5-Step Guide To Setting Up Your Classroom
And… Disaster! That was usually my thought the first day of setting up my classroom each year… until I made some changes.
I used to enter my classroom and immediately pull everything out. I kept muttering to myself, “Where did my June self put this?” I continued to repeat this process until I had most everything pulled out, then I looked around the room to see a huge mess! I just added another hour or two to my workload. Great. When’s lunch?
So, I decided to make some changes. First, I sat down and made a list of things I had to get done before parents and students entered the room for the first time.
The furniture had to be set up.
I needed supplies to get us through the first week of school. Sometimes we are able to get supplies from the office, but there were many times when the supplies didn’t arrive until the second week of school.
I needed my copies for the first week. This included My Parent Information Form. (We usually had a Meet-and-Greet event the Thursday Night before the first week)
Bulletin Boards
This prompted me to create my 5-Step Guide To Setting Up My Classroom.
Step #1: Fix The Furniture!
I know you want to pull everything out of the cabinets, open anything new you’ve already purchased, and start dreaming of this coming year. Don’t Do It! Not Yet! Or you will start the year as I used to, and begin the year…behind.
Start moving your furniture first. Try not to overthink your classroom layout; you will be able to change it later. At the beginning of the year, I created rows of two desks together facing the front of the room.
This configuration had students facing the front of the room, which helped when we had all the discussions on rules and expectations. It also enabled students to have a partner to talk with quietly during those first week activities.
Once I had my students’ desks in order, I focused on:
Students Shelves: containing class supplies and our class library
Teacher’s Desk (If you have one)
My Teacher Kidney Table
Tables for group work
Turn-In Table
I went on a hunt and located any missing furniture that was mistakenly moved into someone else’s room over the summer…
Now that my classroom was no longer a tripping hazard, I moved on to the next step.
Step #2: Student Supplies:
This was my ideal start with supplies:
5 different colored two-pocket folders for each subject: Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, Technology
Two pencils for each student. I started giving out two pencils at a time in order to cut down on pencil interruptions. If one pencil breaks, they have a backup, or a seat partner offered to lend their pencil.
One large, pink eraser for each student
One spiral-bound notebook
One black and white composition book
One box of crayons for each student
Now, if the supplies from the office were late that year, I knew I wanted at least the following for the first week of school for each student:
1 Two-Pocket Folder
Two pencils
One large, pink eraser
One spiral-bound notebook
One box of crayons
Student Name Tags
If we didn’t have the supply order in yet, I could ask the office for the minimal list, or I knew I could buy the above supplies to get us started.
Step #3: Copies!!
Now, on to copies! First, I sat down in my organized room, and I planned the first week of school.
Yes, the first week. Every year, I forgot how extremely exhausted I was each day that first week. You will thank yourself for preparing for the entire week and enabling yourself to go home on time.
Then, I wrote a list of student copies that I needed for that first week, including My Parent Information Sheet for our Meet-and-Greet Night.
Also, I always made three-four extra activity sheets, just in case something didn’t go as planned that first week.
Next, I bookmarked or downloaded a master copy of all the activity sheets I needed for the week, and I tabbed any teacher books that contained the necessary student lessons.
Tip:
The copier and your school computer have been on vacation, too. I cannot, or should not, tell you how many times I walked from my classroom to the copier, only to find out… it didn’t print. Then I would still go back to my classroom, press print, and walk up to the copier again!!
Take. Your. Computer. With. You. To. The. Printer. When. You. Are. Ready. To. Print!
Don’t forget your paperclips, paper hole punch, and stapler! This will save you so much time! While I waited for my copies to print, I wrote out name tags.
Take the time to stop, take a breath, and feel great that you have so much done already!! Yay!
Step #4: Bulletin Boards
There were so many years that we were asked at the end of year to take down our bulletin boards. It was so frustrating!
I did my best to streamline this process, so even with just the basics finished, the bulletin boards still enhanced our room.
I created functional, purposeful bulletin boards that required small changes throughout the year. This way, if I wanted to add more later and I had time, great! However, if I were short on time, the bulletin boards still enriched our room.
Here are my bulletin board areas:
Student Work
Monthly Projects
Class Expectations and Class Encouragement
Reading Train: This usually was posted on my cabinets, since I ran out of bulletin board or whiteboard space. I also added our Book Recommendations in this area.
With this collection of different types of bulletin boards, I alternated the time needed to change the boards. I usually modified them every 1-4 weeks, so I would not feel overwhelmed and behind.
Bulletin Board Rotation:
Student Work: I changed once a week
Monthly Projects: I changed once a month
Class Expectations and Encouragement: I added students’ Portfolio Piece and Compliments to the board every 1-2 weeks
Reading Train: Posted our new Train Car every 1-2 weeks
Here is how I set up the bulletin boards before school started. Not all of them were completely finished, and I added to them with students starting the first week of school.
Bulletin Boards:
I stapled or taped up the background paper and the borders. I had several whiteboards instead of traditional bulletin boards, so I only needed to add borders to the whiteboards. Tip: If you ever get the chance to switch out a traditional bulletin board to a whiteboard, I highly recommend it. You have additional options for attaching decorations and student work to whiteboards, such as using tape or magnets. Typically, with a traditional bulletin board, your only option is to use staples.
Student Board: I picked a whiteboard to use for this, but you could also use a section of wall for this bulletin board. I used packing tape to secure rows of alternating, brightly colored paper to the whiteboard. The board stayed this way until the first week of school. It still looked nice even before we added student work. Then, when I added work, I taped the students’ work off-center, so it was backed by the colored paper. This highlighted the students’ work well.
Monthly Project Board: I also used a whiteboard for this board. I added a border and a title for the board.
Class Expectations and Encouragement: I prepared the title and border for this board. Then, students completed lessons and activities, which I added to the board later during the first week of school.
Reading Train: This board landed on my teacher cabinets. I taped up the beginning poster for the train. We talked about this area during the first week of school, and what was required to add additional cars to the train.
To recap, I added background paper, if applicable, borders, and titles to my boards during the initial classroom setup.
If I had extra time, I could then spend the additional time on bulletin boards, cleaning cabinets, or any other new projects I had in mind for the year.
Tip:
Packing tape was my best friend in my classroom! It has a strong hold, and it doesn’t leave marks, even on a whiteboard.
Step #5: Beginning Of The Year Spot:
After the initial classroom setup was completed, I chose one place, on one shelf or in one of my cabinets. In this location, I started to gather things throughout the year that I knew I would need next Fall.
Materials such as:
A folder for one copy of each activity I might want to use next Fall. I also packed The Parent Information Form and a copy of the August/September Newsletter.
I stored any extra bulletin board borders in this spot.
I also put any extra supplies in this area: pencils, erasers, unused crayon boxes, folders, spiral-bound notebooks, and black and white composition books.
I created a List of Ideas, and either placed it in the folder with the copies or taped it up on the inside of the cabinet doors. I listed any new ideas that came to mind for the next year.
This gave me a head start this following year. I could certainly make changes, but I created a base to get me started the next year.
Congratulations! With this 5-Step Strategy in place, you can begin tackling the start of the year with excitement, instead of having your classroom and all its contents tackle you!
Here Are Some Awesome Resources That Will Help You Even More:
The Small Groups Blueprint | Teachers 2nd-6th Grade! Tired of being told you need to differentiate for all your students, but never exactly how? In this Blueprint, I will show you each step, from setting up your classroom layout to implementing each group and what activities you can use.
I also walk you through how to set up automatic grading assessments, along with organizational tips!
The Small Groups Blueprint is your roadmap to implement Small Groups in your classroom that provide individualized instruction with fewer interruptions!
The Academic Planner & Organizer | This Academic Planner & Organizer has everything you need, so you can stop scrambling to find binders.
Keep everything you need this year together in one place: monthly calendar, weekly overview, meeting notes, student data, parent contact information and more!
Save time and your sanity and check out this planner!
Click Here: Yes! Let's Get Organized!
Create Your Ideal Classroom Layout For Small Groups | This guide is the roadmap to help you create a classroom layout that supports a successful Small Group Time! Learn how some simple tweaks can make a world of difference and prevent issues before they start.
Set a strong foundation that sets you and your students up for success during your Small Group Time.
