As a Type A, highly organized, planning-obsessed teacher, I *need* to have all of my ducks in a row WELL before the first day of school in order to avoid feeling completely out of control. Flying by the seat of my pants is not an option.
So to alleviate stress and ensure a strong, positive start to each year, I have compiled my top list of things that I like to have organized and ready-to-go before the first day of school…plus a few additional tips, tricks, and *FREEBIES* along the way!
The Classroom
Let’s start with the physical space. This one is pretty individual; not only is every classroom different, but we also have access to different resources. With that in mind, here is my list of some classroom to-dos.
- Arrange classroom furniture (center/small group locations, teacher desk, carpet area, etc.)
- Determine seating arrangement (if you don’t know your students yet, just wing it and change it strategically later if needed)
- Organize classroom library …why does this one always take me so long ðĪŠ
- Prepare bulletin board(s) for upcoming learning & student work
- Decorate as desired (it’s easy to get caught up in this one so consider it a work-in-progress and give yourself some grace)
- Display emergency procedures and other necessary schedules, calendars, etc.
Obsessively-organized teacher TIP! I am still a strong believer in literacy (and math) centers, especially in the early years. Not only does this give students a pressure-free opportunity for extra practice and fostering independence, but it allows me to pull students to my small group table for 1:1 or small group reading, intervention, assessment, etc. Setting up our morning literacy centers (click the link & scroll down a bit to see a detailed description of my center time) to run like a well-oiled machine is definitely one of my strongest classroom management strategies that works year after year.
To make it a breeze, over the years I’ve compiled 5+ center activities per week (writing, word work 1, word work 2, listening or reading, and a pocket chart or tabletop center) which are printed, laminated, cut out and ready-to-go. I store them in large brown paper envelopes and keep each week’s centers in the corresponding month’s drawer. You can get the original free chalkboard labels here.
(NOTE: I gradually did this throughout my first year of teaching first grade so that year was a lot more work. But the second year I was SOOOO happy I had spent time doing this because I didn’t have to think about centers ever again!).
Organization
Having the materials and resources you will need for the first week (at least) on-hand and setting up organizational systems that will support you and your students throughout the entire year is key to keeping things running smoothly.
Having a set of easy-to-edit newsletters and calendars is key for ensuring stress-free and consistent parent communication right from day one. I send home a month-at-a-glance portrait-style calendar along with our newsletter each month, but I also like printing myself a landscape-version of the calendar that I tack to the cork board by my desk to keep track of everything I have going on.
Here are a few more organizational to-dos…
- Collect any necessary classroom materials and supplies (class set of glue sticks, markers, pencils, an electric sharpener, tape, stapler, etc. etc. etc.)
- Prep student name tags (for locker/backpack hook, deskplate if using, reading/independent work box, etc.)
- Ensure your sub binder/folder is ready with some emergency plans
- Label supplies and classroom elements as needed
- Ensure you have class lists (for keeping track of grades, anecdotal notes, permission forms, etc.)
In my first year of teaching, I thought that each child having a CAMP binder (click the link & scroll down to read all about it) was the best thing ever (some parents even reached out and said how much they loved it). However, fast forward two kids of my own later, and I realize what a pain in that butt that must have been for both parents and my students ðĪĶââïļ Yes, the concept was perfect and definitely taught kiddos responsibility and accountability, but the reality of having little first graders (many of whom came with little backpacks) lug a big, heavy binder back and forth to school every single day along with water bottles and lunch bags, was super impractical.
I switched to these extra large plastic zip pouches and never looked back! They’re light, durable, super easy to toss in papers and other crafts from the day, and also work great for keeping parent notes, and things like loose change for book fairs, etc. all in one place. I just write each student’s name across the middle with a Sharpie and have a designated basket on a shelf at our classroom door when they put them every morning, and pick up every afternoon. Game changer.
Rules & Routines
Clear and consistent rules & routines = strong classroom management. Start from day one. I always feel like I’m being a drill sergeant at the beginning of the year but, trust me, having a firm foundation makes the world of a difference for the remainder of the year.
- Create a list of rules and consequences and display them (I have them somewhat pre-determined in my mind-and on a sticky note-but we do this together on the first day)
- Determine a few “signature signals” (aka the attention-grabbers) you’d like to use to get students’ attention (one of my go-tos is a Tibetan singing bowl so I’m not always using my voice)
- Establish a morning routine (morning meeting, calendar, introducing literacy centers, etc.)
- Create a dismissal routine (see below!)
Before graduating from teachers college, I remember one of my professors telling us about how incorporating basic chores and practical tasks is a fundamental component in Chinese schools. I knew that I wanted to build that into my classroom routines & procedures from day one. Taking shared responsibility of our classroom environment quickly became a staple for building confidence, independence, and a positive community-centered attitude.
Tidying the classroom before the end of each day is a shared responsibility–not just a job for one or two students each week. We have brooms and dust pans available, as well as natural cleaner in spray bottles with clothes for wiping down surfaces and chairs as they’re stacked against the wall. But I also love the idea from Sweet Firstie Fun to have a Tidy Tub on each table group for activities throughout the day that might generate lots of paper scraps. Here are some more ideas:
- Create routines for attendance (do you do a roll-call or have students sign-in with an interactive visual?…you can see my magnetic star system HERE), lunch, bathroom breaks, walking in the hallway, etc.
- Have an FINISHED bin and an UNFINISHED bin (this is handy for keeping track of work that needs to be handed in but is not yet finished…better than staying in the endless black-hole of students desks!)
- Determine student responsibilities and duties (classroom jobs, etc.).
- Determine other routines and procedures that you’ll want to practice over and over again throughout the first week (e.g. what your locker space should look like, where outdoor/indoor shoes go, how to enter the classroom and where to go/what to do, where are water bottles kept, how to line up, how to walk in the hallways, how to use and share classroom materials, how to transition from one center to another, etc.)
Another one we sometimes don’t think about but can become a big pain depending on the dynamics of your classroom from year to year is a bathroom procedure. The year I had students using the bathroom as an avoidance technique or simply taking advantage of being out of the room with friends was the first year I implemented washroom cones. I’ve used them every year ever since.
They are just mini cones from Walmart that I taped printed male/female washroom symbols on to.
It’s super simple, when a students needs to use the washroom, they silently get up, take either the male or female cone (according to whether they’re a boy or a girl), and place it on their desk. Then they go to the washroom. No raising their hand to ask for permission, no interrupting, no two boys or two girls out of the classroom at the same time, no problems! With the bright cones, I get an immediate visual cue of who is out of the room. It’s definitely a bit of a novelty at first but it always wears off fast. Definitely a go-to procedure year after year.
Other Items
Just like having the forethought to plan for all types of weather when packing for a vacation, the super-planner in me likes to think of and be prepared for whatever the first few weeks might bring me. Some of these other items include…
- Prep activities for the first week…the first week is not so much lesson-planning as it is procedure-practicing and just getting used to existing in the classroom environment. So lots of read alouds, read aloud extension activities, crafts, about me activities, name games & ice-breaker games, school tours (even if they’re already familiar with the building), revisiting skills, and extra outside time ð
- Make all copies for the entire week
- Prep time-fillers for the first week or more!
Did that read aloud and extension activity you had planned for the first block go way faster than you thought it would? Do you have a handful of early finishers who don’t know what to do next? Back to school FUN packets to the rescue!
This is absolutely one of the biggest game-changers that I didn’t know I needed in my first few years of teaching. Having a booklet of FUN activities (along with some simple skill-revision activities as well) prepped and ready for each student is absolutely key. I no longer stress about unplanned gaps in our day. These ready-to-go time-fillers are a life saver.
The Day Before the First Day
After checking through the above lists, you can rest assured that you’re all set and can focus on building connections with your new students. But don’t forget to…
- Pick out your clothes and make your lunch so you don’t have to rush in the morning
- Set your alarm so you won’t be late
- Get a good night’s sleep…You’re going to ROCK it!
One more thing! If you haven’t already gotten your Meet the Teacher introductory pages ready to send home with students on the first day, you can grab an easy-to-edit template HERE!!
When it comes down to it, as teachers we know that there is always more to do, but make sure to press pause and rest assured that you are an amazing teacher and have done more than enough. Your students will love YOU, whether your bulletin boards are the fanciest in the school or covered with faded old paper you found in the supply room.
Happy Teaching ð
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