Common Core... Getting organized

This weekend I took time to get my math Common Core materials in order. The more organized I get, the better I feel about getting a grasp on the standards. I feel a little lighter knowing my general direction for the year.

I started by making labels for the manila folders I'm using to store original copies. This will make it easier next year when I go to copy papers. I loved the idea from That's So Second Grade!, so I decided to make my own using 3rd grade math standards. You can get these labels in my TpT Store here and here.

 

Next, I grabbed a big filing tote and organized the standards by the quarter I plan on teaching them during. I decided it would be more logical for me to file this way instead of by standard as I found the standards skip around.

Then I spent Friday evening copying CC pages from my TpT, my friend Catdogteaches, and Miss Nannini's stores. I began making "I can" statements on sentence strips to hang in a pocket chart in my classroom.

I started with my pre and post assessment graphs. These will go in my student's binders. My students will be graphing the scores they get on their pre and post tests on this graph. I bought Miss Nannini's binder pack, but only like the Standards Based Assessment page that the students use to write the "I can" statements. The other pages might work for other classrooms, but just didn't work for me. Plus, I like seeing the graphs on one page instead of two.

Each standard gets an individual hanging file where I store items to match the learning targets. First in the files are sentence strip "I can" statements that match the standards. I follow with journal labels to have my students use in their math journals to explain each standard with words and/or pictures to show understanding. I put my Common Core practice worksheets to use for practice on each standard. I included my friend Catdogteaches' exit tickets to use after the practice worksheets. Then I put my extended response worksheets that are focused on each standard and awesome to use for state test prep.

I'm certain I'll find more to add to these files, but as for now, I'm feeling accomplished and ready to start using these materials!

Happy teaching,
Amber