Meet Sebrina From Burke's Special Kids

Just dropping in to say hello to everyone!  My name is Sebrina and my blog is Burke's Special Kids!  I have been a classroom and reading intervention teacher for 21 years.  During this time I have experienced MANY changes in education. Unfortunately so many of the changes mean MORE work. So teachers are always looking for time saving tips. I am going to share a couple with you that have saved me time in the classroom recently.

Some of my favorite education activities involve task cards. They are colorful, skill-driven, and encourage thinking and movement.  HOWEVER, managing them can be a drag on your time.  A super time saving tip I have learned is to code the back of your task cards so that they are easy to match up in the correct sets.

I usually do this after I laminate and cut them apart.  This particular set also included a title with the standards, so I coded it also.  Since there were about ten sets of cards that went with this activity, it is super easy to get the correct cards back in a set.  I store each set in an appropriately sized sandwich or snack baggie.  

This set includes several sets of task cards, as well as response cards.  Voila, the gallon baggies are great for these type of cards.

I store my task cards in binders with page protectors. Typically I print out the cover sheet so I can see at a glance the activities included with the particular cards.  Everything goes in a binder.  This binder includes my winter task card activities.

Within the page protectors I keep a recording sheet master and an answer key if provided.  You notice the bagged task cards fit nicely.  Just don't turn the binder upside down!  That will cost you some time!

My second tip is to use color coded file folders for all of the activities, plans, and copies needed for each subject area by day. In other words, I have folders for each day of the week for all of the core subjects I teach.  I place worksheets that are run, task cards I plan to use, etc. in these folders. This eliminates looking through stacks of copies for the pages I need each day.  If I am out, it is easy for a substitute to walk in.  Many of my folders contain the specific student names in my differentiated groups.  

Since I hate those stacks of copies that suck away my time, I started using a second set of folders.  This way I am able to plan ahead for the coming week.  I simply write the date in pencil on the Monday folder, then place copies in the folders as I plan.  At the end of the week, I simply rotate out the complete set of folders.  

I hope you found something in this post that will save you some time. Wishing everyone a few extra minutes of relaxation!  I know we can all use it at this time of the year!