fall 2011 - Managing Materials

Last semester I was in a classroom where the students sat at tables of 5 instead of indiviual desks. Each student had a basket that had a few supplies in them. Books were all stacked on shelves and the students had to go get their books for each subject. This made for less clutter around their seats.
I have seen 2 different styles of managing materials this semester. I like having supplies available to students to use at their own discretion whether they are 2nd grade or 5th. The 2nd grade teacher had 7 baskets along the counter and in each basket were the following; colored pencils, crayons, pencils, sissors, glue sticks, erasers, and markers. When the students needed a pencil sharpened they would exchange it for a sharp one in the basket. This was a great way to keep the students on task quickly and not always at the pencil sharpners.