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    Key Takeaways

  • Organizational and time management skills are an important part of social-emotional learning and critical to the success of middle school students.
  • Teaching students how to stay organized and manage their time wisely can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be.
  • Choices, Scholastic's health, social-emotional learning, and life-skills magazine features timely articles and videos, and offers relevant tips on how to talk to students about time management.
  • Being disorganized can have a negative effect on even the brightest students, and often overshadows their potential success. So, talking to middle school students and helping them manage their time wisely and develop organizational skills is always a top priority for teachers.

    One effective way to help students get organized is to instill good study habits. A recent article in Choices magazine was written to help you do just that. As with all Choices content, it uses the latest research and a relatable, teen-friendly voice to help students navigate life’s challenges. 

    How to Create an A+ Study Space

    Aptly titled "Dude, Where’s My Homework?," this Choices story touches on a few major concerns for students and offers some easy fixes and strategies they can use to create an organized and tidy work area.

    To create an A+ study space, students just have to follow these simple steps:

    1. Store worksheets and other homework assignments in one folder so that they never go missing again.
    2. Corral gear that travels between school and home in a DIY pencil case.
    3. Turn your phone off (or switch it to airplane mode) to prevent text messages and notifications from interrupting your work.
    4. Stash pencils, highlighters, and other supplies in containers to keep your workspace mess-free. Less clutter = fewer distractions.
    5. Track assignments and appointments in a planner so that you don’t have to rely on easy-to-lose sticky notes.
    6. Use a plate when eating! Crumbs on your English paper won’t score you any bonus points.

If students take these tips to heart, losing homework will never be an issue. They’ll also soon find that they have more time for all the other things in life that they enjoy. And with readings focused on health, social-emotional learning, and life skills, Choices is a great resource for students to incorporate even more strategies like these into other areas of their lives to achieve success. Subscribe today to provide your students with the tips they need to undergo a full organizational transformation this school year.