Mission Organization: Center Work

I definitely need a little organization in my life...well mainly my classroom. I've made it my goal this year to lessen the clutter in my room and start the process of organizing my entire classroom! It may take me the entire school year! I focused these last few weeks on feeling more organized with my centers. I like my students to have something to turn in after their center so that they are held accountable for their learning at that center. By Friday, my center tray is FULL of center work. I tried grading it all....TOO much time. I tried just creating a check list and then just check for completion and that was still time consuming. I hate to admit this but many times I would just toss the work in the recycling bin because it became too much! For me, center work is just review and practice of skills we've already covered whole group. I had to learn that that work was okay to let go and not grade. BUT I still wanted my students to know it was important! So here's what I've started and I am absolutely LOVING it so far....

On Friday mornings my teacher helpers empty our center work basket first thing and sort them into student cubbies. Then during our normal literacy center block each student goes to their cubby to collect their center work from the week.

They return to their desks and they evaluate their work. They create a pile of work that they think is their absolute best and a pile of work that needs to be completed or work that they can improve.

I really like this system because they learn to analyze their work. They can revisit our center tubs to get any materials they need to complete their center work.

I have 5-8 centers a week. The blue bin to the side are beginning of the week centers that I save so that they can be completed. I wait till the end of the week to empty these bins.

While the students are working I call each student to meet about their center work for the week. They tell me what their best work is and why. Sometimes I give them something I want them to try to improve in for the following week (handwriting, capital letters, punctuation, etc.) and sometimes I just collect their best work for their portfolios depending on how much time we have. 

So far, this is my favorite center work idea. The students still know the importance of center work, they learn to check their work, AND it's one less thing for me to grade..if you ask me, it's a WIN/WIN!

How do you organize your center work????