Classroom Setup
When I got hired on as a first year teacher, I was so eager to get into the classroom and start setting things up! Little did I know there was so much that went into classroom setup. I wish I had someone tell me “Get these things ready for your classroom in the summer and your year will run more smoothly.” So in this blog post that is what I’m doing. Here is what you need to do for classroom setup that is meaningful to students and will make your life as a teacher easier!
A tool that is really helpful to you as a teacher and to students is having a daily schedule displayed somewhere in your classroom. Students like to know what to expect for the day. Plus it helps to get them and you into a routine that runs smoothly. This saves valuable instructional time. Plus you won’t be bombarded with questions about what you will be going next in the school day.
Here is how I do schedule cards in my classroom to make them more meaningful to students. I print out cards with our subjects/activities. Then during the first week of school, I have students draw a picture to go with each one! It helps students feel connected to the classroom. It starts to build community in your classroom!! Then I have a pocket chart that they fit into. During our “Class Jobs” time at the end of the day, I’ll change it for the schedule next day. It works great! I made some for you to use! They are editable, so they will definitely work for you and your classroom. Find them here!
Another Classroom setup idea that helps students be a part of the classroom is doing an Anchor Chart Bulletin Board. First I love this because I don’t ever have to change the bulletin board, which saves me a ton of time in the year.
I print out the letters to “ANCHORING OUR LEARNING” and have students decorate a letter as a first week of school activity. Then I staple them up on our bulletin board. Then I have a place to put up all our anchor charts we do together in lessons. It’s meaningful to students because they were a part of building the bulletin board. Plus the anchor charts are in a place they can access them and reference them when needed! Find this Anchor Chart Bulletin Board here.
Another fun way to get students involved in the setup of your classroom is having them decorate their own name tag. This is actually the very first thing my students do when they walk into the classroom on the first day of school! They color the clipart of themselves and color in the letters of their name. Then after school, I’ll glue them on a piece of card stock and laminate them. Then I put them on the front of their desks. This helps students feel like the classroom is their space!
classroom set up first grade
I created these students name tags where you can edit names. There are also different clipart to fit any child so they all feel included! Find them here.
When we talk about classroom setup, we have to talk about centers. Centers are great to change things up in the classroom and allow students to work independently. It also allows us to teach students in small group settings.
However, getting students to remember their center group and rotation can be a little tricky. That is why as part of my classroom setup, I have a student friendly centers schedule chart. Students can see clearly who’s in their group and what centers they go to for the day. It doesn’t take them too long to get the hang of things! But the chart is still super helpful when you change your center groups or rotations! Find my center schedule chart here. It’s editable so make it to your needs!
This next classroom setup tool literally helps me keep my sanity as a teacher. Make a spelling dictionary book for each of your students. This helps students be independent in spelling words. They can look up how to spell words. If the word they are looking for is not there, they have the page open and I hurry and write the word for them. Then it’s always there for them to reference to!
This really helps eliminate some of the chaos that can happen during your writing block or writing centers. Find the spelling dictionary I use in my classroom here.
Incorporate creative custom stickers in the spelling dictionary books as a fun way for students to label or categorize words, enhancing their learning and organizational skills.
One last classroom set up idea to think about is fast finisher work. It is no surprise to teachers that students finish work at different times. So knowing what you’ll have students do when they are finished with work really helps outs.
In my classroom, I have students play math fact games! It’s a nice reward for working hard and finishing work, plus it gets them practice their math facts! My students seriously love these games! They would even ask to play them during inside recess. Find my math fact games here.
I hope these classroom setup ideas serve you well this upcoming school year. I know they are meaningful to students and they help make my life easier as a teacher.
I bundled all of these resources together to help save money! Find the bundle here.
Looking for everything you need for Back to School? Check out this bundle where you get all of my classroom setup resources plus other back to school essentials in this Back to School Mega Bundle here.
Learn more about setting up your classroom library here.
Also, did you know that it’s one of my passions to make math fact instruction fun and meaningful in my classroom? Check out this blog post all about How to Make Math Facts Fun. Plus, don’t forget to download my free workbook: The 7 Steps to Ensure Math Fact Fluency.
