Dry erase pockets are such a versatile classroom supply! Just place your sheet inside the pocket, and presto! You have a reusable mat that your students can easily wipe clean. Plus, their reusability means fewer copies. Talk about a huge paper-saver. Since we are continually using dry erase markers and erasers with our dry erase pockets, I place these items inside each table's caddy. This way the students can quickly and easily access these supplies throughout the day. Make sure to grab the Free Dry Erase Download to get started with dry erase pockets in your classroom!
These name practice mats are my most favorite way to use dry erase pockets in the classroom. The students can use a dry erase marker to easily follow the correct path of motion as they form each letter in their name. The black edge around the pocket helps camouflage any smudges as the students erase their name. Plus, the dry erase pockets make these name practice mats reusable for unlimited practice!
Proper number and letter formation is a skill that requires repeated practice. These number formation pockets are great for early finishers, especially at the beginning of the school year. They also work well as a quick morning tub or center activity. By using these dry erase pockets, the students are able to practice forming the numbers and letters over and over again! Grab the free printable HERE.
We make the most of our calendar time with these interactive calendar math mats! The students keep their calendar math mats inside their desks so that they can quickly bring them to the carpet during calendar time. They follow along on their mat as we complete our calendar routine. At the end of calendar time, they can quickly erase the dry erase pocket so their calendar math mat can be used again the next day. These mats provide extra practice with fluency, number sense, addition, subtraction, graphing, counting and more. Plus, the dry erase pockets make them extremely easy to prep each month!
Dry erase pockets are also perfect for guided reading, especially for graphic organizers and read-and-respond activities. My favorite way to use them during guided reading is for annotating text, identifying sight words and punctuation, locating key details and looking for chunks in words. Easily slide an emergent reader or any other reading passage into these Black Side-Loading Dry Erase Pockets, and your kiddos can begin "marking up" the page with dry erase markers as you teach your focus lesson.
Dry erase pockets also work well for math mats. We typically use our math mats for morning work, but they also work great for center time or guided math activities. The students can practice over and over, and then easily erase their mat using these adorable Plush Googly Eye Dry Erase Board Erasers.
Cutting down my paper consumption is difficult since I run eight literacy and eight math centers each day, but placing the response sheets inside dry erase pockets has helped tremendously! Plus, I differentiate my center activities by color coding the dry erase pockets for the response sheets.
Making sight words stick can be difficult, but having a "Password Keeper" makes learning sight words more memorable. I simply placed this "Password of the Day" sheet inside one of these neon dry erase pockets with a grommet and hung it by our classroom door. Each day, I choose a "Password Keeper" to monitor the door. This person is responsible for listening to each student spell and whisper the password as they enter the classroom. I'm telling you... every single kid wants to be the "Password Keeper" and every single kid encounters our "Password of the Day" at least three to four times each day! Grab the FREE printable here for your classroom.
Changing out focus objectives can take up so much time, but not with dry erase pockets! I can quickly switch or modify objectives using a dry erase marker to write the "I can" statement. Plus, these Magnetic Dry Erase Pockets make displaying them on my white board so easy! Make sure to get the FREE download here!
As a teacher, we all know we must keep track of so many things! A few years ago, I started something I like to call "Positive Pictures" as a way to ensure that I was sending home at least one monthly positive communication for each student. It also ensures that I collect the same number of photos for each student for our end of the year slide show. I inserted my "Positive Pictures" checklist into a dry erase pocket and keep it hanging by my desk so I can easily check off who has had pictures snapped and shared. At the beginning of each month, I erase the checklist and start over.
After planning out my lessons for the week, I always create a list of the things I need to do for each day to prepare for those lessons. This might include copies that need to be made, anchor charts that need to be created, or crafts that need to be prepped. I also jot down any meetings for the week or any other important events I need to remember. This year, I decided to keep my "Weekly To-Do's" inside a dry erase pocket so that I wasn't continually printing the same page each week. I keep this list hanging next to my desk so that I can quickly scan it each morning. Snag the FREE download here to keep yourself organized!
