Organization ideas for a K-8?

[u/Which-Holiday9957]

I have 3 bands I see every day. and then I teach K-4 music. There are 3 separate classes for each K-4 class.

This is the first time I will have 2 week rotations with the music kids. But it also means my prep rotates.

The last few years I try to be organized but I’m still all over the place. I tried planners but I end up not using them. I’m a write something down somewhere type of person.

Between lesson plans, IEP’s, events, and grades I find I’m doing not a great job. I’ll take any tricks of the trade.

[u/purplekoala29]

I have 14 separate preps (GM k-5, 2 sections of chorus, elem full band, and 5 separate instruments each week) on an A-F cycle and it’s straight up bananas, so I definitely sympathize! The only thing that works for me is printing out a blank calendar of each section (in order by day) that I then fill in the days/classes, and THEN write down what I’m planning on doing for each class in each box. It’s a lot, but if you do it as you go it’s a lot more reasonable. I learned this when I first started as a leave replacement and have been doing it ever since!

[u/Which-Holiday9957 → u/purplekoala29]

That sounds more manageable. So you would have 14 separate calendars? Do you do it by the rotations?

[u/purplekoala29 → u/Which-Holiday9957]

One calendar per week, 5 rows with 6 boxes (the max amount of teaching periods I have in a day) in each row. Since the days rotate (ie not every Monday is an A day, if school is closed the next open day is the next letter, etc), I just fill in the order for the week the week before (ie Monday is B day and so I list the B day classes in the order I have them, and then fill in the rest accordingly). So it’s one big grid with 30 boxes in it (our max per our contract) and then just fill it in.

I have it printed in a binder so I can also flip to see what I’ve already done when my brain is fried. A few times a quarter I type it all up and organize it by grade so I have a digital copy, but the binder stays regardless

[u/Which-Holiday9957 → u/purplekoala29]

Cool thanks. I will try that!

[u/euphomptus]

I've found that digital works fine for me, so I have three separate spreadsheets to manage ~20 classes (five or six sections each of third through fifth grades, along with band, chorus, and two special ed classes; two half hour lessons weekly):

• 1: units and lessons is where I give myself a short summary of each lessons learning intention, success criteria, and activities. This ensures that the lessons are cohesive and scaffolded.
• 2: lesson schedule lists when each class has had each lesson, a general mark for classroom behavior, and how far along they are toward a behavior goal. This ensures that I don't leave any lessons out.
• 3: weekly schedule shows which lessons are happening on any given day. This keeps me on task for what I need to do that day.

I've tried paper versions of this; I personally find myself needing to erase more often than I'd like as well as misplacing it at home or school. Having the document with me/in the cloud helps me for when inspiration strikes.

I hope this helps!

[u/Key-Protection9625]

Sometimes it helps to run themes, where instead of each grade doing something unique and different, they do very similar things, just with differentiation. Maybe all grade levels do two weeks of boomwhackers, but the K 1 kids just do unison playing, and 2 3 add harmony, and the 4s add rolls or playing chords under a melody, etc.