One of my favorite things I began this year was my O.W.L. Binders. O.W.L. stands for Organized While Learning. Thanks to Pinterest and other blogs, I got started at the beginning of the year, and they have become an incredible STAPLE in my daily routine. Here’s my O.W.L. binder assembly strategy.
The kids act incredibly responsible with these binders, and every single thing I need for parent communication is in one area. I will continue this throughout my teaching career (unless something better comes along), but in all four years of teaching, this is by far the best parent/teacher communication strategy I have had.
Here are all my kids O.W.L. Binders together. The binder covers I sell are found here…
TPT Download
Now off to my O.W.L. Binder Assembly
Start with 1-inch binders and divider tabs.
Here’s a closer look at the front of the binder. The kids loved having their own colored owls. On the first day of school, all they wanted to do was talk about their colored owl on their O.W.L. binders.
Section 1:
At the front of their binders is we put their homework planners (which get signed every night).
First things first, in my O.W.L. binder assembly, we start with our table of contents.
I had to make sure I gave students and parents their responsibilities at the beginning of the year. They signed their “contracts,” which students learned was their promise to check it every night and to take care of it.
Here is the parent section.
In this section, I have my rules, procedures, class list, class schedule, etc.
I put a big envelope in the Parent Section to place checks, book orders, doctor’s notes, etc.
Section 2:
OWL Report
Newsletter and other weekly notes
Part of my section 2.
Section 3 of my O.W.L. Binder Assembly:
- Homework
- Spelling Lists
- Tic-Tac-Toe Charts
- Vocabulary Study Guides
- Any additional homework for the week
Spelling homework is placed here.
My weekly homework for the week…
Need some easy homework ideas? Click the image for my Valentine’s Comprehension Packet.
Section 4:
Behavior Section
This is in the behavior section, and it is our daily behavior recording sheet. You can find it in my owl behavior chart pack on TPT. Click the image to check it out.
OWL-themed Behavior Chart
I highly suggest you try this out next year and follow my O.W.L. binder assembly strategy. I have found a great improvement in my kiddo’s responsibility for their student material.
For more content on how to organize your classroom, check out this post on my morning routine.