Writing Folders

I have tried many different ways to keep the kids organized with all of their writing process papers. As we all know, we want to teach the kids to work through the ENTIRE writing process but along with that we end up with tons of either loose leaf papers or journals that are unorganized. For a couple of years I had the kids use a folder that had brads and two pockets. They would keep their ideas in one pocket, rough drafts in another and then their final copies would go in the brads. That idea wasn't bad at all, but the pockets would get so filled with paper that they would end up falling out on the ground all the time, or they would have to thumb through all of their ideas to find what they were looking for. Then, I used a composition journal for them to write everything down in. I had them dog-ear each 1/4 of a section and we tried to keep the sections organized, but really it was a big giant mess....

Until..I found Pinterest and was able to view some other teacher's brilliant organizational ideas for writing folders. I found this picture and rushed out to Walmart to get my own "4 pocket" folder!


This is not my actual folder creation, but the blog that I found it on on Pinterest. She did say that she messed up on the folder in this pic. You have to fold the middle folder in half and then bind it with the flap side facing in. I plan on using the folders in this order: 1) ideas, 2) rough drafts 3) ready to edit 4) final copies. I will then take their final copies, grade them, make a copy along with the rubric and send the original home. I hope this new and improved writing folder is a success!