26 classes of projects? Oh my!

by Elizabeth Van Allen  for scribblesbyartteachervanallen.blogspot.com
 

I hang up 'no name'
projects on clotheslines
near the door so there's
no missing them!

Keeping 26 classes of students straight is no easy task.  Every week I teach between 590 & 700 students, depending on this year's enrollment.  Getting all of their names right might a challenge, but it's a piece of cake compared to keeping track of their artwork!  

I'm going to go all interdisciplinary and do a little math: if each student is working on a project that involves a planning paper and a good paper, that's between 1180 and 1400 pieces of paper in play at any given time.  Now add their journals and past projects that are ready to be given back, and factor in students who forget to (or can't) put their name on their work.  If you don't have a good organizational system in place from day one, you're drowning in random papers and upset students.

After years of trial and error, I've finally come up with a system that works for me.  Hopefully there is something here that you can use to improve your systems and iron out any issues you may be having!
 

The secret to success: insist on
clear, thorough labeling of all projects!

Student Accountability
My students are all pretty familiar with these phrases:
No Name=No Grade
Leave it out=Lose it
Not put back=Not the teacher's fault
Once students realize that I actually say what I mean and I mean what I say, we have very few issues with missing projects.

Organization by Day & Class 

Storage for Monday's classes

Say it with me folks... color coding.  My storage cabinets are organized by weekday, then each class has a recycled cardboard container from a big box store that's wrapped with colored duct tape.  Red for the Kinders, orange for grades 1-2, yellow indicates special education, green says grades 3-4, blue means grades 5-6 and purple is for my 7th and 8th graders.  First class of the day is on the top shelf and last class goes on the bottom.  Every box has the weekday, class, teacher, period, and grade level printed on the tape.
Note: this color coding system is just for me.  If I shared it with the students it would just confuse them because their rows are color coded too!

Keeping Track of Classwork

Above: Color-coded row folders
Below: Color-coded table tags

Organizing smaller 2D projects and journals by row or group helps keep papers in the right place.  It also makes it easier to distribute and collect them when the time comes.  Make sure everything is clearly and boldly labeled to prevent the frustration of re-explaining and re-organizing!  My students sit in 4 rows: red, yellow, blue, and green.  I label everything that goes out to them based on their row name/color, from their storage folders to their supply baskets.  I even have them write their row color on the back of their projects right next to their name, class and date!  This may sound like overkill, but if (or when) a project is misplaced this makes it way easier to re-file without wasting lots of time.

No matter how well you are organized there is always room for improvement.  Each school year brings it's own challenges, so when it comes to organization I'm always adjusting something.  Click on these links to see some of my ideas on assignment boards, materials and handouts, streamlining seating charts & paperwork, and grading methods.

What was your most successful organizational adjustment?