Strategies to teach students how to organize their desks.
Student school desks are small and overcrowded with text books, pencils, an abundance of papers, and a few may have the odd edible product hidden in a back corner. Organization of a desk is a difficult task even for a highly organized individual.
The key to organizing a desk is to implement a system for clearing clutter that all students utilize. You may wish to give a group points on a weekly or daily basis for desks that are tidy and clean. However, you need to assist the habitual untidy student who has a difficult time keeping the desk organized no matter the parameters you put in place.
A classroom environment that has little disorganization and clutter is a better learning setting for the student. Tidying up the classroom is a learned behaviour that takes little time after the organization system is in place.
Textbooks
Often the textbooks take up a large area of the desk leaving little room for the student’s workbooks, assignments, and papers. Textbooks may be left on a shelf each evening and in the morning students collect their books and place them under their desk or chair.
Label the textbooks on the spine with the students name, or numerically. When the student shelves their book they must place it in the correct order based on the storing system. As well, you may have a textbook leader for each group who files the textbooks for a week.
Notebooks
Each subject is assigned a specific colour. Try and have all subjects with a different colour or have students design the covers of the book for the different subjects for easier retrieval from the desk. Students can simply look for a blue book for math.
Another option is for students to store their math notebook inside their math textbook or workbook. All related material is found in the same location, which saves the student’s time and their less chance a book goes missing.
Papers
Students have an avalanche of paper in the desks. Some students keep it neatly to one side, others just crumple and shove. A paper system is crucial to implement to ensure student’s work is graded, tests signed by parents, and important notes are taken home.
All students should receive folders with two storing flaps. The more common labels for folders are tests, assignments, notes, math, language arts, French, and other. Loose papers are filed in one of the folders. It is important for teachers to give students a few extra minutes in the beginning of the school year to learn the system. For the first couple of weeks you implement this program, randomly check the folders.
It is easier to tell students to bring home their tests to be signed by their parents if they are all in one place. Students are notorious for losing items in their desks, give them a method that decreases their chances of lost papers.
Parent Solutions to Student Paper
Pencils
Pencils, pens, markers are student’s luxury items in the desk. Some student’s have several pencil sharpeners, 10 pencils and much more. For primary grades give students small baskets to hold their pencil cases, and other items. For junior grades, tell them all items must be stored in a carrying case. Give students a Ziploc bag to store their pencil case, rulers, pencil sharpeners and other items to keep them in a closed environment. Too often, pencils are on the floor because the desks are overflowing with materials.
Water Bottles
Allow students to store water bottles underneath their desks during the day, however all bottles must go home each night or be recycled.
