Data! Data! Data!

My school requires teachers to have Data Binders, but I have been using one for about 15 years. I like all of my students' information to be in one place. It makes it easy for me use during conferences and take to meetings. Some years my binder is thicker than other years, but this year is the largest it has ever been due to the increased number of assessments students are required to take during the school year.

 

 

I place my student contact sheets in the front pocket so I can easily contact families. Behind my table of contents (which I seem to constantly edit) I keep all of my passwords because who can ever keep up with all of them?!

 

 

Students are working below grade level are required to be placed on Personalized Education Plans (PEPs) so I keep all of their information in one section.

 

 

I keep my students' reading levels in a section which includes oral reading fluency, Guided Reading levels, and all of my reference charts from Reading 3D, Teachers College, and Fountas and Pinnell.

 

In the MAP section I keep my training booklet for when I can't remember what a report is called or what it should be used for. I record progress on charts and also keep signed copies of growth reports from parents/guardians.

 

 

I keep track of MAP goals so I know who needs reteach and who can benefit from enrichment.

 

 

 

Everything in my binder is designed to be easily accessible and easily understood. I keep my data current because it ensures I am differentiating for my students' needs.

 

Revisiting the Organization of My Balanced Literacy Room

I have added hundreds of books to my classroom library since the beginning of the year. The students have created their own book categories. I have finally found a spot to keep my teaching materials. This is not a very insightful post, but I know I like seeing how other classrooms are organized for Balanced Literacy. I hope you can take something away from mine.

 

I decided to put all of my Balanced Literacy teaching materials together on one bookcase. I meet with my literacy teammates twice a week and I am also a member of my school's Balanced Literacy team, so I need easy access to all of my materials. Also if a colleague borrows something it is easy for them to return to the correct place. My DIBELS and DRA assessment kits are on the top. In the cubbies underneath I house all of the books for my book clubs to use during the year. Since I am just starting out on the Balanced Literacy journey, I do not have many books for the clubs yet. I have found that by putting them in these separate cubbies I am able to see which clubs most need books.  This way when my facilitator or even classroom parents ask me if there are any books I need, I can take a quick visual inventory and give a quick answer.

 

Students created a Sports Basket.

 

I have added many new books since August, so I had to divide my leveled books in to picture book baskets and chapter book baskets.

 

I teach two blocks of literacy each day. My morning block is an inclusion group so the reading levels range from an A to a Q!

 

Students came up with the Books About Rodents basket and the Wings! basket.  We had so many books about cats and dogs that we had to divide them into picture books and chapter books.

 

Objects in the Sky was one of the units the students were studying in the Science Lab, so we created that basket.  I also used to teach Math so I pulled out all of my books with Math links and leveled them.

 

I have five cooperative group tables in my classroom. Each table has a Writing Tub that contains a dictionary, thesaurus, rhyming dictionary, punctuation and grammar handbooks, lists of commonly misspelled words, and any other type of spelling/writing/grammar book I have collected over the years. Each table has a Writing Captain that is in charge of getting the tub for students to use during Writing Workshop.

Fluency Friends

Students select a book at their reading level.  My students use their Accelerated Reader reading range levels.  They read while their partner times them for 1 minute.
The partner counts how many words the student reads in 1 minute (I have my students use the one minute sand timers so all they have to do is flip it over).  Then partners switch places.  Students write the book title and number of words read on the record sheet.

You could also have students use the DIBELS Progress Monitoring passages that they have already been tested on.  Simply put a copy of the passage in a plastic sleeve and stick it on a clipboard.