Organizing my Notebooks

A HUGE project from this past week was labeling up my student notebooks.  Last year was the first year that I color coded the notebooks, and I honestly will NEVER go back.  Last year I also made it harder than it needed to be when I added dividers to the inside pages.  It went something like this: print labels, labels on index cards, trim cards, find page in notebook, glue card on correct page... x 165.  TOO MUCH WORK!  The index cards stayed in place on almost all the notebooks, but there were some kids... (you can fill in the dots yourself).  

Anyhow, this year I decided I would add the labels, but I wasn't going to stress about it, and I wasn't going to have the labels stick out far since they only got caught in my basket during collections.  First up I planned out my labels by taking what worked last year and tossing the areas that didn't work:

*Reading Notebook: Strategies, Genre, Theme, and Novels

*Grammar: Words and Mentor

*Math: No dividers this year, going to just flip the book for problem solving (work from the back)

*Social Studies and Science: No dividers (last year they shared a notebook), this year they have their own.

*Reading Log: I don't have this in a composition book for this coming year.  I need to be able to bring them home and a class set of composition books wasn't possible to lug back and forth.  

 I counted out the pages so I made sure that the labels would make it to the right page and the right spot, and my son helped added the specific label.  I cut the little labels in half (2 per sticker).   A little of the sticker on one side of the page, and a quick fold down made it so much easier.  The stickers are easily felt and can be turned to quickly.  :)

Hope this helps!