Staying organized as a small group intervention teacher is probably one of the hardest parts of my job. In fact, it’s the one area I know I personally struggled with when I went from being a classroom teacher to a Title 1 Reading Intervention teacher last year. Small group organization is SO important to keeping groups running efficiently. Even if you’re a classroom teacher, keeping small groups organized can still be a struggle. Here’s how I manage to keep everything I need at my fingertips!
I’d like to thank Steps to Literacy for sponsoring this post. I received compensation for this post, but all opinions, ideas, and thoughts are mine. I only share about resources, products, and companies that I use and believe, in, and believe will be beneficial to you as well!
Simple Small Group Organization
My Favorite, Sturdy Reading Bins
I’m a less is more kind of person. I don’t think you need anything fancy or to break the bank to stay organized. All you need is a system. I like to start with some, nice sturdy bins in a variety of colors. These Plastic Book Boxes from Steps to Literacy are hands down my favorite. They’re actually my favorite bins for everything from student book boxes to listening centers! Here’s why. These bins are incredibly sturdy and they hold a ton of books. Here’s a comparison to a different bin that I purchased years ago for about the same price.
The Steps to Literacy Bin is on the left, and the other bin is on the right.
The Steps to Literacy bin is wider, has thicker plastic, and can hold more books. It also stays upright no matter how many books are in it, while the other bin fell multiple times as I was adding books. (And we all know how spilled books during Daily 5 can be a constant distraction.) The other bin also has a useless lip on the back that takes up space, but doesn’t provide any more real estate for books.
Color Code to Save Yourself Time
I also love the book boxes from Steps to Literacy because they come in a variety of colors. Not only are they pretty to look at, but having different color bins makes it so much easier to organize! I have one bin for each grade level I work with that is a particular color. Then, I label one folder for each bin with that same color. Any materials we’re currently using go in the matching bin, and any unfinished papers or reference sheets I need go in the folder.
Label It
Lastly, I label the front of my bins so it’s incredibly easy to see where everything goes at a quick glance. Even though each group has a color, having bright, easy to read labels right on the front keeps me organized as well. I include pictures on the labels for my students who aren’t reading so I can easily direct them to grab something from their specific bin.
Even when I work with my pre-schooler at home, I label my Steps to Literacy bins to keep her activities organized as well! Click here to download these labels for free!
Keeping it Organized
I’m not going to pretend that my bins are always perfectly neat, but I do always have the right materials at my fingertips for each grade level group I see. I sometimes see 2-4 groups per grade level, so I keep materials for each grade level in the same bin. That means that at the end of every week (or two), I take 5 minutes to looks through the bins and remove any materials we’re no longer using, make sure to give back any papers, and add new materials we’re going to need. This very simple system has been easy to maintain over the past few years. I’m able to stay organized with minimal effort, and I always know where my materials are. I call that a win!
Click here to grab your set of bins from Steps to Literacy.
Want to see more of my favorite resources from Steps to Literacy? Check out the posts below.
Listening Libraries Diverse Chapter Books Rich Mentor Texts NGSS Science Book Collections Back to School Favorites White Board Tips Tactile Letters Christmas Crafts STEM Tools Brain Breaks Calm Down Kit Ideas
You can join my FREE Facebook Club for k-2 teachers here!
Find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!
