The World Civ. Binder
One of the most important tools that I use in my classroom is the World Civ. binder. I require all of my students to keep a binder for the class. It's also used as a regular grade in my class. The students are required to keep their notes, chapter vocabulary work, bell ringers, and chapter assessment work in their binder. At the end of every unit I take a binder grade that is 80 points each time (considering chapter tests vary between 100-120 points the binder grade is a sizable portion of their class grade).
I use the binder for three reasons. First off to help promote organizational skills that are critical to life beyond Randall K. Cooper High School. Secondly it keeps important material together for preparation for class quizzes and tests. Lastly it helps those who may not be the best test takers, or who struggle with social studies classes.
I require the following for the World Civ. Binder: One 3-ring binder dedicated to my World Civ. class. Four tabs. The four tabs should be labeled "notes", "vocab", "bell ringers", and "ch. assessments". It should also be stocked with paper at all times for their notes and other work in class.
I grade their binders the day following a unit test. When I grade it I will be checking to make sure they have the chapter's notes, chapter vocabulary, bell ringers, and any chapter assessments completed and in their binder.
