Reading Organization Madness

I’ve always had a love-hate-relationship with the Journeys Reading Series.
I dislike anything to do with their “centers” and flip-chart style directions provided.
{The reason why I created Journey’s Reading Units on TPT}
I simply do not use them.  
I don’t use their phonics cards.
I dislike the way the level readers came in bins that I could only fit 2 on my shelf!
I also dislike the way the back of the level readers don’t have the story name listed.
Who can really remember what 2.3.4 story is?!?!
Not this teacher!
Last year I decided to make an accordion folders with everything in them, for each story.
Including all the level readers.
Everything was nice and neat.
But…..
Piles like this started to happen.
I didn’t keep up with putting things back in the folders right away, 
because sometimes kids still had the books to work with.
Yep…then I couldn’t remember what level reader went with what story.
And what teacher really has the time to go look up what level reader goes with what story!?!
This is my solution.
LABELS!
All of these items were already in the neat folders
and vocabulary cards were also in the white envelope in the picture.
But…..they also started getting mixed up because of course I kept them up for awhile.
And of course they aren’t labeled by story, or even with numbers!
So I started to label, label, and label!
Every vocabulary card has a label.  Every teacher helper packet.
LABELS!
I’m hoping this means this will not be a problem next year.
Between all of these materials and LLI materials, I’m sinking in too many things per group!
Another solution to materials in my classroom this year.
Reading notebooks per reading group.
I had kiddos count pages and put tabs, to make 3 sections.
Blue= Nonfiction
Pink= Fiction
Yellow= Vocabulary {last minute decision, next year it’ll be first!}
Students simply do all writing to a level reader, including graphic organizers in this baby.
No more, “Where is your ____ sheet?!?!”
Honestly, sometimes I don’t get to meet with  my 2 high groups due to my LLI Groups.
And due to that, paper just kept stuffing their folders.
 Students put a sticker to represent where a new story starts.
This allows us to easily find different stories.
They also include the title of the story and the date.
 Journeys level readers have graphic organizers/questions at the back of the book, 
but no printables to go with it. 
And who really wants to be putting in copies for every level reader, per group, each week?!
 I like to use some of these on a weekly basis in these notebooks.
We also do some phonics work once in awhile, 
based on what I notice kiddos are struggling with in group.
The only items put in this notebook in the fiction and non-fiction sections 
are based on guided reading groups.
This has been a fantastic way to keep myself organized, along with my kiddos.
I also have used these at parent teacher conferences to point how why so and so
 needs to improve effort in reading.
I didn’t really know what we were going to do in the yellow, third section.
Until I got feed-up with how we were doing vocabulary.
Now kiddos simply make their vocabulary chart in here!
This was when we first started this.
Kiddos aren’t allowed to copy my little definition anymore.
I still write the definition and word on the elmo.
But they have to use the word in their own sentence now.
I’m sure many of you have your own system already.
But I know I continue to learn new ways to organize or read something and think, 
“Why in the heck didn’t I do this already?”
So I thought I’d share:)
If you have any reading organization that has helped you out, I’d love to hear it!

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7 Comments

  5. I'm glad to see someone else uses Journeys. I like your journal ideas. Do you use the journals during whole group, also? Thanks for sharing your ideas.
    Sara
    Sara-at-school.blogspot.com

    1. Oh heavens girl, you wouldn't believe how many times I re-organize something even though I've already done it 2 or 3 times this school year!:)

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