The Teacher Tool Box

Frequently during my guided reading groups I have to roll in my chair a few feet to the set of drawers that holds our supplies or I had to get up for supplies. Just simple supplies like a dry erase board, pencils, or sticky notes. It sounds like a small problem but it was taking too much time. 

Then after thinking about how my students have these blue buckets on their desks for their supplies (which I love), I decided I should have one with all of MY supplies. Everything is right next to me and it doesn't take up too much room. It has turned out to be the perfect solution!

The student's buckets are organized very similarly so I'm also modeling how I want them to organize theirs. 

What is in my teacher tool box? Well I like to keep it simple and easy. In the first cup is highlighters and a pen. We use highlighters to check answers or to find important information in passages. Obviously you know why a teacher needs a pen... or 10 since they always go missing!

Next cup I keep a few crayons and a pair of scissors. I always seem to need scissors at the most random times so I now LOVE that I know there is always a pair on my small group table. 

Then I have my own pencil cup that students don't take pencils from. We have their sharpened pencil cup and unsharpened cup elsewhere in the room. This way if the students don't bring their own pencil to small group they don't have to get up and neither do I, I have a whole selection to choose from. I tutor 3rd graders so they also need pencils. I used to have only bigger black ones but now I have the normal sized pencils for the 3rd graders-- they didn't seem to like the big black ones too much!

I have my marker cup. It has dry erase markers in it and an eraser which is just made of felt. At times my students and I all use dry erase markers so I need a small set for a small group. 

I also keep scrap paper for me and the kids. Sometimes I write notes on it to remember for later and other times they write on them to answer questions I ask about a story.

Then I put a dry erase board under the teacher tool box so it is always easy and accessible. I write on it all the time and it has been so nice not to keep having to get one out but just have it next to me in an organized fashion. 

I recently also added post-it notes since we are using them to make connections. They are making connections all the time now and asking if they can write it on a post-it note; their so cute. Plus post it's also make great bookmarks!

I can't believe I didn't use this ever since the school year started because it is so nice to have all the supplies literally right next to me. I know some teachers put drawers under the small group table or have shelves close by but those just weren't in the cards for me but my teacher tool box is working GREAT! 

How do you organize your guided reading table supplies?