Simplifying Classroom Supplies

Do you struggle with deciding what materials to have your students buy for class? Do you have a hard time figuring out what system you will have them use to organize their classwork and assessments?

In the past I required students to have a notebook and a large binder with dividers for various sections (vocab, grammar, culture, tests) but I wasn’t very good about helping students stay organized in their binders. I wouldn’t always tell them where to put their materials and some activities fit in multiple categories. The binders got bulky and made it a lot to carry around. The system was clunky and it wasn’t working for ME so I know it wasn’t working well for my students.

Now, I only require my students to purchase three things : a composition notebook, a folder and a three prong folder. Having fewer materials makes our system simpler and easier to follow and it is relatively inexpensive for families. I tell my students on the first day of school what materials they need just in case they didn’t get the letter or were added late to the class. I continue to remind them for several days. For the first couple weeks I use only their packets and I add lines on the packets for them to write our shared writing on. This allows them some time to get the materials needed for class.

Their composition book, their “journal”, is to copy down the class shared writing and for free writes. I chose a composition book because it tends to hold up better to wear and tear and it also fits inside a folder. The folder will hold their composition book and their papers (handouts, activities, weekly packet). The three prong folder is for their summative portfolio. The three prong folder lives in a tiered drawer in the classroom so they don’t lose it. I hold onto it over the summer and after they graduate I box them up and send them to the teacher at the high school to continue adding to them. I don’t have a homeroom so the lockers in my classroom are empty so I have them keep their folder with their journal in a locker they share with a few friends. They get very excited about getting a locker and decorating a name tag. I like that their materials are here so they can’t forget them in their homeroom. They have fewer things to remember to bring with them (chromebook, pencil, planner). You can also use a milk crate or a drawer unit to store their folders if you don’t have lockers.

They can continue to use those three things for their three years of level one as long as they are in good condition and if they have not filled their journal. I like that at the end of 8th grade they will be able to look back at their writing and see how much they have grown.

And that is it! Only three things! It is simpler for my students and their families. It’s also simpler for me which allows me to help my students be more organized.

All the best,

Robyn