Markers, whiteboards, and erasers are a HUGE hassle in my classroom. They’re always all over the floor, and it’s always a pain for students to go gather up the materials. I was so tired of the ten minutes it took to pass them out and clean them up. So, I started brainstorming. I have found the easiest way to deal with dry-erase boards is to bag them all up. So, here’s my guide to setting up individual whiteboard bags for classroom organization.
Organizing Materials That You’ll Need:
EXPO Markers (Amazon affiliate link)
Freezer Ziploc Bags (Amazon affiliate link)
Crew socks (Amazon affiliate link)
White Boards (Amazon affiliate link)
So, here is my idea. I’m going to put all the materials they need into a baggie that they can just grab. Instead of passing out boards, markers, and erasers every single time you’re using these bags, why not bag them all up.
Here’s a look at my individual whiteboard bags. Each student gets a board, a sock, and a dry erase marker. Unless your students are not argumentative in the slightest (unlike mine), you will hear the argument over who gets what color. But I just call up each group and tell them to grab the bag on top. “You get what you get, and you don’t throw a fit!” They aren’t allowed to dig through the bucket.
Organized Whiteboard Bin
Last year, when I taught Kindergarten, I would put them back in for them and stand each bag up neatly and tidy. The students would walk their baggies up to me, and I would shove them in standing upright so they were nice and tidy. But this year, I decided that my second graders needed to practice responsibility, so they’re in charge of lining them up neatly. It can get messy sometimes. I remind students that if they tear these bags up and lose the markers and socks, we won’t be buying new ones to fix them up! So, that helps them take good care of them.
For more organizational tips, check out this post on setting up your Small Group nook.
