Classroom Organization Ideas for Back to School

Teachers, it’s that time of year again! Time to start planning and organizing your classroom for the new school year. Today, I’m going to share with you some tips on how to get your classroom organized and in shape for the new school year. Enjoy! 🙂

Here is a list of items to make your room run smoothly.  It may seem overwhelming at first, so let me show you how you can set up your classroom quickly so you have time to teach.

Must-Have Items for Classroom Organization

• Classroom calendar
• Daily class schedule
• Morning routine signs
• Classroom jobs display
• Rules and expectations
• Anchor charts for phonics, math, colors, etc.
• How do we get home? Dismissal display
• Birthday display
• Centers and center schedule displays
• Desk and table nameplates
• Supply labels
• Behavior chart
• Hall passes
• Labels for everything!

Taking a few hours in the summer can make a huge difference in your whole year! Try these tips to have a manageable classroom that looks great too.

Don’t forget to grab your free classroom décor guide with checklists to help you set up a great-looking and organized room.

Go Digital

Do you still have a file cabinet full of papers and binders in your room? Why not clear the clutter and go digital! Google Slides and Docs are the perfect apps to start to create and share your materials.

Before you go digital for every lesson and handout, start with a few simple Google-ready resources from my shop.

♥ Classroom Newsletters

♥ Morning Meeting Slides

♥ Assignment Slides

These not only help you stay organized, but they also let your students know exactly what is expected of them and what they need to have a productive day. It’s the best way to help your day run smoothly.

These are available in themes to match your classroom décor, making them fun and engaging for your students.

Classroom Organization Idea: Set up Spaces

Getting your classroom organized for your students is all about consistency and space. Think about the areas in your classroom that students frequent most. Have them ready before school starts, and introduce them in the room on day one.

Here are some helpful spaces to have in your classroom.  Make sure to label everything and go over the areas with your students, modeling how to use them.

Classroom Organization Idea:  Use Work Stations

First, have a place in the room where students can check for absent work and materials. In addition, students should also know where to turn in current and late work. Many teachers prefer to collect work from students when it’s on-time but have a place where students can submit work when it’s late.

If you have a small class, you may consider giving each student a cubby or folder in the workstation. Using workstations to submit and organize work will help your students know the procedures and routines and keep you organized for next year!

Classroom Library

There are a few different ways to organize your classroom library. Organizing by Fountas & Pinnell text levels or Lexile Levels can be helpful when sharing materials with your emergent readers.

You may also choose to have some non-leveled readers for fun, free reading. These may be high-interest books for your students outside formal reading levels. Keep in mind that it’s OK for students to read above or below their level.

Add a section for read-alouds. These books may be slightly above student reading level but are age-appropriate. Students love to hear their teachers or older students read to them!

Supply Carts or Shelves

Have an area where students can access supplies on their own. These may be materials like markers, crayons, safe scissors, paper, and pencils.

Make sure your students know where to find the materials and how to return them when finished. Model this behavior early in the year and revisit expectations often.

How Can I Organize My Classroom and Make it Look Great Too?

Class décor, signs, and labels can take away much of the stress when transitioning between activities.

Having marked centers, materials, and rotation schedules help students feel confident that they know what to do.  They can match pictures to find what they need and be more independent.  Since every classroom is different, you may need different wording or labels.

Get your free guide to classroom décor here.  This guide has information on using classroom décor to organize, motivate, and teach.  Plus, see over 12 Décor themes you can use to make your room into a fun and engaging learning environment.

Classroom organization for next year starts in the summer by organizing your physical space.  Your efforts will help your students be ready to learn and will also teach them how to be organized.  I hope these classroom organization ideas will help you get off to a great start.

Happy Organizing

 

 

P.S.  Check out these posts:

Top 10 Must-Have Classroom Decor Items

Growth Mindset Tips for a New School Year