Binder Dashboards

June is quickly coming to an end... can you believe how fast this academic year went by???  All of us, students, parents and teachers alike are on burnout mode. Right about now, all I can think about is sleep, sleep and more sleep. But, with just a few more days to go, I decided that we should use some of our time in the classroom to dedicate to organization - especially of items we can reuse in the upcoming new term. So, the gang and I gathered some materials and got started on preparing our binders that we will use in September. No, no.. we wont be gathering worksheets and assignments from now. Instead, we created a binder dashboard. (The dashboard is located on the inside cover of the binder.) Since I wanted the kids to be able to use this in the classroom, I wanted them to go beyond decorating a space, to including effective tools that they can utilize as reference or review.  The following photos show what the creative process looks like in middle school!

 In the photo above, this student already completed 2 reference tools and is on to the third! One is drawn on a flashcard (the hamburger paragraph outline) the other is on a card that is inserted into a pocket (persuasive writing outline), and the third is in the shape of a pencil (the writing process)!

This guy is all about the right heading! He is taking the time to label his resources so that sectioning them on the dashboard will become easier and thus locating the items will be much faster.

These darlings pulled out everything they needed to get inspired - including an old doodle assignment booklet!

Getting Started

We began by creating items like you would for a lapbook activity. Students used construction paper, coloured pencils, decorative tape and anything else they had on hand to get started on their tools. Items to be added on the dashboards are endless. We are including Math and Scientific Formulas, and even some Vocabulary Terms in addition to the tools mentioned before.

According to the nature of the binder, for example, the teacher binder, you can include 'to do' lists, lesson plans at a glance, mini calendars, parent contact info, computer links and passwords and many more. The idea is to figure out the things you use frequently and combine them in a space that you can easily access throughout the term. This way, you can add to your productivity in the classroom, as a student or teacher. 

Isn't this a fun and productive way to end of the term???