Today, students began working in earnest on our organization unit. We started with something that can be a constant source of disorganization for students: their binders. We worked through a checklist of effective binder organization, looking at everything from keeping papers in the proper sections to making sure loose papers weren’t simply floating around inside the binder.

We also paired our general organization checklist with the individual requirements established by each student’s teachers. This gave students an opportunity to make sure their binders weren’t just generally organized, but organized in a way that would actually help them stay on top of their work across all of their classes.

By the end of the activity, students had gone through their binders, sorted their papers, removed unnecessary materials, and made sure that every document had a proper place. It may seem like a small step, but having an organized binder is an important part of developing the habits and systems students need to manage their time, keep track of assignments, and reduce the stress that can come with schoolwork.

We finished the day with a quick agenda check, pictured above.