Table Specific Supplies & Materials

The use of a supplies and materials have always had their inherent issues.  Individual materials leads to arguments and need of space just as much as the use of communal resources (when they are kept on a supply shelf).  I personally prefer the use of communal supplies, it helps establish a sense of student community and reduces the battles over ownership.  

One major issue with how communal resources are often handled is the built in loss of instructional time during transitions.  No matter how practiced transitions and procedures are, there is just that inherent time loss.

What I like about the table specific materials is that the necessary materials are easily at hand (the one pictured has markers, scissors, rulers, pencils, lined paper, and hand sanitizer) .  While having the materials close has the potential for fiddling and misbehaving, I believe the benefit of easy access is worth the investment.  I saw these used in a 3rd grade class, and there was no observable misuse while I was in the classroom.

Math Partners

Having pre-made math partners (either homo- or hetero-geneous grouping, based upon your pedagogical beliefs) enables teachers to quickly divide into partner work, limiting the amount of time wasted during transitions.  

Special Spots

This classroom visual creates a quick go to for distributing students throughout the classroom.  Each student has a clothespin, and the pins correspond to a different spot in the room.  This enables teachers to quickly disperse students, allowing for a change of pace while minimizing the chaos of complete choice.

The Writing Process

This classroom visual allows for students to self assess and keep track of their own writing.  This leads to a form of ownership of the process that facilitates student work.  I also love the ability to the teacher to quickly assess (formative) where the class is at any given Writer's Workshop