not in child's notebook) of any copywork.

 

I have a "religion" and "art" and "poetry" tab.

 

Finally, I have a "group info/field trip" tab for outside activities. I make sure to include a couple of empty clear slip cover sheets in this section as there are usually a few "mementos" from field trips that these keep safe.

 

I have a separate & very thin "lesson plans" book that has book lists for reference & my lesson plans. When the year is done, these pages go into my master binder in the schedule/planning section.

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I haven't seen the 36-week binder before.....I too am intrigued and wondering how I can tweak it for my "master" binder. :001_smile:I haven't used one before but now that I am spread from Middle School to PreK I am seeing the need. I don't pull apart workbooks but I do keep a tally of where we are supposed to be by term. I normally just check off the chapters and then I'm able to see if we are "on target" or slipping behind. I labeled my carry with me calendar with the week # to help me when I'm at meetings, Co-Op, etc. I like keeping track of topics/areas of study. I found a free, printable Daily Planner page at: thatresourcesite.com that has the headings I like. It includes thing like Nature Studies, Nature Walks, field trips, crafts as well as a section for resources to gather. Maybe I can meld these 2 ideas....I better work fast since we start school on Monday!!!:tongue_smilie:

yvonne

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I have my teacher binder set up like this:

 

Inspirations: Quotes and scripture about teaching, education and motherhood that motivate and insipire me

 

Lesson Plans: I keep both boys' plans in one place so I can open my binder and see all we have to do for that week on a 2 page spread. On this spread I also have a to-do list for me and our menu for that week.

 

Our Family Rules: I created our own family rules years ago. Each year we start the year by reviewing them and we use them for copywork those first few days of school as well. I have them posted on our fridge also but keep them here as a great reminder for me. :)

 

Goals: Each semester dh and I sit down and plan goals for each of our boys in a few areas: physical and/or motor skills, spiritual, emotional, social and academic. I write down goals for me each semester and keep them here too.

 

Calendar: Blank calendar I print from Publisher marked all up with my notes about suggested schedules, holidays, birthdays, field trips and such. This is just a school calendar; I keep our family master calendar online with google calendar.

 

Inservice Notes: Every summer I go for 2 days and do my own teacher conference. This year I plan to get away every six weeks or so for one day to

continue. On these days I listen to MP3's, research, read and read online journals. I love to keep my notes from these days and look back at them.

 

Discipleship: The guide I use to help train up our boys is kept here so I just grab it in the morning.

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Here are the tabs in my teacher binder. I just made it and it is my first year homeschooling. I've been helped immeasurably by THE filing thread :)

I'm using a 1-1/2" binder.

 

1.Weekly list - this is my "lesson planner" except that I fill in the lessons as we do them. So at the beginning of each week, it's a blank sheet for each girl, with the subject running down the side, and the days of the week across the top. I keep 6 of these, three weeks worth, in the binder

2.Calendar - this is my basic school calendar with planned days off and a basic calendar of days. I keep the family master calendar on the computer, but am planning to have 2-3 weeks worth in here too.

3.WWE1 - I had the binding cut off a lot of the teachers manuals. I got tired pulling out the big stack of them every time we were going to school. Each teachers manual is now in its own binder. I pull out about three weeks worth at a time and put it in my teachers binder. Every week or two I will "reload". So now I just have the binder and the little book for FLL1/2. I rarely use the TM's for math, but those will be in the magazine holders with teh math workbooks.

4.WWE3 - three weeks worth of TM

5.FLL3 - three weeks worth of TM

6.SOTW - three chapters worth of AG, plus pronunciation guide

7.BFSU - next three lessons

8.Reading log - some blank pages for me to write in what they are reading.

9.Spelling log - some blank pages for me to write down words they misspell for retesting later

10.SOTW list - reading list and materials list for SOTW

11.BFSU list - reading list and materials list for BFSU

12.1000 Books - list from the website 1000 Great Books to refer to when I'm trying to find the next book for them to read

13.Checklist ideas - blank pages for me to write down anything I need to. I also put a bunch of extra blank pages for scratch paper, grocery list, or whatever.

 

The girls have a weekly binder set up in a similar fashion. At the front is a checklist for the week, not broken down by which day to do each, but by how many times per week - so there are 6 boxes to check off for math, 4 for grammar, two for spelling etc. Their binders have all the worksheets they need and a few extra in case they want to work ahead, and to give me a buffer for reloading. The only things not in their binders are handwriting, math, and vocabulary. When I reload their binders, the stuff that's done gets put into binders - there is a language arts binder for each, and a history/geography for each.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Diviya

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My binder sounds a bit different from that of others. I have a zipper pocket in front with pens, etc. Then I have a main calendar with holidays and such noted, and proposed weeks of school.

Then I have a tab for each subject. Within each subject is my goals/plan page for each child. I also have a Resource List, on which I note any books that we use, and which child used them.

I also have a tab for Field Trips, a tab for School District (for any correspondence), and one for Co-Op.

During the day I flip through the binder as needed, and write down books we read.

I don't include worksheets or anything like that in my binder - mine is meant for planning/reference only. Any paperwork that we need to put our fingers on is filed

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I have a calendar tab with monthly calendars, 3 month calendars, and a 3 year calendar; a schedules tab; a tab with each child's name for lesson planning (blank pages I made) and evaluations for me to fill out at the end of each month; a unit study tab (for our plans which include geography, history, science, and art); a field trip planning tab; a reference tab (for info I want to access quickly); and a Language Arts tab (for the plans that came with CQLA).

 

I also have a binder for our unit study that has the weekly printouts in it, but I didn't want them in my main binder.

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We don't use SL aymore, but I still use the weekly 1-36 tabs for our lesson plan binders. I have a LP binder for each child with the 1-36 tabs. Schedule of assignments, handouts, maps, etc go in each week. Behind the 36 weekly tabs I have additional tabs - for 14 yo ds the tabs are: Bible, Health and Science. Those subjects required me to do lesson plans so I keep those plans and notes in those tabs. DS6 binder tabs are: Geography, Health, Memorization and Science- again because they require more detailed lesson plans and don't have things I would typically put behind a weekly tab.

 

I have a Mom's Binder with tabs and sub tabs. My Tabs/Subtabs are:

 

 

  • CHECC Info (our hs group)
  • Homeschool- curriculum shopping lists and wish lists, things I want to remember- subtabs for each child and those sections hold info more specific to them.
  • Household- recipes, master cleaning list, wish lists, nutrition info charts for restaurants we go to semi frequently
  • Business- customer lists and notes etc pertaining to my home businesses
  • Scouts- all scout related info

In the front of the binder before any of the tabs I have a pencil pouch, year at a glance calendar marked with birthdays, then 2 page monthly spread calendar where I keep all appts etc, list of website passwords, local politics info and other misc. info.

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I have my teacher binder set up like this:

 

Inspirations: Quotes and scripture about teaching, education and motherhood that motivate and insipire me

 

Lesson Plans: I keep both boys' plans in one place so I can open my binder and see all we have to do for that week on a 2 page spread. On this spread I also have a to-do list for me and our menu for that week.

 

Our Family Rules: I created our own family rules years ago. Each year we start the year by reviewing them and we use them for copywork those first few days of school as well. I have them posted on our fridge also but keep them here as a great reminder for me. :)

 

Goals: Each semester dh and I sit down and plan goals for each of our boys in a few areas: physical and/or motor skills, spiritual, emotional, social and academic. I write down goals for me each semester and keep them here too.

 

Calendar: Blank calendar I print from Publisher marked all up with my notes about suggested schedules, holidays, birthdays, field trips and such. This is just a school calendar; I keep our family master calendar online with google calendar.

 

Inservice Notes: Every summer I go for 2 days and do my own teacher conference. This year I plan to get away every six weeks or so for one day to

continue. On these days I listen to MP3's, research, read and read online journals. I love to keep my notes from these days and look back at them.

 

Discipleship: The guide I use to help train up our boys is kept here so I just grab it in the morning.

 

LOVE these! Thanks so much for sharing! DH will be thrilled at using our family verses in our school "rules". ;)

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  • 8 months later...
Here are the tabs in my teacher binder. I just made it and it is my first year homeschooling. I've been helped immeasurably by THE filing thread :)

I'm using a 1-1/2" binder.

 

1.Weekly list - this is my "lesson planner" except that I fill in the lessons as we do them. So at the beginning of each week, it's a blank sheet for each girl, with the subject running down the side, and the days of the week across the top. I keep 6 of these, three weeks worth, in the binder

2.Calendar - this is my basic school calendar with planned days off and a basic calendar of days. I keep the family master calendar on the computer, but am planning to have 2-3 weeks worth in here too.

3.WWE1 - I had the binding cut off a lot of the teachers manuals. I got tired pulling out the big stack of them every time we were going to school. Each teachers manual is now in its own binder. I pull out about three weeks worth at a time and put it in my teachers binder. Every week or two I will "reload". So now I just have the binder and the little book for FLL1/2. I rarely use the TM's for math, but those will be in the magazine holders with teh math workbooks.

4.WWE3 - three weeks worth of TM

5.FLL3 - three weeks worth of TM

6.SOTW - three chapters worth of AG, plus pronunciation guide

7.BFSU - next three lessons

8.Reading log - some blank pages for me to write in what they are reading.

9.Spelling log - some blank pages for me to write down words they misspell for retesting later

10.SOTW list - reading list and materials list for SOTW

11.BFSU list - reading list and materials list for BFSU

12.1000 Books - list from the website 1000 Great Books to refer to when I'm trying to find the next book for them to read

13.Checklist ideas - blank pages for me to write down anything I need to. I also put a bunch of extra blank pages for scratch paper, grocery list, or whatever.

 

The girls have a weekly binder set up in a similar fashion. At the front is a checklist for the week, not broken down by which day to do each, but by how many times per week - so there are 6 boxes to check off for math, 4 for grammar, two for spelling etc. Their binders have all the worksheets they need and a few extra in case they want to work ahead, and to give me a buffer for reloading. The only things not in their binders are handwriting, math, and vocabulary. When I reload their binders, the stuff that's done gets put into binders - there is a language arts binder for each, and a history/geography for each.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Diviya

 

This is VERY similar to how I have my 3" binder set up. Some differences are:

 

 

  • I keep 9 weeks worth of lessons (MM/WWE/STOW) instead of three. I also have all required answer keys in my planner too. I love having what I need in one place!

  • My girls' weekly checklist/chart is listed by day the day of the week across the top and subjects down the bottom specifying what and when each subject gets done. This has been a lifesaver for a newbie like me.

 

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I

 

What am I missing? I'd love to hear how your binder is divided up! :)

 

I have a thin section where I put marks of what we do each day, just a hash, so I can look across the 31 days and see what we have not done enough of. At the front, I have a stiff paper with a month list and a time line of what I'm shooting at. If, mid year, I change times or books, I put that in in a different color. Periodically, I contemplate it.

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  • 2 years later...

I use this

instead of a binder. It's a big piece of art paper folded up, and I write in teeny tiny handwriting on it. it's not bulky and I can keep up with it. When I attempt more planning, I actually get less planning done, or less school work done.
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Here are the tabs in my teacher binder. I just made it and it is my first year homeschooling. I've been helped immeasurably by THE filing thread :)

I'm using a 1-1/2" binder.

 

1.Weekly list - this is my "lesson planner" except that I fill in the lessons as we do them. So at the beginning of each week, it's a blank sheet for each girl, with the subject running down the side, and the days of the week across the top. I keep 6 of these, three weeks worth, in the binder

2.Calendar - this is my basic school calendar with planned days off and a basic calendar of days. I keep the family master calendar on the computer, but am planning to have 2-3 weeks worth in here too.

3.WWE1 - I had the binding cut off a lot of the teachers manuals. I got tired pulling out the big stack of them every time we were going to school. Each teachers manual is now in its own binder. I pull out about three weeks worth at a time and put it in my teachers binder. Every week or two I will "reload". So now I just have the binder and the little book for FLL1/2. I rarely use the TM's for math, but those will be in the magazine holders with teh math workbooks.

4.WWE3 - three weeks worth of TM

5.FLL3 - three weeks worth of TM

6.SOTW - three chapters worth of AG, plus pronunciation guide

7.BFSU - next three lessons

8.Reading log - some blank pages for me to write in what they are reading.

9.Spelling log - some blank pages for me to write down words they misspell for retesting later

10.SOTW list - reading list and materials list for SOTW

11.BFSU list - reading list and materials list for BFSU

12.1000 Books - list from the website 1000 Great Books to refer to when I'm trying to find the next book for them to read

13.Checklist ideas - blank pages for me to write down anything I need to. I also put a bunch of extra blank pages for scratch paper, grocery list, or whatever.

 

The girls have a weekly binder set up in a similar fashion. At the front is a checklist for the week, not broken down by which day to do each, but by how many times per week - so there are 6 boxes to check off for math, 4 for grammar, two for spelling etc. Their binders have all the worksheets they need and a few extra in case they want to work ahead, and to give me a buffer for reloading. The only things not in their binders are handwriting, math, and vocabulary. When I reload their binders, the stuff that's done gets put into binders - there is a language arts binder for each, and a history/geography for each.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Diviya

 

 

 

What is "THE Filing" thread? Can anyone point me to it? Thanks!!!

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