Classroom Management Teaching Resources
Bring your classroom management strategies to life with resources created for teachers, by teachers, with your classroom in mind!
This collection of digital and printable resources was designed to help elementary and middle school teachers create and implement classroom management plans that are both effective and supportive, building a place where students thrive.
Looking for new strategies to try or ideas to build your classroom routines and establish consistency? Read on for a primer from our teaching team!
What Is Classroom Management?
Maybe you know all this already. Then again, maybe you've got so much information swirling around your head that you could use a quick refresher! That's what we're here for.
Classroom management is the name for all those tools that teachers have in their toolkit that help a classroom run smoothly. It can include everything from your classroom behavior management systems to your instructional techniques, and it helps you hold students accountable for misbehavior. It's the very foundation of your classroom climate.
We like to think of classroom management a bit like we think of the framework for a house — it provides the basic structure for your learning environment and sets you up for success as a teacher while also setting your students up for success as learners.
How to Set Up Effective Classroom Management
Now that we've talked about the what, let's talk about the how!
When you haven't been teaching very long, it can be hard to figure out what's important and what's just loud noise.
There is no one-size-fits-all classroom management plan that will work for every teacher. The age of your students, the year level you're teaching, the needs of your students, and even your personality will all play a role in the way you run your classroom. With that in mind, your classroom management plan may change year after year as your teach new groups of kids.
All that said, you do not have to reinvent the wheel! The teachers at Teach Starter have more than a century of classroom management experience when you put us all together (hey, we're not that old!).
This toolkit draws on that wealth of experience to offer actionable steps and tips to create the classroom management strategies, behavior management plans and more that you'll need to build meaningful relationships with your students.
We've cut out the noise and focused on the most important classroom management tools for your new teacher toolkit. Consider this your favorite new pair of noise-cancelling headphones!
Focus on the Teacher-Student Relationship
A classroom management strategy is only as good as the relationship built between a teacher and their students. Connecting with your students — focusing on their strengths and their efforts — will have an impact on the overall climate of your classroom.
Those connections with your students will also help you tailor your teaching approaches to your students' individual needs, interests and learning styles.
Establish Classroom Rules and Behavior Expectations
Good classroom rules are key to preventing behavior issues and providing a framework for correction.
Your rules and expectations are also tied intrinsically to your teacher-student relationship! When students feel connected to their teacher, they are more likely to internalize the teacher's expectations and classroom rules.
Build Clear Routines and Procedures
Classroom procedures and routines are the core of classroom management in elementary and middle school, and they help keep the school day running smoothly.
The research tells us that kids crave structure, but they also test it — which is where your rules and expectations come into play.
Employ Positive Reinforcement
Being recognized for doing something right or "good" is a powerful motivator for all of us, including our students. Praising your students for their efforts and achievements, as well as their adherence to classroom expectations, reinforces positive behavior and encourages their classmates to follow suit.
Focus on Active Student Engagement
Active learning strategies, such as group work, hands-on activities and interactive discussions help kids learn, but they also play directly into behavior management. Active learning keeps students engaged and reduces the likelihood of disruptive behavior. It also promotes students with a sense of ownership and participation in the learning process.
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Where Are We? Classroom Door Sign
Add a "where are we?" classroom door sign to your classroom door to let people know where you and your students have gone!
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School Procedures Rewrite
Practice writing stories of characters who demonstrate a proper understanding of classroom procedures with this rewrite activity.
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Interactive Classroom Layout Maker
Save your time (and your back) by pre-planning your classroom layout and furniture placement with a Google Slides interactive design template.
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I Can Follow the Rules at School – Mini-Book
Use this mini-book to review or introduce school and classroom rules to your primary students.
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Editable Back-to-School Pamphlet
Share important information with parents and guardians with this back to school printable pamphlet.
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What's the Problem? Classroom Procedure Task Cards
Teach, review, and assess student knowledge of classroom rules and procedures with quick and easy task cards.
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Procedures Do's and Don'ts
Identify proper school and classroom procedures with this sorting activity.
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Playdough STEM Challenge – Task Cards
Use this set of STEM challenge cards to foster critical thinking and problem-solving by building various items with playdough.
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Rules Around Us Sorting Activity
Identify rules at home, in school, and around the community with a sorting activity.
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Back to School Problem Solving Task Cards
Use this set of 20 task cards when teaching behavior expectations during your back-to-school lessons.
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Editable Classroom Newsletter
Give important information to your students’ parents and guardians by using this editable classroom newsletter.
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Design Your Own Procedure Anchor Chart Template
Design your own custom classroom procedure anchor charts with back to school anchor chart template.
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From the Desk of....Personalized Notepads for Teachers
Personalize your own memo pads or teacher notepads with our printable stationery for teachers!
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End of Year STEM Challenge
Use critical thinking and problem-solving skills with this set of STEM challenge cards.
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Editable Meet The Teacher Template
Use these back-to-school templates to create a letter for your new students and their families introducing yourself.
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End of the Year Gift Tags – S'mores Themed
Make the end of the school year “sweet” with these s’mores themed gift tags.
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Multiplication and Division Word Problem Task Cards (Facts 1-12)
Use a range of strategies to solve multiplication and division problems for times tables facts 1-12.
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Telling Time Cards
Identify the time on the analog clock and use a clothespin to mark the correct digital time.
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100 Action Verbs
Practice counting to 100 by 1’s and 10’s with this set of 24 action cards that get students moving, reading, and writing.
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Prefix Dominoes
Identify new words that include common prefixes with 28 prefix and root word dominoes.
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Non-Contact Morning Greetings Posters
Non-contact greetings that students can do with their teachers and peers.
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Our Class Got a Compliment! - Class Reward Chart
Motivate your students to keep up the good work with this classroom reward chart.
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Classroom Catastrophe Scale – Display
Help your students gauge the severity of everyday challenges with this wall display.
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Classroom Expectations Posters
Display three of the most important classroom expectations with this set of posters.
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Infinity Coloring Sheet Template
Create a growing class masterpiece with this infinity coloring activity—perfect for brain breaks, early finishers, and bulletin board displays.
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Origami Box Step-By-Step Instructions
A visual instruction page to use when creating an origami box.
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Classroom Wish List – Giraffe
Display your back-to-school needs for your new parents on this classroom wish list display.
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Morning Message Slide Templates - Days of the Week
Start the day off right with this set of editable days of the week PowerPoint slides for a morning message or meeting.
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Student of the Week – Lower Grades
Celebrate the students in your classroom by having a Student of the Week program!
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Student of the Week Certificate – Lower Grades
Celebrate your Student of the Week student with this certificate for lower grade students.
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Student of the Week Certificate – Upper Grades
Celebrate your Student of the Week student with this certificate for upper grade students.
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Student of the Week – Upper Grades
Celebrate the students in your classroom by having a Student of the Week program!