On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most organized, how organized is your student? Are you the parent of a child who has struggled with keeping organized since Kindergarten? Does your son’s backpack house a mound of crumpled papers by the third week of September? If this sounds familiar, we have a simple solution binder system that may be the ticket to getting your upper elementary student organized in a way they can maintain for the school year.
As kids move up in grade in elementary school, they are expected to manage an ever-growing paper flow to and from school. Daily math fact worksheets are soon replaced with long-term project instructions, multi-page social studies study guides, an interactive notebooks. Students who are not naturally organized struggle to keep track of these important documents and may soon find them lost in a messy backpack or desk.
The Case It Binder
Instituting a Case It binder may be just what your upper elementary student needs to get and stay organized. We love the Case It binder for the following reasons: the large Velcro tab keeps everything enclosed, the build-in accordion file is the perfect place for students to organize papers by subject, and the best part – no hole punching is required! Help your student label each accordion tab for each class he is taking. Then, he can easily slip papers into a designated slot keeping the paper flow to and from school organized and manageable.
Behind the built in accordion files, you will find a built in pencil case. This is a great place to store pencils, pens, highlighters, a marker, and possibly a small calculator. If your student’s school issues an assignment notebook, secure it in the rings of the binder.
The Homework Folder
Behind the assignment notebook, we suggest helping your student set up a homework folder. Studies have shown that students with a homework folder earn higher grades than those without one. A homework folder is simply a three hole punched pocket folder. The left inside pocket is labeled “To Do” and the right inside pocket is labeled “Completed.” When given homework assignments in school, your student will put the paper in the left side of the folder. When it’s time for homework, they will open the folder to find all of the items they need to complete. Once completed, the finished products go on the right side of the folder so they may be easily accessed and turned in when the teacher calls for them the following school day.
The rest of the binder may be stocked with loose leaf paper and any regularly referenced documents – such as instructions for writing a five paragraph essay. We suggest these regularly referenced pages be kept in page protectors.
And there you have it. A simple solution binder to help your 5th or 6th grader get – and stay – organized!