Answers to your Questions!

A few weeks ago I posted a Q&A post where you wonderful people could ask me any questions that you might have for me. No worries, if you still have a question you want to ask, just visit the post and leave a comment.

Shannon from i run read teach asked:

What is the one thing that you do in your classroom that REALLY works and packs some power?

I really had to think about this for a while. Last year when I had two hours with my students daily I would absolutely say that it was the ability to work with them in a small group setting on a daily basis. It was so wonderful to be able to tailor my instruction to the students in each group. Unfortunately, I only have 55 minutes with my students this year when we are on a regular schedule. I really wish that I had more time so meeting with small groups could happen on a more regular basis. I would have to say that this year it is our ISN (Interactive Student Notebooks) that we are using. There will be more to come about these in a future post. 

amybeth64 asked:

Are you doing your Daily 5 using a composition book or a binder?

I do not use a binder with my students. Last year we had one on the supply list, but I never ever used it. Luckily, I was able to convince the other 6th grade ELA teacher that we did not need one this school year. Even though I have not really introduced the Daily 5 this school year, when I do I plan to just add the materials to our ISN. In a perfect world I would've requested two composition books and one would serve as our ISN and the other would be strictly for Daily 5 activities and rotations.

The Ever Changing Classroom from Teaching, Training, and Tots! asked:

What is your top organization tip for teachers?

 This is a tough one! Organization is something that is constantly changing for me based on what I need at the moment. My tip is to get rid of your teacher desk. I know...I am crazy for saying this, but it is amazing what a difference this made for me. I constantly found myself just stacking my things on my teacher desk and then I would get so frustrated because I would not be able to find the things I need. Instead of a desk, what I have now is a kidney table that I use for meeting with small groups and 2 sets of clear stacking drawers. Clear is the key in my opinion because you can see inside of them. :) It holds me accountable and I make sure that everything in them stays nice and tidy. 

I will be back soon with more answers to your questions!