I thought I might give you a before and after look at my Literacy Work Station closet.  For some reason (I think I was possessed that day) the Friday before Spring Break I decided it would be a great time to clean out my Literacy Work Stations closet.  I got rid of a few things and organized the rest.

If you’ve read Debbie Diller’s Spaces & Places book or Math Work Stations she suggests organizing your materials before setting up your work stations so you know what you have to work with and can easily find it.  She also tells you NOT to go out and purchase any new containers–you won’t need them!!  I used the baskets and things I already had in my room before organizing this closest and actually ended up with more baskets than I started with.

Here is the before shot:

I found things I had totally forgotten about.

Now, (drumroll please…) here is the after shot:

Now most of the baskets have labels (still working on a few).  The bottom shelf is mainly Puzzles and Games Work Station and ABC Work Station.  I could also use some things for a Sound Station I am thinking about for next year.

The middle shelf is all of my Word Work Station stuff.  It also holds a basket of things for Magnet Work Station and a few games for Pocket Chart Station.

The top shelf holds all my blue Name Work Station boxes and some binders I had no other place for.  It also holds my Cut up Sentence necklaces and a few other random drama station props (like Jack be Nimble’s Candle).

It’s a work in progress.  I’ve decided as I put things back, I would like to start an inventory of sorts of what I have to help with my work on a particular skill.  In one of my grad classes I’m creating a scope and sequence of what skills to teach when (which is open to all sorts of interpretations as far as each class being ready for different skills at different times each year) and would like to list the materials I have to back up my teaching.  I can use them to teach a small group and then put them out into the stations for everyone to use.

The only problem with grad classes is the seem to create more work for me than just the class work itself…one idea ALWAYS leads my brain to another! 🙂

Kristen 🙂