Lesson Plan Binder and Getting Ahead

With school winding down it's normal for me to start thinking about next year. I call this my "guinea pig time" because as I think of new ideas I like to try them out with the class I currently have. Test the waters, see if an idea or activity works or flops.

I also like to get as much done as I can now for next year. I like to have some of my beginning of the year items copied and ready to go to save myself a headache come August. Each year that I teach I feel like I get more and more on top of the following year's to-do list.

Our math sheets for next year were delivered already, so when my students finish a project early I've been having them unstaple and sort them for me. Awesomesauce! I have our class stuffed animal's binder and bag ready to go, spelling notebooks copied, student information sheets printed and ready to be filled out, and I have started to put together my teacher binder for next year. 

I don't know about you, but I like to have all of my important stuff in one space. My lesson plan binder this year had a lot of sections that I didn't use and it felt like a waste of space. So I created one to fit my needs and am using it the last two weeks of school to see how it goes. Taking it on a test drive!

I'm loving the fun colors and using the Frixion erasable markers to plan. There's no way I could write in a planner in marker without the ability to erase! 

I bought my binder at Staples in the Martha Stewart section. It's actually a discbound notebook that I took the paper out of. It takes a special hole punch that they sell as well made by the Staples brand.

Inside the binder I keep my grading scale, some sticky notes, and the different tabbed sections.

So far it's sporting a section for my student information pages that I have parents fill out every year, class lists, schedules, my grade book, and more! 

If you're interested in my lesson plan binder 

check it out on TPT! 

Only 8 days of school left for me, how about you?