Task Card and Game Overload? Organize!

     I think my task cards I've made and bought are some of my favorite things in my classroom.  When I started collecting them, I knew I needed a good way to store them along with my one-page games.  At first, I started using a huge binder and protective sheets for everything, but it immediately started getting too fat with all those pieces in there.  I had to come up with a workable system.

Here is how I do it:

• Keep task cards in those accordion coupon files (I have three sizes from Target Dollar Spot.)

  

  Target has such cute files!

• Keep task card originals and answer sheet originals in a small binder in sheet protectors.  I keep these originals even after my task cards are laminated and cut just in case we lose one of them! (and we will lose one sometime!)  I also put a sticky note on the original telling myself where the task cards are kept.
• Some answer sheets are hard to identify as to which task cards they go with, so I also add post-it notes telling myself which task cards the answer sheet matches.
  

  

  small binder for all originals

• Keep single game boards (and worksheets) and wipe-off pages used over and over with dry erase markers in sheet protectors in a BIG binder. These can get bulky, so I use the biggest binder I have.
  
  
  

  

  I use heavy-duty sheet protectors

• Use dividers with tabs to separate wipe-off pages and games into different skills  (e.g. money, measurement, addition/subtraction games)

single page games kept in large binder separated by dividers

a single page bump game by sandyslearningreef.blogspot.com

Do whatever works for you, but this system has kept me somewhat sane!  I have to stop buying task cards, I have to stop buying task cards, I have to stop buying task cards...

Cool Stuff for $1

     Thanks to Stephanie @ www.thirdgradethoughts.com, I went to Target today to look for some of the flashcards she mentioned the other day.  I found some cool stuff to start the year off!  I found the cutest chalkboard stickers for my team!  I thought we could use them outside our doors (we change classes for our LA block, so we have different kids coming to our rooms, trying to remember what they need to bring.)   I wrote on them already, but they erase great with a damp cloth (tried it.) There were even some stickers that were speech bubble shapes! So cute. I used an Expo Brightsticks pen to write on them.  I love these pens, and I use them on the regular chalkboard to write things that I want to keep on the board all year.  They don't erase when you wipe over them with the regular eraser and come in five colors.  You have to use a wet wipe or two to get it off the chalkboard, but it works great and the colors are good. 

www.lovsthirdgrade.blogspot.com

www.lovesthirdgrade.blogspot.com

I also found  flashcards  ($1) that Stephanie mentioned along with some wipe-off books ($1), which I promptly cut apart to fit into my plastic file holders for my centers.  There were also some wipe-off flashcards, and of course I had to grab some more of the little dry erase markers (4/$1) and erasers.  

www.lovesthirdgrade.blogspot.com

 Social Studies

      Ok, now for a social studies connection...We all know there are things that our kids should know, things we don't directly teach on a regular basis because of time constraints.  For older elementary kids to know the 50 states and their locations is just a "given," right??  I believe that we have to teach and review these things and not just assume they will get it down the road.  Consider this a preteaching activity!  Geography and maps seem to get a little lost sometimes, at least in our curriculum.  I love maps and coloring them.  I love map colors!  Weird, I know.  The kids in our district learn their states and capitols in 5th grade and up.  A little center where they get a head start couldn't hurt. 

www.lovsthirdgrade.blogspot.com

See? I just justified my purchase, much like I do when I buy clothes I don't need.  I found these wipe-off maps ($1) and flashcards on a different Target trip, but still very recently, so they should still have them.  I thought the kids could draw a card from the stack, read a little about it, use the card like a locator map, and label the board using the correct abbreviation.  They could also label the capitols.  It even has continents on the back of the board for more practice.  LOVE IT for $1!  
  
 Yea Target...again!