assignment notebook middle school

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How school planners & assignment notebooks are tools for studen t success.

Students today balance daily homework assignments, personal commitments, long-term projects and after - school activities — many struggle with staying on track. But now, Success by Design’s student agenda books can give students of all cognitive levels the tools and resources to develop better time management, memory and focus.

Tailored to your student’s cognitive stage, our day-book agendas for school can transform your student into a lifelong learner.

Types of Success by Design Planners

We offer numerous types of academic student planners for different age levels and interests. Consider how the following types of planners can benefit your students.

Elementary Student Planners

Elementary planners give young students the chance to begin building good organizational habits. Investing in planners for this age group also helps instill a sense of responsibility for their routines. Our  elementary school student planners  feature large writing areas, color-coded sections and block or matrix formats with themes and designs for both lower and upper elementary grades. With Success by Design student planners, you can choose the organizational styles that will work for your students.

Middle School Student Planners

Middle school is full of new challenges for students. They face new academic obstacles like having multiple teachers and classes, stricter due dates and standardized tests. At the same time, they’re juggling the personal challenges of growing responsibilities and busier schedules. We design our middle school planners for the specific cognitive stage that sixth through eighth graders are in. 

Success by Design  middle school planners  come in two themes. One offers a design that helps prepare students for the academic rigor of middle school, while the other explores the importance of building good character traits.

High School Student Planners

High school is when the real world starts to set in — at this stage, many students are juggling school, jobs and extracurriculars. Their ability to reason and think abstractly lets them set goals and develop a deeper sense of self. Our  high school student planners  provide space for teens to manage their increased workload and plan for future success. 

One of our high school designs focuses on character development and today’s social issues, while the other focuses on college preparation and goal setting. With space to plan academic and personal schedules, our planners allow teens to stay organized through their transition to adulthood.

STEM Student Planners

Academic planners that focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can help build students’ confidence in these concepts and spark interest in future STEM careers.  Success by Design’s STEM planners  are available at any age level to encourage students from introductory courses to advanced engineering courses. Our agendas will help STEM students feel more confident as they track assignments, lab work, new concepts and vocabulary. Explore the different features we provide for each age group.

Religious Student Planners

Finding planners that reflect and complement your religious beliefs can be challenging. Our supply of religious student planners solves those struggles with spiritual themes and graphics. Along with the extra space for religious curriculum, these planners help students build analysis, prioritization and organization skills. Success by Design’s  religious student planners  will keep your students focused on their faith-based education.

Why Buy Printed Student Homework Planners?

Email calendars, smartphones and tablets   are perfectly capable of tracking our daily to-do’s, so why consider purchasing a printed planner for your student or school? We dove into scientific research to answer that very question for our customers, and what we found is the 1:1 incentive isn’t always best. Some of the   advantages of printed planners over digital   are:

• Accessibility:   More schools are investing in technology, but what happens when students don’t have internet access? With digital planners, millions of students without broadband Internet access at home will be left behind. Success by Design’s student homework   organizers  ensure each student has the resources they need and eliminate the digital divide. 
• Improved   b rain   d evelopment:   Numerous paper versus digital studies show the act of writing is vital to cognitive and language development. Not only does the act of writing reinforce visual recognition of letters, it enhances memory and enables long-term planning.
• Flexibility:   Not all students are the same, so why should their educational assignment books be? Students in lower elementary face different cognitive milestones than those in middle or high school. By investing in printed planners, educators and parents can customize our products to meet their student’s developmental needs.

Student Agenda Books Impact Academic and Personal Growth

In lower elementary school, students start with the basic concepts of reading, counting and writing. Then, in upper elementary, they start learning how to organize their work. Those organizational habits lead students into middle school, where they create study habits and homework systems while developing their passions and personalities. As high school students, these learners start thinking abstractly as they discover their own sense of self.

Success by Design’s spiral-bound student appointment books help these learners throughout their entire cognitive development. From primary planners to planning for life, our printed planners focus on developing your students’ character while developing healthy habits.

Choose Success by Design for Your Student’s Spiral-Bound Planner

Success doesn’t happen by accident — you plan for it! Whether you’re looking for the perfect spiral-bound planner for your student or your school, Success by Design can sell you customized products that fit your needs. Browse our inventory, select an organizational style and provide your student with the tools for success!   Contact our friendly customer service  team   online, or call us at   844 - 263-0872 . 

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• Tips from Students and Teachers

• Write the test or assignment in your planner the day it is assigned.
• Make sure you write neatly so you can read it, and write enough so you know exactly what to do.
• Write the test or assignment in your planner the day it is due.
• If you were invited to a party, you wouldn’t write the date on your calendar the date you were invited, you would put it on the date of the party. In an assignment notebook, you do both. You enter the assignment when it was given (when you were invited), and you also enter it on the date it is due (the date of the party).
• The physical act of writing the assignment down again will serve as a reminder that you’ve got work to do. Break down long-term tests, projects and assignments into smaller steps so you are doing a specific task each time you have class that moves you closer towards completing your project. Don’t just re-enter the name of the project, test, or assignment; instead, write down the name and what you’re planning to do. Make a schedule for long-term assignments. Do a fraction of the long-term assignment every day.
• Write “No Homework” or “Nothing” or the null set sign if you don’t have any assignments in a certain class.
• Maintenance homework includes studying your flashcards from World Language, studying your notes, practicing your instrument, independent reading, etc.
• Make the planner a part of your daily routine. Carry it with you at all times and remember to check it every morning and every night.
• Fill in your assignment and test due dates as soon as you learn them. Get in the habit of writing in your planner while you're still in the classroom. Don't put it off!
• Show your parent your assignment notebook and your completed tasks/assignments to make sure what you did matches what you wrote in your assignment notebook.
• Ask a friend whose academic success you respect (a study buddy) to make sure what’s in your assignment notebook matches what you’ve been assigned.
• Check Schoology.
• Make sure your name is on the front cover of your planner REALLY BIG. If you forget it somewhere, we’ll know it’s yours.
• After you’ve completed the assignment or the task, check it off so you feel that sense of satisfaction.
• Write down the name and phone number of a study buddy in your assignment notebook.
• Make a weekly to-do list.
• Before you begin an assignment, write down how much time you predict it will take next to your entry in your planner. When you’re done, write down how much time you actually needed.
• Circle what you need to do that night.
• Devise a color-coding system that works for you.
• Write your assignments in your subject notebook, etc. so you’ve written it down twice.
• Start your assignment the night it’s assigned (if you can) to make sure you get it. If you don’t understand something, you can ask the teacher the next day before it’s the day of your class.
• If the assignment is repeated throughout the week, draw an arrow down to the appropriate day or write, for example, “See Monday.”
• Do the longest and hardest homework first. Do the easiest first. Do what you want to do first. Reach into your bag and do something random. Do the most urgent thing first. Do what you remember first without looking in your assignment notebook. Do the projects first – especially if they’re due the next day. All of these strategies work for different kids. Do what works for you, and follow the same routine.
• Use the weekends for long-term assignments, but try to make sure you have one day a week of no homework.

How we tested

• Best overall
• Best for elementary school
• Best for middle and high school
• Best for college
• Best for lefties
• Best budget

What else we considered

Note-taking tips, the 6 best school notebooks.

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With a master's degree in education and years of teaching under my belt, I've seen my fair share of notebooks.

Some students, school districts, and colleges have made the switch away from paper and gone completely digital . However, research has shown that students who write their notes down — as opposed to typing them — perform better on tests.

As a teacher, I've seen this firsthand. Students may not internalize their notes as well when they don't write them out by hand. It's also easier for them to get distracted when using a device — it's almost impossible for them to ignore a notification.

You don't need to splurge to get a good notebook for school, but there are some things to consider when shopping for this ubiquitous school supply. Andy Beauchamp, a second grade teacher in Minnesota, advises parents to wait until they hear from their child's teacher before purchasing notebooks. Always keep in mind that different teachers may have different requirements.   

To find the best notebooks, I conducted research, talked to current teachers, and tested 12 popular options, which were provided as editorial review samples by their manufacturers. My testing included writing, ripping out pages, spilling water on them, and more — which you can read about in the next slide.

Here are the best school notebooks

Best overall - Five Star Advance 3 Subject Notebook See at Amazon The Five Star Advance 3 Subject Notebook with moveable pocket dividers keeps notes in great shape through the school year and beyond.

Best for elementary school - Amazon Basics Wide-Ruled Composition Notebook See at Amazon The Amazon Basics Wide-Ruled Composition Notebook helps kids perfect their handwriting and the sewn binding eliminates the danger of wires for younger kids. 

Best for middle and high school - Five Star Wirebound 1 Subject Notebook See at Walmart The Five Star Wirebound 1 Subject Notebook is simple, versatile, and exceptionally durable with a water-resistant plastic cover.

Best for college - Hamelin 1 Subject Spiral Notebook See at Walmart The Hamelin 1 Subject has 150 pages of college-ruled paper to accommodate notes-intensive courses, and it comes with access to a note management app. 

Best for lefties - Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, XL See at Amazon The Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, XL is ideal for lefties because the pages lie flat and ink doesn't smudge. 

Best budget  - Mead 1 Subject Spiral Notebook See at Amazon The simple Mead 1 Subject Spiral Notebook does the job at half the price of similar notebooks.

After researching and selecting the top contenders for this guide, I received samples of each one on my short list and put them through the following testing criteria we designed for this guide:

• Writing test: I wrote in each notebook with various writing utensils to make sure there was no bleeding through pages. None of the pages bled with typical pencils and pens. I did not test with markers, highlighters, or Sharpies. 
• Rip test: I tore pages out of each notebook to test how cleanly and easily they came out. Teachers often ask students to rip pages out to hand in, and many teachers don't like when pages are uneven and have jagged edges. 
• Typical student test: I threw them, stepped on them, tried to rip them by pulling on the cover, and tried to pull the coil off of notebooks that had one.
• Water test: I spilled water on the cover of each notebook and let it sit for 15 minutes before assessing damage. 

Best overall: Five Star Advance 3 Subject Notebook

Pros : Cloth cover protects coils, moveable pocket dividers, extremely durable plastic cover

Cons : Some resistance when writing, may not be ideal for young students

In my experience as a teacher, the two main reasons notebooks get ruined are ripped covers and snagged wires. The college-ruled Five Star Advance Notebook takes care of both of these problems with a durable plastic cover and a fabric wire guard.

With room for three subjects and protective coverings, this notebook will last through an entire school year and even longer. In our tests, the cover protected the pages from water damage, and it was difficult to pull the wires out from under the fabric guard. 

Its durability makes it ideal for saving notes from higher-level courses to refer back to later. The moveable dividers add versatility as well. Maybe one class only uses 50 pages while another uses 75 — you won't waste pages like you would with a fixed divider. I found the pages ripped out cleanly and didn't leave any jagged edges. A nice added feature is the pen/pencil holder. 

When compared to some of our other picks, writing utensils didn't glide quite as smoothly over the paper. However, this isn't a big deal for the average student. The only age group this notebook might not be ideal for is lower-elementary school due to its size. 

If for some reason this notebook doesn't last, it also has Five Star's one-year guarantee (misuse and abuse are not covered).

Best for elementary school: Amazon Basics Wide-Ruled Composition Notebook

Pros : Pages are securely sewn in, the wide-ruled paper is ideal for perfecting handwriting, includes schedule and conversion chart

Cons : Cover is plain, can't tear pages out

While I typically recommend notebooks with more durable covers, I like the Amazon Basics Composition Notebook specifically for elementary school kids because it has wide spacing between lines. This is ideal for writers who are still perfecting their technique. The sewn binding also prevents problems spiral notebooks can cause for young kids.

Beauchamp agrees that young children benefit from a sewn binding. "Spiral notebooks make practicing writing mechanics and using a full line challenging for students," she said. "About halfway through the year, the spiral begins to come undone if not taken care of, and can be harmful to students as it is quite sharp. Composition notebooks eliminate those problems." 

In our tests, the cardboard cover tore easily, but there was no wire to pull loose. The cover held up well to the spill test; it showed water damage, but it didn't seep through to the paper. Like most composition notebooks, there aren't any perforations to tear pages out, so the edges ripped unevenly when I tried to pull them out. Ease of writing was average — slightly rough but what you'd expect from a notebook at this price point.

The notebook is available in solid or marbled covers in blue, yellow, green, red, and black. While these colors are nice, young kids might be disappointed that there aren't fun designs. 

A handy conversion chart and a space to write a schedule are included on the inside covers. The schedule space can help young kids learn to tell time and follow routines.

Best for middle and high school: Five Star Wirebound 1 Subject Notebook

Pros : Durable, water-resistant cover; built-in pockets; colorful covers are easy to organize; loops on wires prevent snagging

Cons : Interior pockets aren't very durable

As both a student and a teacher, the Five Star Wirebound 1 Subject was my favorite notebook. While some other notebooks quickly succumb to wear and tear as the year goes on, many Five Star notebooks look good as new even on the last day of school. 

The durability of this notebook is largely due to its water-resistant cover. "Notebooks with stronger, thicker covers seem to survive the everyday wear and tear of being thrown in backpacks and lockers," according to Alissa Martin, a high school teacher in Pennsylvania. "Often, buying a more expensive notebook will save money in the end because it won't need to be replaced due to a cover falling apart or ripping, or the wiring coming apart." 

In our tests, the cover of this notebook did not rip and it protected the pages from spilled water. The edges of the wire loop back on itself to prevent snagging. There are also two interior pockets for storing handouts, worksheets, and loose paper. While I like this feature, the pockets are made of cardboard that is not very durable. The ink bleed-resistant paper has perforations, and the pages ripped out well in our testing. Out of all of our top picks, this was the roughest to write on but not unusual for this type of notebook.

A 100-page one-subject notebook is usually enough for one class. Teachers may request wide-or college-ruled paper. If they don't give a preference, middle school students might prefer wide-ruled while high school students might gravitate toward a college-ruled notebook.  Five Star offers both options. It also comes in many different colors, ideal for organizing classes by color.

Best for college: Hamelin 1 Subject

Pros : Durable, works with Scribzee app to manage and send notes, includes organizational stickers, writing utensils glide smoothly on paper

Cons : Wire pulls out easily, cost adds up if you need to purchase multiple notebooks

Of all the notebooks I've used throughout my life — from elementary to grad school — the ones I've held onto the most are the ones from my undergrad years. That's why the Hamelin 1 Spiral Subject notebook with its sturdy cover is our pick for the best college notebook. Not only will the notebook itself last, but electronic versions of your notes can last forever if you take advantage of the Scribzee app . 

According to Meghan Huber , assistant professor in mechanical and industrial engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, "Choosing the right notebook paper is critical, now more than ever, since most classes are taught online. Especially in STEM courses, students might be required to upload their homework and exam problems to show their work."

This is where students will really appreciate the Scribzee app that serves as a companion to the notebook. Students can take pictures of their notes and turn them into PDFs, send them to other people, organize them into folders, and add additional content like images. Uploading homework and exam problems to send to professors is a breeze. 

For further organization, the included peel-and-stick labels can be used to create dividers, label sections, and add bookmarks. Papers can be stored in one double-sided pocket in the front, which is somewhat flimsy card stock like that of the Five Star. The notebook comes in blue, red, white, black, purple, green, and yellow. 

The thick cover protected the pages well in our water test. The paper was very smooth to write on, and the pages tore out easily. The only test this notebook didn't do well on was the wire pull test — the spiral wire that binds the notebook pulled out very easily. Traditionally, this is more of a problem with middle and high school students who get the wire stuck on their lockers. However, the pros of this notebook outweigh that one con, especially for college students.

Best for lefties: Moleskine Classic Notebook, Hard Cover, XL

Pros : Paper lies flat, minimal smudging, bookmark and folder included, many size and color options 

Cons : Pages aren't perforated

Moleskine notebooks are known for their high quality and the brand has many loyal followers. This was my first time trying a Moleskine, and I was sold. 

To determine the best school notebook for lefties, however, my left-handed husband helped me test and make the final decision. This notebook came out on top in his testing for two reasons. First, the paper lies flat, so it wasn't uncomfortable and he didn't have to waste half the page. Second, ink and pencil smudged the least out of all the notebooks we tested. After decades of having ink smudged all over his hands, my husband was thoroughly impressed. 

These two factors, while great for lefties, aren't the only reasons this is an excellent notebook. In our tests, the hardcover protected the pages from water, and pens and pencils glided smoothly over the paper. Additional features include a bookmark ribbon, an elastic closure, and a durable expandable folder inside the rear cover. Although the pages do not have perforations, they tore out the best of all the non-perforated notebooks we tested. They come out evenly as long as you take your time.

The Moleskine classic has a very sleek look, and it's easy to customize: There are 10 color options, six sizes, four paper types, and two cover options (note that I did not test the softcover). Its durability and versatility make this a solid choice for left-handed notetakers.

Best budget: Mead 1 Subject Spiral Notebook

Pros : Affordable, multiple color options, page perforations and binder holes  

Cons : Coil can get snagged, cover rips easily

Is the Mead 1 Subject the best notebook out there? No. Can you beat $2 or less for a school notebook? Also no. This notebook almost always can be found for $2, too. It certainly has its drawbacks, but as a teacher, it was one of the most popular notebooks I saw in the classroom simply because you can't beat the price. 

It comes in a variety of colors for students to choose from and is a typical wire-bound notebook with a cardstock cover. The pages include perforations and three-ring holes, so students can rip them out for graded assignments or put them in a binder. 

With such a low price comes some drawbacks, however. The cover is thin and was easily ripped in our tests. It also allowed water to seep through in our water test. The wire coil can get snagged easily, and I've seen this ruin Mead notebooks in my classroom. 

The ease of writing is average, similar to the Amazon Basics Composition Notebook . The perforated pages tear out evenly, but if you don't take your time, you might get the jagged edges that go around the wire.

There are certainly better notebook options out there, but the cost of school supplies can add up very quickly. If your budget is tight and you're looking for ways to save, the Mead 1 Subject Spiral Notebook can do the job.

• Mead Composition : This notebook is very similar to the Amazon Basics Composition Notebook . It came in slightly more expensive than the Amazon option, which is why it didn't make the cut. 
• Mead Primary Composition Notebooks : This is a good option for very young kids. They use the red baseline ruled lines to help kids learn how to write. Because most kids would outgrow them by second grade, we went with a wide ruled composition notebook pick for elementary school instead. 
• Rocketbook Core : This is a unique eco-conscious notebook. Students can write on the reusable paper with FriXion pens , then use the Rocketbook app to store a digital copy of their notes and erase the page with a damp cloth. This technology worked well when I tried it, but it may not be the best option for students. For one, it's not cheap for a notebook that might get destroyed or lost, and if students lose their FriXion pen, the notebook is useless. They also won't be able to tear any pages out to hand to a teacher. It would be a better fit in classrooms with 1:1 technology than those without. 
• Black n Red Ruled Hardcover : This notebook had high-quality paper and the hardcover protected the pages very well. However, the cover was so hard and the binding so tight that it was difficult to get the notebook to lie flat. 
• Cambridge Professional :  This was a nice notebook that I found to be similar to the Hamelin . The very thick paper made it difficult to rip off along the perforated line, however. Hamelin also edged this notebook out because of its compatibility with Scribzee.

Efficient note-takers successfully create a balance between trying to write down every word their teacher says and not writing enough. Here are a few note-taking tips: 

• Keep notes organized with dates, titles, and sections. "Different sections of a notebook can help students learn to organize, especially if it's notes within one subject area," according to Martin.
• Having multiple notebooks can help keep students organized. "Keep a notebook for each class plus a catch-all notebook," Huber said. "This additional notebook should be with the student at all times and can be used for anything from scratch paper to making a shopping list to a stand-in for that forgotten notebook."
• Try using highlighters or colored pens to color-code notes. 
• Use shorthand and abbreviations. This helps you write your notes quickly so you can spend more time listening. It also helps ensure you'll be able to understand your notes later. 
• Underline or otherwise mark important or key notes. 

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here . Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

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How to pick and use an assignment notebook

Katie Azevedo September 8, 2017 executive function , homework , organization , productivity , routines , time management

You’re here because you want to know how to pick and use an assignment notebook. But I’m going to start by giving you the best assignment notebook tip ever: write it down.

Write down assignments. Write down due dates. Write down appointments. Write it all down.  You could have the BEST assignment notebook in the universe, and it will still be horrible if you don’t use it .

Why you need an assignment notebook

Our brains were made for way cooler things than storing boring information like what pages we’re supposed to read for homework and what day we are going to the dentist.

Our brains were made for thinking. And creating. And day dreaming, or whatever.

So when we try to use our brains to store “shallow” information like homework assignments, guess what we end up doing? Yup, having less brain energy to think and create.

How does that affect us in school? We will have difficulty paying attention, learning, remembering, studying, reading, etc. — all because we are using up our background brain energy (our mental bandwidth!) trying to subconsciously remember when the heck our project is due.

What’s the solution?

Write it all down. Everything. Every time.

Here’s where having an assignment notebook or student agenda comes into play. You need one. And you need one that works for you .

Just as we all think and learn differently, we are all going to have unique preferences for what this system looks like and how we use it. But no matter your unique tastes and preferences, the whole point of using an assignment notebook or agenda is to have a place to deposit the information that sucks up our brain power. We all need a place to write down what we can’t forget but don’t need to store.

Why you think you don’t need an assignment notebook

The biggest resistance I hear from students about keeping an assignment notebook is this: “I can remember everything myself.”

Ugh. Please. Just because we CAN do something doesn’t mean we SHOULD. And just because we CAN do something, doesn’t mean it’s GOOD for us.

Even if you CAN remember all your assignments and due dates and tasks and appointments, you must also remember this: trying to store this information in our heads uses up brain energy that we should be using for other things!

I recommend that every student use an assignment notebook that has at least two basic components. After that, the rest is up to you. All assignment notebooks should have at least:

• a monthly calendar view
• a daily calendar view with space

The monthly calendar view

This is an essential component to any proper task management / assignment notebook system. A calendar view allows us to see, at a glance, what we have going on for the month. This is where we write down and keep track of anything that is time-sensitive, like appointments, due dates, work hours, practices, games, etc. Basically anything that requires us to BE at a certain place at a certain time goes in this section. We can also use this monthly calendar to mark important dates such as birthdays.

A quick glance at your monthly calendar should essentially alert you to what you’ve got going on in the next week, as well as any due dates that are lurking around the corner.

The daily calendar view

This is the second essential component to any good assignment notebook or student agenda. In the daily view, we write down what we have to do on that particular day . This information isn’t usually time sensitive, other than it needs to get done that day. (Unlike a doctor’s appointment, at 3:00, which you would put on your monthly view.) Here, we write down homework assignments (all of them! Every time! Even if it’s small!), tasks and to-dos. This stuff can be school related, life-related, job related, or personal. It’s important that this section have enough space for you to feel comfortable writing in. If it’s too small, you will probably end up leaving some items off, and that’s very much not the point!

Optional assignment notebook components

Although this part isn’t totally necessary for everyone, I think that most people would benefit from a simple list-like section in the front of their notebook to write down things that pop up and need to be addressed, but that aren’t necessarily tasks or appointments.

This is where you could jot down ideas you have, random things you want to remember for a later time, and projects you want to get to at some point. This could also be where you do your brain dumps .

If you came to this post looking for assignment notebook recommendations, I’m hesitant to offer any because anything I link here will eventually become outdated (you should always have a dated assignment notebook). But if you need a reference point, this is a good one.

Assignment notebook extras

Apart from having an assignment notebook or calendar with a monthly and daily view, you can play with any other components you want. I have a ton of different lives (mom, teacher at one school, teacher at another school, business owner, graduate student, etc. times infinity!!) so I have a lot of other sections in my own personal task management system. But that’s all the fun stuff that you get to play around with and figure out over time.

My last assignment notebook tip is based on the same principle for everything I teach: keep it simple. Start with the basics and only add sections if you need to.

Once you know how to pick and use an assignment notebook, here are my best tips for how to keep track of homework . Seriously helpful.

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The Best Planners for Students {for the 2023-2024 School Year!}

by Sharon Rowley Leave a Comment

If we want our kids to be organized in school, it is essential that they have a system in place for keeping track of assignments, upcoming tests, and quizzes as well as anything with a deadline. Using the right student planner makes this process simple- and helps your child to juggle their school work and social life without feeling overwhelmed. These are the 10 best planners for students for the 2023-2024 school year!

Quick Links to the Info in This Post!

Top Picks for the Best Planners for Students:

What type of planner will work best for your student, the best planner for elementary school students:, best planner for middle and high school students:, best planners for college students- dated, best planner for college students- undated, the best bullet journal for college students, the best planner app for students, looking for the best family calendars, planners, & to-do lists.

The first thing to take into consideration when purchasing a student planner- is the grade level of student who will be using it. Some planners are designed specifically with elementary school-aged kids in mind, while others are more appropriate for middle school, high school, or college students.

For elementary schoolers, you want a simple planner that gives them a defined place to record assignments for each main subject area.

But when we are shopping for students in middle or high school, or in college, there are three main types of planners that I recommend:

• Dated planners – The monthly and weekly page layouts are already labeled- and in some planners, you'll find prompts or titled sections to get you to think and reflect on your goals for the coming year.
• Undated planners – You can pick up one of these planners any time and just get started because all of the monthly and weekly sections are undated. There are still places to write reflections and goals, but they are more open-ended and often appear at the beginning or the end of the planner.
• Bullet Journals – These are completely unstructured notebooks that allow you to design how you would like to track notes and assignments and organize and plan for the future. Often a bullet journal is just a blank notebook with dotted grids, or sometimes they are lined.

Scroll through the list of my favorite planners of each type below- where I highlight the best features of each one!

My kids used this Global Datebook Elementary School Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. for years. They loved the list-style format of the planner pages- with sections for each of the four main subject areas in school (math, science, social studies, and language arts) with plenty of additional space for other subject areas if needed.

If your kids would prefer a “block style” layout rather than the list layout above- this version of the Global Datebooks planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. uses a block layout.

I appreciated the vinyl cover and spiral binding which made it easy for kids to fold over the cover to work on a particular day. This planner comes with a bookmark/ruler that clips into the spiral binding, marking their place in the planner.

Beyond just daily information, this planner also includes resource pages by subject area- multiplication tables, measuring equivalencies, common grammar explanations, and so forth which are pretty helpful. (size 8.5″ x11″)

This year we have a new high school planner that we think is perfect for middle and high schoolers- the Class Tracker This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !

We love the separate sections for each day that outline: Things to remember/ Quizzes, exams, papers, projects / Assignments- making it easy for kids to see what is the most important thing to tackle at homework time.

There's room to note activities and a place to keep a running to-do list for the week. And I love that you can track the number of weeks until… winter break, spring break, last day of school? What kid doesn't love a countdown? (A separate page marker is available).

Runners Up Planners for Middle and High School Students:

This is the planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. that my high school sons have used for the past several years. Pages are laid out in a weekly block calendar format with daily lined sections to jot down assignments and due dates.

I especially like the column to check off completed work!

Or you can get the version where the days of the week appear in a list format This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. .

This open format works better for kids who may not have the same class schedule every day. This planner comes with a bookmark/ruler to hold your place inside, and several resource pages with helpful information on math and grammar. (size 5.5″ x 8.5″)

This hardcover planner from Global printed products This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. makes our list of best planners for students for several reasons.

First of all- the cover is about as thick as a nickel- which will protect the planner as it is being carried back and forth to school in a backpack. It comes with a snap-in bookmark to hold your place.

And I love the fact that this planner comes with planning stickers and sticky notes to help students personalize their pages. (size 5.5 x 8.5″).

Then be sure to check out these lists of my favorite Closet Organizing Tools This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. and Bathroom Organizing Tools This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. over on my Amazon influencer page This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !

The Erin Condren Academic Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is my absolute favorite planner for students!

I love the layout which includes a great 2-page monthly spread, and 2-page spreads for each week, followed by 4 notes pages after each month, so there is plenty of space to take notes on assignments, and plan for upcoming activities.

I also love that there are detailed pages to use for notes for projects & exams, and the use of inspirational quotes throughout the planner. It comes with a flexible laminated cover (size 7″ x 9″).

Runners Up Planners for College Students:

My college students love the simplicity and design of the college edition of the Class Tracker This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. . There are dated and undated versions of this college planner, and you can purchase a page marker separately.

The Bloom Daily Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is the perfect combination of academic planning calendar and goal setting workbook (which is really what a traditional planner is all about!)

2-page monthly overview spreads are followed by weekly views.

This planner includes a personal mission statement prompt and a yearly goal setting page, weekly scheduling templates, major holidays list, notes pages, contacts/address book pages, inspirational quotes, monthly reflection questions, and more! (size 6″ x 8.25″)

The Clever Fox Planner This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. handles all of your academic needs- with a 2-page layout for each week, undated, so you can begin using this planner any time of the year!

But what makes this planner so unique is that it is designed to help you set goals for the year, and then helps you to focus your energy on just a few goals at a time, making you far more effective in your efforts!

You can track habits that you'd like to cultivate, incorporate gratitude and affirmation techniques, create a vision board and more!

Bullet journaling has become very popular in the last few years- because it provides the perfect freestyle tool to keep your academic calendar, plan your week, create lists, as well as to write down thoughts, track your progress, and reflect on your life.

It's a beautiful combination of calendar and life planner all in one! You can learn how to keep a bullet journal here .

This Leuchttrum 1917 This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is the dotted notebook that started the whole bullet journal craze! This beautiful hardcover notebook has dotted pages, it lays flat when in use- but what sets this bullet journal apart is its pre-formatted table of contents section.

In today's tech-connected world, some students may prefer to forgo the paper planner route, and instead use an app for tracking assignments and homework. The MyHomework App is the perfect app for that!

It's easy for students to track assignments, projects, tests, and upcoming events. They can load their class schedule into the app as well. And set up due date reminders for future assignments.

I love that you can sort your homework based on class, priority, or type- or of course, see everything at once. MyHomework app syncs between devices- so you can record entires on your phone and then see them on your laptop as well- perfect for college students

The app is free, and an ads-free premium version is available.

• Best Family Calendars  – whether you prefer electronic, paper, or wall calendar- these are the best ones of the year!
• Best Planners for Moms  – a family calendar can help you organize your schedule and your time- but a planner can help to make sure that you are giving your life purpose!
• 15 Perfect Paper to Do Lists for Busy Moms- pretty paper lists to guide you as you get it all done!

I would love to hear which of these planners your student decided to use this year!

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Prioritize & Organize With These Planner Pointers

A homework organizer can help a child with adhd be a star at school..

Want to make sure that your child gets his homework done every night — and learns about planning and how to prioritize?

Teach him to use a homework planner. Whether you call it an “assignment notebook,” a “student planner,” or a “homework organizer,” it serves the same purpose: helping a child keep track of school assignments, materials, and time.

I’ve worked with many well-meaning students who swear they wrote down their assignments only to find that they left out critical details. For instance, Cindy wrote down that she had reading homework, but forgot to note the questions that were to be answered.

As a teacher and a mother, two rules have worked for me: Encourage your child to write down assignments in his planner word for word, and ask his teacher to look over the planner before he leaves class.

The teacher should check to make sure all assignment information has been noted, and that all books and/or materials needed to complete the assignment are in his backpack. When this becomes routine to your child — and it will — teacher supervision will no longer be necessary.

Using a homework planner will increase your child’s chances of getting his assignments done, and it will also help him develop skills — juggling responsibilities, allotting time, planning ahead — he needs to become more independent. The earlier you begin this process, the easier it will become for your child. Here are some teacher-tested tips to maximize a planner’s use.

[ SFree Download: Top 5 Homework Frustrations — and Fixes for Each ]

Take the Long View

In addition to noting homework assignments, you and your child should schedule his extracurricular events. If you enter “Gym day on Monday and Wednesday,” include a reminder for him to pack gym shoes in his book bag the night before.

A notation about Thursday’s piano lesson may include a prompt to practice every day for 15 minutes. This will give your child a view of the week ahead and reveal any conflicts between school and extracurricular activities.

Keep Track of Materials

Create a checklist of books and materials your student needs to bring home each day, and paperclip it to the planner. Make blank copies of the checklist and attach a new one every day.

Learn to Prioritize

After school, have a snack together and open the planner. Look over the list of homework assignments for that day, asking him to estimate how much time it will take to complete each one. Write the estimate next to each assignment. Then help him prioritize his work — math first, reading second, social studies third.

When everything has been completed, check to see whether your estimates were close. The more your child does this, the better he’ll become at allocating time.

[ See It, Learn It: Make Homework Come Alive for Visual Learners ]

Place sticky notes, of various sizes and colors, in the planner to remind your child about special school events or tasks — asking the math teacher for help with last night’s homework, for example.

Break Projects Into Tasks

All kids, especially those with ADHD , have difficulty with long-term planning. When your child has a big test, or is assigned a complicated project, use the homework planner to break it down into manageable mini-tasks. If he’s been assigned a report about an animal of his choice, mark the due date with a colored marker and work backward, allotting a day or so for selecting a topic, another few days for researching the elements of the report, and enough time to write a rough and a final draft.

Cross Things Off

Encourage your child to draw, in pencil, a thin line through each task as he finishes it, and to “X” out the entire list of assignments at the end of the night. He’ll feel a sense of accomplishment, just as an adult does when deleting items from his to-do list.

This simple action reinforces one of my favorite messages to students: Put yesterday behind you. Each day is a new beginning.

[ 13 No-Excuses Homework Rules for Students with ADHD ]

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Weekly Lesson Notebooks

(This post contains affiliate links.)

Better lesson organization is one of my main goals for the upcoming school year.  Having a high school student, middle school student and a kindergartener, I have no choice but to be more organized – or feel flustered and fall behind too often like I did last year when I was less prepared.

I have a newly organized planning notebook for myself and both of the big kids have their own weekly binder.  Besides organization, the binders are going to help the kiddos work towards more work independence and responsibility.  I’m so excited about these weekly lesson notebooks!

Middle and High School Binders

Basic Supplies

The pocket pouch holds a highlighter, pencils, erasers and a pencil sharpener.  Only the necessities for those times when they take school somewhere other than the school room.

Left: Weekly Chore Chart and Typical Daily Schedule

Right: Weekly Assignment Sheet

These pages will be the main stop daily.  The kids will make sure their daily chores have been completed and then move on to the lessons assigned.  Using the typical weekly schedule in my notebook (below), I will jot down daily assignments a week at a time.  Any reproducibles or worksheets that apply to particular lessons will be placed in the appropriate day’s pocket (again, below.)  As an assignment is completed, the kids will highlight it on the lesson plan sheet and place completed work in a pocket at the back of the binder.  At the end of the day (or week), I will grade what needs to be graded and file away the completed work.

Reading Log

We read a lot around here, but the necessary, assigned books don’t always get the attention they deserve.  The kids either lose interest and don’t finish the books, or they drag on way too long.  The reading log will help solve that problem.  Not only will the kids jot down books they read for fun, but this chart allows us to set a due date and plan out how many pages or chapters will need to be read daily to meet the due date.

Service Project Log

The  service project log won’t be in the middle school binder.  I wanted Mahayla, the high schooler, to have a place to keep records of all the community service she does for the purpose of completing a transcript or portfolio as she plans for college in the next couple of years.

Grade Recording Sheet

I haven’t always kept grades, and I’m not promising I’ll go overboard this year.  However, for better accountability, I’m planning to be better about keeping a grade book.  I found this grade sheet from PrintableHomeschool.com .

Left: High School Transcript (Obviously, this won’t be in the middle school journal either.)

Right: College-Bound High School Requirements

The high school transcript and requirements sheets are simply there to keep Mahayla completely “in the know” about what she needs to accomplish and what she has already accomplished for a college-bound education.

I use Homeschool Transcript , an online transcript generator that automatically calculates GPA credits, GPA points and cumulative GPA – including weighted averages for honors or AP courses.  You can get a 30-day free trial, but at only $16.00 – $12 for HSLDA members – it’s worth purchasing!

Daily Assignment Pockets

There are six pocket dividers in the back of the book.  One for each day of the week, and one for completed work.  As I make lessons plans for the week ahead, I’ll put in any pull-out worksheets or reproducibles that I’m able and place them in the appropriate day’s pocket.  For lessons that can’t be placed in the pockets, I’ll jot down page numbers for the kids so everyone knows exactly what work to do.  Beside their desks , each of them have a crate that houses all their textbooks and workbooks, so they will always know where to find their work.

The things we do together – like Bible, for instance – we typically do at the very beginning of school or the very end.  That way the individual work can be completed as independently as possible.  That’s the goal this year for one of my sweet children… need mom less .  I’m just sure these binders are going to help with independence (as well as organization.)

Kindergarten Accountability

Eli won’t have a binder, but we will implement a chore board and workbox for him to begin teaching him some independence and responsibility.

His chore board is simply a set of preschool chore cards ( from Jolanthe at Homeschool Creations ) pinned to a small cork board.   I will move the day’s particular chores to the top of the board and he will move them to the bottom once completed.

His workbox is just a big ol’ crate where I will place the supplies for his school day.   We’ll explore the crate together to decide what he can do by himself and what we will work on together.  As activities are completed, papers will be put in a special Eli spot and other supplies will be put away.

Mom’s Planning Binder

Mom’s Supplies

My pocket pouch holds a few pencils and a pencil sharpener so I don’t have to search the house for supplies when it’s time to plan.

Having an up-to-date calendar in my planning binder is of utmost importance!  It helps me know how to schedule the coming days as I take into consideration things like appointments and field trips.

Left: Official Documents

Right: Curriculum Lists

The pocket divider on the left holds official documents – a copy of my letter to the board of education and anything else I deem important.  Page protectors hold lists of each child’s curriculum ( copied from my blog post .)  I use the curriculum lists as reference for myself when planning and then file them away in end-of-the-year portfolios as a record of what curriculum was used.

Chemistry Plans

Mahayla will be taking a chemistry lab on Mondays at co-op and trying to fit bookwork into T-W-Th.  To make sure we cover everything, I jotted down pages that needed to be covered daily.  We likely won’t stick to this year-at-a-glance plan perfectly, but having the lessons broken down into manageable bites will keep us on track to completion by the end of the year.

Friday Idea Lists

Fridays will be a little different than the rest of the week.  On the first Friday of the month, we’ll go somewhere for a nature walk.  The second Friday we’ll go on a field trip.  The third Friday we’ll dedicate the day to art and artist study.  And the fourth Friday we’ll head out for service projects.  So that I’m not scrambling each Friday to figure out where we’re going or what we’re doing, I’ve created some idea lists for service projects (with contact numbers/emails), field trips and nature walks.

Left: Mahayla’s Typical Weekly Assignment Plan

Right: A Stack of Mahayla’s Lesson Plan Sheets to Fill Out Weekly and Place in Her Binder

Left: Caleb’s Typical Weekly Assignment Plan

Right: A Stack of Caleb’s Lesson Plan Sheets to Fill Out Weekly and Place in His Binder

Left: Eli’s Typical Weekly Assignment Plan

Right: A Stack of Eli’s Lesson Plan Sheets to Fill Out Weekly   (I will keep this in my binder for my reference only and use it to fill up his workbox daily.)

Some of you have asked for a copy of my weekly lesson forms .  I have included one of them as a Word doc that you can edit.  It’s really nothing more than creating a table in Word and changing fonts and colors to make it pretty.

Behind the tabs, I have a section of:

Things I’ve collected about homeschooling high school in KY

Living literature book lists

Paper for jotting down notes

It feels SO good to be organized!!

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21 Comments

Wow. You are so organized. You did a great job and the pictures and descriptions are great!

Thanks, Ruthie! I’m not always this organized. ;o)

i am LOVING this!! loving!! i love your friday idea…i think i’m gonna have to use that one. great tips, cindy 🙂

Would be willing to share the forms you used in creating these assignment notebooks? I know they won’t be exact for everyone’s needs,but I’m just curious:)

Oh… also, will YOU be the one filling in the kiddos weekly lesson forms, or will you write them on the board and allow them to copy them… or, maybe dictate to them their assignments for the week?

I shared my reading log, service project log, and a editable Word doc of one of my lesson plan sheets. :o)

I will be filling in the weekly lesson plan page (to make sure there are NO questions about assignments. LOL)

Gotcha. That’s what I thought:) And… next time I’m in KY, I’m lookin’ you up. Maybe a cup o joe? o, and one last thing… Can I get a closer look at Caleb’s weelky assignment plan, and possibly the one with the chores (only Caleb’s)? He is close in age with my kiddo. Hope I’m not creepin’ too much!

This is the kind of organized I would like to be! Last year, I made a gorgeous planner along these same lines…and then I accepted a part-time job out of the house….and we misplaced the gorgeous planner the second week and only found it in May. Sigh.

This year I hope to do better than planning the weekend before. The gorgeous planner had no dates, so with any luck I can make better use of it. 🙂

Candice, I posted Caleb’s weekly school schedule at https://ourjourneywestward.com/2012/07/2012-13-curriculum-and-schedule/ . I’ll send a copy of his chore schedule to your email. And, yes, please look me up next time you’re in KY!!

• Pingback: 2012-13 Curriculum and Schedule | Our Journey Westward

visiting from “print-a-palooza”. great organizing!! By the way, I have a Caleb, an Eli, and a Michaela! lol!

• Pingback: Back to Homeschool Help from Curriculum Choice Authors

Cindy, You Rock! Thanks so much for sharing so much stuff on your website! This will be my 2nd year homeschooling. Last year (my first year hs) was pretty easy because we were traveling the US for a year. We did a lot of field trips and history! 🙂 I have 5 girls and organization will be key to keeping us all on track and happy. Thanks again!

Aw, you are VERY welcome! 😮 What a fun year last year must have been!!

Oh my gosh this looks awesome. It appears to be a lot of work to set up initially. However, it seems very specific to each child. The learning pockets are also a great space saver. I use workboxes but also have a weekly planner for each kid that they use to guide their day.

Cindy, you are my new best friend! I just finished reading your book “Homeschooling Gifted and Advanced Learners”. Now, I feel like a stalker because I want to know all about how you homeschool! (I promise I’m harmless.) I am preparing to teach my gifted 6th-grader at home this next year, and this is my first time to homeschool. While searching online for helpful info, I somehow came across your book. I downloaded the sample exerpt on my nook, read it, and immediately bought the book. I had no intention of reading a whole book right now because, let’s be honest, I have LOTS of work to do toward preparing to homeschool. But, I’m SO glad I read it! THANK YOU for leaving out all the “fluff” info, too. You got me down to basics and the nitty-gritty I need. All the references you listed are going to be total life-savers for me!

In this post, I love how you created these folders to keep things organized and on-track! I love to be organized, but most of the time….well…you know. I’m going to stalk your blog some more and find all your other great ideas. I was pretty much terrified before I found your book, but you actually have me excited about this upcoming school year!

Thanks a bazillion!!! Andi

Andi, you’re sweet words just made my day! 🙂

Thank you for this post. I am using it to tweak our old system. We were using a clipboard and this idea will be easier. The worksheets kept gettin mixed up and misplaced. 😉

We are going to keep the clipboard to pull one day of work when it needs to travel with us for an appointment as I hope to maintain the old sheets in the book.

Mary, I’m so glad you found something helpful! I find myself forever tweaking, but this system has been VERY good for us all.

I hope you feel that imitation is the sincerest of flattery. I had already gotten mine on a similar notebook but I like the finer points of your (including one for me) that will help me keep this year on track. (we start a new school year as soon as pubic school ends for our county)

Have a GREAT new school year, Holli!

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6 Ideas for Setting Up the Middle School Math Classroom

As a teacher, there is so much to do when it comes to setting up the classroom, that it is hard to know where to start! Over the course of my first six years of teaching middle school math, a few of these classroom projects have become staples in my classroom. In this post, I plan to share a few of these ideas. (1) Assignment Notebook Board

This assignment notebook board was a great addition to the classroom. The first thing my middle school students do (or should be doing!) when they come to class is fill out their assignment notebooks. With some ruler tape that I found at Office Max, I created this assignment notebook board, which is both useful and adds some color to the classroom. The number 1 on each day is for what we do in class. The number 2 on each day is any homework that is assigned. For example the 1 might be "Multiply Fractions" and the 2 might be "Pg 232 hw (due tmw)." This is an excellent habit for students to get into and helps middle schoolers stay organized, especially if it is their first year switching classes and teachers throughout the school day! They definitely need some reminders, especially early in the year, but once they get in the habit of filling them out it becomes second nature for them!

(2) Math is Everywhere Board

I have written about this project in a few other posts, but it is one of my all time favorites to start the year! I have two bulletin boards in my classroom. This one gets filled with these tiles. Students must show how they see math in the real world on their tile. On the back of their tile, they must write a paragraph explaining how math is seen in the topic that they chose! You can click HERE for a free set of the bulletin board letters!

(3) Challenge of the Week

Many of you have already seen or tried out the Challenge of the Week in your classroom! I have loved seeing the pictures! Each week, I put up a new challenge problem. They are optional and students have until the end of the day on Thursday to turn it in. Anyone who gets it correct gets a small prize on Friday when we go over the answer! Both the 6th Grade Challenge of the Week Problems and the 8th Grade Challenge of the Week Problems are FREE in my TpT store. Enjoy! (4) Teacher Book Shelf My teacher book shelf took on some major changes recently. I started with this new way of organizing all of my math workshop materials. I decided to organize them more by the type of game, rather than by the topic like I had done in the past. I cleared these shelves off and organized them in these containers that I had ordered a few years ago. If you are looking for the materials and resources that I use for math workshop, be sure to check out my Math Mega Bundle (Upper Elementary/Middle School) and my Math Mega Bundle (8th Grade Math) .

Below these containers, I have two shelves with labels for Monday through Friday. This is where I put all of my plans and resources that I will be using for the coming week. This has been a useful way to stay organized and prepared throughout the week! As you can see, I am not quite ready for the first week of school in this picture…

On the bottom of these shelves are my task cards, which very well could be the hardest resource when it comes to organization! I found these containers at Michaels. They have worked out pretty well. I have two sets of task cards that I use throughout each school year for each grade level. I have a regular set of task cards and then a set of enrichment task cards. Each set takes up two of these containers. Teaching two different grades means I end up with 8 of these containers, which is pretty manageable! Check out the links below if you are interested in the task cards for each grade level!

6th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 6th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Bundle 7th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 7th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Bundle 8th Grade Math Task Cards Bundle 8th Grade Math Enrichment Task Cards Bundle (5) Bulletin Board (Number 2)

My second bulletin board is filled with some routine-oriented and expectation posters. I made these the last few years. The colored math workshop poster shows where students of each group should be at any given time. The homework data chart is where we record our homework data. As a class, we figure out what percentage of homework we turn in on time each day. Over the course of the year, we graph these and look at trends. It also becomes a fun competition between classes! (6) Bobblehead Collection

I started my bobblehead collection a while ago and it has just grown ever since! Students enjoy seeing them and it is a fun way for students to get to know me and my interest in baseball! My wife and I are trying to get to all 30 MLB stadiums, and recently made it to Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Luckily it was a bobblehead giveaway, so the Kevin Appier Royals bobblehead is the most recent addition to the collection!

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