1. Use journals instead of loose leaf notebook paper
It doesn't work all the time, but I've found this is a HUGE time savor and paper-clutter reducer. My students have hard cover math books. I dread assigning work out of them, because I know the stack of math papers that get turned in get added to the others and make me feel like they'll never get checked. And, quite frankly, sometimes they don't. It's an overwhelming task!
A teacher friend of mine last year gave me the idea of using journals for their practice work. This is not a math interactive notebook to take notes and keep foldables. We had those too. These are just for students' book work. Things they were practicing. Things that it's ok to make mistakes on, because that's how we learn. Instead of grading a huge stack of messy papers, I check journals, a set at a time. Paper clutter gone!
2. Give your students answer keys
Yep! You read that right. I have learned that answer keys are not just for the teacher. My students use them all the time. I post answer keys in my classroom in different areas (clip them on the front board, place on a chair in the back corner...). When students finish a set of problems, they go check their answers. They aren't allowed to bring their pencils up with them, just their checking pen. They mark which ones they missed and go back to their seats or their groups and figure out why it's wrong and correct it. This is a HUGE learning opportunity for students, especially if students are working in partners or small groups. The discussions that happen as they are trying to figure out what they did wrong are priceless!
If the group cannot figure out what their mistake was, then they are allowed to come ask me. This also eliminates the students asking for every little thing, forcing them to THINK about the problem in different ways.
3. Have a set of Emergency Sub Plans
Most administrators require their teachers to have Emergency Sub Plans ready in case they are unexpectedly absent. For years, I've tried putting things together, only to feel frustrated because I was trying to pull from my curriculum, not knowing where students would be if and when I was out. I don't think I've ever had to use the plans anyway. There were a few days, though, that I had to go in early that morning, get something ready for a sub and leave before students arrived. That's not good.
So, I made a couple sets of Emergency Sub Plans that will get me through those days. They are printed out with enough copies of worksheets and activity cards for the class and stored in a binder on my shelf. Worth every penny, every minute spent in prepping, because if I'm sick, I can stay home and not worry.
Here's a free math sheet that you can grab. It's included in my Sub Plans for a Week for Upper Elementary: Winter Edition.
Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear some of those things you've learned to save you time :-)
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