Bee Books

Bee books are organizational binders for students.  They replace the typical "take home folder" that gets sent home every night and returned the next school day.  These binders include a wealth of resources for families to utilize, and they help keep students, parents, and teachers organized, too!  Many teachers opt to name their organizational binders using an acronym of some sort.  Ours are "BEE" for Bring Everything Everyday.  Although mostly I'd say that it's a short, catchy name that is easy to say when referring to it.  For more information about the concept behind our BEE books, download our explanation page below.  We store our Bee Books on a corner shelf.  The corner shelf was from Wal-Mart, and was found in the hardware section.  Its original design was intended to be used for storing rakes, shovels, brooms, and other garage items.  It works great as a binder holder too!  Students bring in their Bee Book every morning and store them there.  Students generally are trained to take out any notes, homework, money, and their leveled reader.  They then put them on the shelf neatly.  

I’ve done a “Bee Book” for the past three years.  Very successful and popular with the parents and students.  They love them!  I have used 1” binders for two years and ½” binders this year.  The ½” inch binders worked better.  I am going to used 3-pronged folders next year though. I won’t be able to fit as many inserts into the prongs so I’m going to make labels and attach things to the inside and outside flaps and secure with packaging tape. Things that will be taped/secured to the inside/outside of the folders:

• □        ABC Chart

• □        Word Wall Words

• □        Contact Information

• □        Class List

• □        Class Schedule

Things that will be inserted into the prongs:

• □        Clear Money and Notes Pouch

• □        Transparent Book Pouch (for daily take-home leveled readers that students check out and return)

• □        Word Wall Word Cards (printed on business cards and inserted into 3-hole business card pages)

• □        ABC’s of Kindergarten (or 1^st Grade - - I’m teaching 1^st Grade next year!!!) J

• □        Monthly Book It & Parent Signature Sheet for Leveled Take Home Books

The pockets on the folder will still have the hands on them for “R- right back to school” and “L-left at home” for take home papers.  I’m excited about these new changes!  The one reason I’m changing from binders to folders is that I had to personally buy the binders myself and they were expensive as the cheaper ones didn’t last at all, and parents provide 2 vinyl 3-pronged folders already and I’ll just use those! Once I make the “labels” or things that get taped to the inside/outside of the folder - - I’ll post them on my web site for people to view (I’ll make a sample of the new “Bee Folders”). 

 

Sight Word Cards
A	B	C	D	E	F
a all am and are around as at	be because big by but	can could	day do don't down		favorite for from
G	H	I	J	K	L
go	had have he here her him his	I in it is		kick	like love look little
M	N	O	P	Q	R
me my	no	on of one or out over	play
S	T	U	V	W, X	Y, Z
said see she so some	tell that the then there they this through to	under up	very	was we went were what when why will with would	yes you your