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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Addition and Subtraction Word Problem Task Cards (Numbers 1-50)
Use a range of addition and subtraction strategies to solve twenty word problems that contain numbers 1–50.
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Reading Goals Tracking Chart
A classroom display that allows students to see their reading progress.
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Time Dominoes - Half, Quarter, and Hour Intervals
Practice telling time to the nearest hour, quarter hour, or half hour by matching 32 analog and digital clock dominoes.
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Free School Newsletter Template - Weekly Snapshot
Communicate important information happening in your classroom with this free school newsletter template.
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Classroom Helpers Bulletin Board Design Set
Help your classroom helpers keep track of their classroom responsibilities with printable bulletin board set.
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CVC/CCVC/CVCC Word Flashcards
A comprehensive set of flashcards for CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words.
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Drama Game Task Cards
A set of 17 activity cards with instructions for drama games.
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35 Ways to Ask "How Was Your Day?" Poster
Help your parents communicate with their children using these 35 questions.
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Snakes and Ladders Game Board Template
Create a fun activity for any subject area with this black-and-white board game template.
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Dice Roll - Content Vocabulary Activity
Use our ‘Dice Roll’ Content Vocabulary Activity as an opportunity to help your students grow their vocabulary skills in the classroom.
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Random Pairing Generator - Partner Cards
Use these printable partner cards as a randomized pair generator when grouping students in the classroom.
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Under the Sea Match-Up (Pairing Cards)
Practice matching skills and pair up your students with our Under The Sea Match-Up Pairing Cards.
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Printable Birthday Badge
Celebrate your student's big day with a printable birthday badge.
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I’m Done, Now What? Fast Finishers Display (1-2)
Engage your students and keep them learning with our What Do I Do Now? Fast Finishers Bulletin Board for early grades.
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Groups of 4 - Random Grouping Cards
Divide your students into groups of four quickly and easily with Printable Student Grouping cards.
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Food-Themed Random Student Pairing Cards
Pair up your students quickly and easily with a set of tasty food-themed random student pairing cards.
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Random Student Grouping Cards (Groups of 6)
Easily arrange your students into groups of six with printable Random Student Grouping Cards.
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Emoji Pairing Cards
Pair up your students with a smile using our printable Emoji Pairing Cards.
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Enneagram Personality Test Pack
Build relationships and tailor your teaching to your students’ personalities using an Enneagram Personality Test and supporting resources.
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What's My Color? - Grouping Cards and Matchup Activity
Practice identifying colors and easily group your students with our "What's My Color?" Grouping cards and matching activity.
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Animal Sounds Pairing Cards
Make partner work quick, fun, and stress‑free with our Animal Sounds Pairing Cards.
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Inference Clip Cards Activity
Use this set of inference peg cards to have students practice looking at an image and making an inference based on prior knowledge.
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Mount Feeling - Feelings Poster and Flashcards
Mount Feeling poster and flashcards to help students vocalize how they are feeling using a visual aid.
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Weather-Themed How Are You Feeling? Poster and Flashcards
A visual resource to help students verbalize how they are feeling.
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Learning Dispositions Worksheet – Upper Grades
Reflect on various learning dispositions with this student worksheet.
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Learning Dispositions Reflection Worksheets – Lower Grades
A set of 10 worksheets to allow students to reflect on their application of various learning dispositions.
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Random Student Grouping Cards (Upper)
Make assigning groups quick, easy, and fun with a set of printable Random Student Grouping cards for older students.
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Monster Partner Picker Cards (K-2)
Help your little learners pick a random partner easily with our printable Monster Partner Picker cards.
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Visual Random Student Grouping Cards
Quickly form groups of 2-6 students in the classroom with a set of printable Visual Random Grouping Cards
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Comparing Integers – Math Mazes
Compare positive and negative numbers while you work your way through this set of math mazes.
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Compound and Simple Sentences Task Cards
Use these compound and simple sentence task cards to help your students identify the difference between these types of sentences.
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Tricky Words Activity Mats
Use these printable tricky word mats as a hands-on activity when introducing high frequency words that have an irregular spelling pattern or one your early readers haven’t learnt yet.