Building a LiveBinder… Brick by Brick

Do you remember last year when you borrowed “stuff” from another teacher. Usually it involved the digging out of a teacher closet, sifting through an entire filing cabinet and then waiting for everyone to go home so you could photocopy without glares…..

Well…No More!!!

Is it a bird, a plane…no it’s LiveBinders

So in a sense… instead of stalking the teachers at your school and feeling all sheepish and needy, you can peruse what already exists and build your own “monster” resource without the guilt, constant photocopying and the smell of mildew. (That was all in one sentence. Is that even legal?)

My first year of teaching, I borrowed “grade one” boxes from my friend. So it is a given that just like making bread there is always a starter loaf.

So when I decided to create a LiveBinder, I looked for my “starter loaves”…places to collect information and to “Make it my own”…something that Paula Abdul might say. Whoa Lit Maven! How do you come up with this stuff?

In my current role, I have a recurring request to talk about Guided Reading. Personally, I don’t think it is difficult but for some reason it strikes the fear in the hearts of many teachers…

What I Found11 binders. LiveBinders’ searches, return binders from the most viewed to the least. Some binders came back from the search and were not complete. But the best part, I searched from home and did not have to politely turn down anyone’s “stuff”.

LiveBinders that Provided Some “Bricks”

As I looked through each binder I thought:

*What do I notice?

*How does this relate to the criteria I have set?

1. Mrs. Lash’s Leveled Library and Resources by Audrey Lash

Tabs Organized by reading levels A to Z.

When you click on a tab, leveled book lists are revealed, AND the sub tabs reveal resources on the Internet that can be used my teachers or students to support their learning.

Amazing amount of work! Great for students and use in the computer lab or shared with parents at home.

2. HHES Fifth Grade Reading

Tabs are labeled Teacher Resources and then books organized by Lexile.

The teacher resources have sub tabs for supporting teachers, students and parents.

The book levels have lesson plans provided for each book.

Besides the templates, I appreciated the parent information.

These resources are more like a collection of paper documents.

3. Communication Arts Resources by Klista Reynolds

Specifically I looked at the tabs are labeled, Guided Reading Resources. However the other tabs provided me with interesting ideas to use in the future. This binder was also geared for higher grades.

4. Guided Reading/Reading Recovery Resources

This LiveBinder was organized by components surrounding guided reading as well as the actual instruction. Definitely a great spot to collect ideas.

5. Balanced Literacy

Incomplete but I liked where it was heading. It complimented what I was thinking.

So what is your topic?

Have you found your starter loaves?

Let me know how it is going!

Other Posts on this Topic

Digital Textbooks…Like Putting Lipstick on a Pig

Digital Textbooks…It’s a Matter of Definition

Building a Textbook From Scratch…5 Reasons to Try LiveBinder

5 Tips for Starting Your Own LiveBinder

Need Videos for Your LiveBinder…Top 5 Sources

Need Images for Your LiveBinder…Top 5 Sources

Hey did you know Keanu Reeves was in a Paula Abdul video? No?…Well now you do!

Enjoy!

Until Next Time,

Lit Maven Out!