Back-To-School Tuesday

Today I am going to share a dual purpose organizer.

I start out by explaining the rules to my students while holding the clock.  They are to collect each other's signatures.  If someone signs your sheet, you must sign their sheet.  The catch is you both have to sign by the same number.  If they sign by a four, you have to to sign on their sheet by a four.  You may only sign someones sheet once.

I then give them time to get every one's signature.

Then, we see who can get by  the person that signed their sheet the fastest.  I say stand by the person who signed your sheet by the two.  They then rapidly race to get by that person.  It helps them learn each others names, and more.  If there are 3 people standing together and someone doesn't have a partner, I know immediately there is a problem.  I then, fix the problem.  After going through all the times, I collect the sheets.

Before the next class period, I make me a copy of their sheets. (Sometimes, I copy them on colored paper and give that copy back to its owner.)  I make a copy because sometimes names magically change when they find out the second use for this or in case one paper would decide to disappear into the trash can.

When I give the clocks back to their owners with holes punched.  My students quickly learn that means it is something I intend them to keep.

When we need to work with partners, I say work with your three o'clock partner, or your seven o'clock partner,etc and that person is their partner until further notice.  This helps by making students work with new partners: cuts down exclusion time and hard feelings for the one student that gets left out: and makes the cliques work with new people.  It also saves precious class time while they decide who will be partners.

You can download a pdf. with this free organizer at my TPT store or at my Teacher's Notebook store.

What type of group organization tools do you use?