Write an article based on this "Get a list of what school materials you need. Plan out what to take in your bag. Use every part of your backpack."
Before every school year, your school should provide you with a list of the items you need for your grade. If you don't receive one of these before the school year begins, you can usually find them at supply stores like Office Max or Staples. The most common items for middle school include pens, #2 pencils, notebooks, wide-rule loose leaf paper, a 3 ring binder, and scissors and tape. Other materials you may need include a USB flash drive, a TI calculator, index cards, a weekly planner, and a stapler. You don't want to overload your backpack, so try to take only the essentials when you can. For example, having one binder separated into multiple subjects will help save you space compared to multiple folders. You should also try to take two pencils and two to three pens, as well as a highlighter, and your weekly planner. This way, the rest of your space can be dedicated to textbooks and notebooks. You'll have a better idea of exactly what you'll need day-to-day after the first week of class. If you have money for lunch, try to keep it zipped up in an inside pocket. If you don't have one in your bag, try to keep it in a change purse or wallet instead. This will help keep your money safe and together, so you aren't searching all over for it during lunch time. If you have a block schedule with different classes on different days, try separating your materials into marked piles. For example, you can mark everything for one day with a specific color like red, while the other day is blue. Then you can switch them out of your backpack when necessary. Now is the moment of truth; you want to make sure you can fit everything in your backpack and still be able to carry it. Chances are you'll have a locker you can store some things in, but you still need to be able to take everything to and from school each day. Put your binder, notebooks, textbooks, and pencil case in the main part of the bag - in that order. You should then put any extra materials into the front pockets. For example, your calculator, tape, stapler, even markers, and highlighters if they won't fit in your pencil case can go in your front pockets. The front pockets of your backpack are also a great place to keep items like chapstick, tissues, mints, or anything else you want to carry with you.