As every teacher and parent knows, student organization is an indicator of academic success. And yet, teaching students how to get and stay organized can be a challenge! Early in traditional elementary school it’s pretty easy – one class, one teacher, one set of due dates. As students grow older though, it becomes more complicated! Having multiple teachers, multiple classes, and multiple due dates is quite overwhelming for some students.
Often, students don’t know how to deal with this feeling of overwhelm and just shut down. What does this look like? Late or missing work, usually.
Not lazy, just overwhelmed
I teach 5th grade in a departmentalized school. That means that students are switching classes already – at 10 years old! They have 4 classes per day – Science, Math, Humanities (Language Arts and History), and PE. I teach the Humanities class 🙂 Academically this is fantastic for them – we are a STEM focused school and they get lots of math and science time with teachers who are experts in their fields. But for student organization, it can be a challenge!
I have developed a few systems to help our students. These systems are entirely digital because students who are organizationally challenged are also the ones likely to lose or forget paper planners. We are a 1:1 school so they always have access to their Google account!
Student Organization in Google Classroom
Each month I give the students a Google Sheets calendar. I’ll put a few key dates on there, but it is often mostly blank. I share this assignment calendar through Google Classroom as “Make a copy for each student.”
Also, each week I give the students a digital Assignment Checklist. I have a few versions in my TPT store: Google Slides, Google Sheets, and seasonal ones that combine both Slides and Sheets. Again, I assign this through Google Classroom as “Make a copy for each student.”
Helpful Hint!! Did you know that you can use emojis in Google Classroom? And symbols?? Go to coolsymbol.com for any possible symbol you might want! A quicker shortcut for emojis, though, is to just right click. In Google Classroom, put the cursor where you want it, right click, and start typing. Boom!
I use emojis and symbols all the time in my Google Classroom to direct students to each assignment. The checklists get a checkmark, stories get a book, etc. Very handy.
Model the Organization Systems
When it comes time to fill in the student calendars or assignment checklists, there is only one way to success. Modeling, modeling, modeling!!!!! I start from the very beginning, finding the document in Google Classroom and walk them through the whole process of filling it in, and how to mark an assignment as complete.
Keep Parents Informed
I also make sure that students and parents know how to utilize the To-Do list on Google Classroom! That is a fantastic feature. The To-Do list helps greatly with student organization as it will keep track of assignments from multiple teachers.
With all of my student organization systems, I keep parents in the loop as much as I can. I take screenshots after going through the modeling process with the students. Early in the year I post those on Google Classroom. As the year progresses I stop doing that in order to build responsibility in the students to keep up as I show them in class. However, the screenshots are available. I also email parents with the dates of big projects or assessments so that they are aware.
I encourage parents and students to print the assignment checklists and student calendars if they can and keep them out and visible! Physically crossing things off is a very satisfying feeling for everyone.
Student Organization = Confidence = Success
Keeping students organized is a big part of student academic confidence and success, so they need all the tools and support we can give them!
