When I first began teaching in 1989, a wonderful teacher gave me a binder filled with teaching materials. All the materials were organized by objectives–we didn’t call them standards or indicators back then. That binder was my life-line.
Even as I became a more experienced and confident teacher, that binder was always near. Over the years I continued to add tried and true materials to that binder. The binder was a way for me to make sure I was adequately teaching all the objectives and that I wouldn’t forget the ‘good stuff’ before the next year–or where I’d put it!
Objectives came and went–and often came back around again–which made my binder ever evolving.
Enter Common Core. While much of the content of my binder was still relevant, it needed to be reorganized. Some things did have to go and new things were added. Some of the objectives, now called standards, were looking a little thin. But with my binder, it was easy to see the gaps that still need to be filled.
Below are pictures of the construction of 2 of my binders…ELA Common Core Literature and ELA Common Core Informational Text.
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Just getting started. Cover & binder spine printed in color, but individual standards printed on colored paper. 1.5” Purchased binder, index tabs and package of page protectors. |
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Exterior of both Informational Text and Literature binders. I was planning on buying white binders, but spotted the colored ones that coordinated well with the argyle print. |
