Signing up for Reading Rotations: How to Keep Your Sanity

Since embracing the Reading Workshop Literacy Block format I've tried a LOT of systems to manage the whole process of signing up kids for literacy rotations. The management systems I tried held students accountable, but they just about put me over the edge. Calling out each student's name and waiting for a response... Signing up on the SMARTboard.... Moving clothes pins to posters... I tried it. I really did. All variations of it.  It was time consuming and tedious. Are you with me?

I'm happy to share the system that (finally!) works in my classroom.
At our school, the first bell rings at 8:00. This is what my whiteboard looks like. It's empty except for the students' names I've put under Teacher Time. I do this before leaving the day prior.

I greet kids at the door and as they trickle in they know to sign up for rotations. Some days I have three and some days I have four.  Based on where their name is 'locked' in Teacher Time, they decide where to sign up for the other blocks.
Here are the two tricky parts:
1. If I have three rotations, one Teacher Time has two groups at once. An assistant takes one in the hall at the same time I'm working in the room.
2. If a rotation  has a star in front that indicates work is done on the laptops. I have access to 8 laptops. So.... only 8 kids can sign up in that block.

Announcements are over at 8:20. This is what my board looks like. My Lit Block is ready to rock and roll!

Following my strategy reading lesson I show and explain what the required work is for each rotation. As we progress through the Lit Block a student erases the rotation as it is complete. Students know where to go next because now it's at the top.

At the beginning of the year it took roughly three days of modeling and practice before they could do it independently. Now they are masters. Students participate. Classmates help classmates if there is an issue. The cuties know what they should be doing!
Finally a Lit Block rotation system that works for me.The kids do the work and I just supervise. Love that!