Monday Made It! Student Planner and Monster Math

I am OBSESSED with planners. I love decorating and doodling in mine, and keep a colorful set of markers handy wherever I go for the purpose of color coding. My first year of teaching, I rewarded myself with a Erin Condren planner, and now as I begin my third year, I've ordered my third and am impatiently waiting for it to arrive (seriously, I've been tracking it for days-- it's currently in Indiana). This year I also ordered the Life Planner and can't wait to have another lovely planner to organize!

That said, I would love to pass on my need for organization to my students, but couldn't find exactly what I wanted. Usually, I give homework on Mondays and collect the following Monday. My students are so busy with after-school activities, family obligations, and travel that it made sense to let them organize their own time. However, many lacked the forethought to spread their work over the week (no matter how many times I stressed the importance of it!) and would come in on Monday with an empty packet and a, "My grandma came over on Sunday and I didn't have time!" excuse. Grrrr!!!

I think I'll use the alien cover this year!

I got the idea to make my own planner from a post by The Ladybug Teacher Files. She posted about using a comb-binding machine to keep her spelling journals, and I fell in love with the sleek look of the spiral comb (I can't stand the traditional comb-bindings! They drive me nuts!), and thought that would be a perfect way to make a planner for each student. After a few days at the computer, I created a printable planner that I think will work well for my students (it's on TPT with all four covers included). 

At the beginning of the planner, I have a few resources my students constantly need: login information (we use Kidblog, Code.org, a class website, and I'm thinking about Biblionasium this year too), a multiplication chart, and a page to record our class rules. Next come monthly calendars. We do a few big projects and usually our team prints out a calendar to keep track of important dates, but now it'll be handy with our other important dates (learning celebrations, concerts, book club dates, due dates, etc.). I think before I make copies I'll write in our school dates. I was also thinking this could be a great get-to-know-you activity if each had to ask each classmate their birthday and record it in their planner. I have a teammate who uses individual calendars with Calendar Math- her students record the day's pattern in their own calendar, and I may do the same! I am obsessed with inspirational quotes, so I put a children's literature quote on each month, too.

I love the quotes and hope my students will too!

Last but certainly not least are the weekly planning pages. These are very tailored to what I've seen my students struggle with. First, recording the date; each day of the week is pre-dated. There is a box for activities, and I'm planning to teach my students to fill this in on Sunday or Monday with their families. There is a big box for homework, but I didn't include subject dividers. My thought there is that I can use the box any way I'd like then. I can assign an exit-ticket style math problem to go along with a flipped classroom video (more to come on my idea for that later!!), a reading response, etc. and have students record directly in the box. I could display the week's homework on the board and have students individually fill out when they'll complete each assignment if I still want homework due on Monday's. I think it'll give me and my students more flexibility!

This is my organizational style- hopefully it works for them too!

I use The 40 Book Challenge in my class, and students are supposed to keep their charts in their portfolios, but a few lost theirs when they brought them home (that's why they stay at school, sillies!). In the planner I included a little box for them to record what they read, how many pages, and how many minutes. I've also included a spot for spelling words. I think if they need to record them themselves rather than me handing out a spelling list, it'll hold me more accountable for meeting with each spelling group to do a word sort on Mondays.

Anyways, I wish my Monday Made-Its were more crafty, but anything I make has to come back with me in a suitcase, so I make plans for my Made-Its, and hopefully can stay organized enough to put them together when I go back to Italy. I can't wait to see how they turn out!!

I also made a monster version of my Math Workshop Rotation Board in primary colors. My previous board was cute little love bugs in pink, purple, turquoise, and green. I'm considering changing my classroom color scheme this year, but we shall see :) This too is on TPT!