The Paper VonTrapp

Last year I was on a paper ration.  For those of you who are a paper ration, I totally feel your pain.  For those of you who are NOT on a paper ration, count your blessings.  Here's a basic rundown on WHY some schools have a paper ration.

Some second grade math:  a pallet of paper, roughly 50 cases, is around $1300.  That's a lot of dough that comes directly out of your schools operation budget.  Back to math class: A case has 10 reams in it which in turn has 500 sheets of paper in a ream.  So 1 case = 5000.  I was given 3 cases of paper to last the whole year.  That's 15000 sheets of pristine white, unlined paper to use for 180 days worth of instruction.  How can you conserve paper and still deliver the type of quality instruction that you are excepted to deliver?  How about INTERACTIVE JOURNALS!

Try typing in the term "interactive journals" into teachers pay teachers and you will have a list longer than Rapunzel's hair to get through.  There are IJ for just about every subject and every grade level.  I'm going to tell you about a few of my favorites. (Since I teach 2nd Grade all my favs oars geared toward the primary sector) If you want to snag yourself your own copy of any of the ones I talk about, just click the link that is in the caption.

Math:
I love Tales from a Traveling Teacher.  She has great math journals that cover every standard of 2nd grade.  Print off two pages instead of 24 and the kids paste the heading, the activity, and the follow up reasoning and they are off and practicing what they learned in small group.  Fabulous!

Tales From a Traveling Teacher

I also enjoy using this one by Over the Hills.  Same principle as the one above yet more flip-flap book format.  Both are highly enjoyed by the kids.

Over the Hills

For Reading/Language:

I LOVE Nicole Shelby.  Her format is so cute, the kids love the pictures, and introducing each standard and concept is so easy.

 

Nicole Shelby

I also really like 247 Teacher's notebook as well.  Easy to implement, the kids love the pictures, and you save a ton of paper!

247 Teacher

And for Science, check out The Science Penguin.  They cover each strand with interactive foldables, flip-flap books, and diagrams that make putting science concepts in bite-size pieces just right for 2nd graders.

The Science Penguin

Now that you've saved a ton of paper in your journals and notebooks, how do you keep from burying yourself under a mountain of returned work like a hoarder on one of those awful tv shows?  Simple.  By spending a few minutes each day managing the paperwork.  Which leads me to the topic of tomorrow's post.  Exciting stuff I do declare!

So, tune in tomorrow, Same Bat time, same Bat channel! 

See you tomorrow!
Shauna