Heidi and I started using these homework folders several years ago. We certainly didn’t invent the idea, although I believe we’ve made it our own and came up with our own acronym. It’s been revamped many times since we started but meet the G.O.L.D. homework folder, as Heidi is using it this year. G.O.L.D. stands for Getting Organized, Learning Daily. We used to have one called FROG which stood for Fully Responsible Organized and Growing. The original idea for these called for using 3-ring binders, but we just couldn’t afford that. So our folder is the flexible, plastic, 3-pronged kind.
Folder Contents
The front inside pocket is for Important Papers from School such as school newsletters, fliers, etc.
The first item in the folder is a fabric zipper pocket for Money and Permission Slips, the important stuff such as lunch money, book orders and permission slips.
The very first page is an introduction to the G.O.L.D folder and Do’s and Dont’s for using the folder.
The next pages are the lunch calendar, classroom schedule, homework tips and handwriting guide. In general, we wanted the page protector portion of the folder to be items that don’t need to be changed often, if at all.
The last page is information about sight words and the 100 2nd Grade Sight Words. Next is a plastic folder sheet (with tab cut off.) The front pocket holds regular homework and the back holds the monthly reading calendar. When we first started these, we had a separate pocket for each type of homework (spelling, review, fluency, reading calendar, etc.) Those extra pockets made it difficult to close the brads on the folder and one two-sided pocket works just fine.
Last comes a few sheets of paper for writing notes between the teacher and home. I tried to check these quickly every day for any notes. I also tried to write at least a quick note every couple of months, just for a personal check in with parents.
The last pocket for Super Duper Work to Keep at Home holds student’s finished work.
Storing the Folders in the Classroom
Heidi and I both keep our student’s desks turned around so they don’t use the insides. Instead we use a plastic drawer system to hold workbooks, notebooks, etc. (See photo below.) Each table stacked their GOLD folders on top of their table’s drawers. That way I could see who was bringing them each day and I could quickly flip through them for lunch money, notes from home etc. But I did also set the expectation that if there was something in their folder I needed to see that they were supposed to put it on my table in the morning. I still tried to check them daily because not all students were aware when a parent had written a note in the back.
Here is an old photo of the drawers in my classroom. The folders would be stacked where the table names are, on top of the drawers.
Supplies for Making the Folders
– flexible, plastic 3-pronged folders like these – but all the same color(1 per student)
– zipper pouch, 3-holed like these (1 per student)
– plastic page protectors like these (4 per student)
– plastic pocket dividers like these (1 per student)
– notebook paper like this (3-5 sheets per student)
– shipping style labels, 10 per sheet like this (1 sheet per student, but you won’t need a whole sheet)
We’re sharing for free download some of the papers for the folders. Head over to our TpT store to download the freebie.
One of the earliest incarnations of this type of organizations systems was as a M.O.O.S.E. binder. There are all sorts of resources on this blog. If you scroll down on this post, you can read how other teachers use theirs. Plus here are a bunch of acronyms to fit any theme. And Mrs. Mecham’s blog explains her classroom BEE books.
Hopefully you can find some tips if you plan to make homework folders for your own class!
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Do you have the homework tips and reading calendar that you used? I would love a copy or a recommendation of where I could find something similar. Thanks!
How important do you find the zipper pouches to be? I’m trying to find them cheap and I’ve found a 24 pack for $31, but if I can get away with not spending that, I’d like to!
They’re handy, but I wouldn’t say they’re vital. Especially since our school started allowing payments for lunches on line. There isn’t that much that needs to be securely transported.
Could you share a copy of your homework tips? I purchased all your second grade homework materials and am excited to use them. The tips would be wonderful to add in my own folders. Thanks so much for all your great tips!
I’m sorry, but I don’t have the page anymore.
If you want to include them check the back to school sales. The dollar store, big lots and Walmart all have them for a dollar each. I purchased the all plastic ones for $.49 each. Hope this helps.
Can you share what font your used here?
I love the white container idea. Where did you purchase them?
Do you have your students take out their nightly homework from their GOLD folders and place it somewhere so you can see who has turned in their homework and who hasn’t?
Do you use student mailboxes or another system to see which students completed/brought in their homework and doe returning work to be placed into their folders?
Yes, they have a basket where they put the returning homework that they take out of their GOLD folders. It’s their responsibility to remember to do it. I just grab the stack of homework and quickly check it off on a student checklist where I keep track of homework. I don’t grade homework, we just use it as practice. I don’t send graded homework home either. I think parents would rather not have it back home!
The work we DO send home goes into the last pocket of the folder: Super Duper Work to Keep at Home.
I don’t use student mailboxes because I don’t have them or room for them. I pass out anything that needs to be sent home at the very end of the day while they have their homework folders on their desks and tell them which pocket/folder to put the paper. And once a month we change out the lunch calendar in the page protector and other things like that. It’s just something we do at the end of the day.
I’m pretty sure they just came from Walmart or Target! I bought them years and years ago.
Hello! I LOVE your Gold Folders! I was trying to click on the FREE DOWNLOAD links and it isn’t going through for some reason. I wanted to see if there was another way to access them! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Danielle, it should be fixed now!