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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Growth Mindset Inspirational Coloring Pages
Inspire creativity and encourage your students to think positively with a set of growth mindset inspirational coloring pages.
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Student Behavior Discussion Cards for the Classroom
Print free student behavior discussion cards to encourage your class to think about what a positive learning environment looks like, sounds like, and feels like.
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I Wish My Teacher Knew Activity Sheet
Add an ‘I Wish My Teacher Knew’ activity to your first-day plans to learn more about your new students.
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Visual Schedule Template - Display Cards
Make your classroom routines visible and understandable with a real-world visual schedule template set.
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CVCC Word Work Mat
Practice segmenting and spelling simple words with this set of 24 CVCC picture task cards.
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Finding the Area of Composite Shapes Task Cards
Calculate the area of rectilinear shapes with a set of Finding the Area of Composite Shapes Task Cards for 3rd grade.
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Free Blank Face Templates
Use these blank face templates to create fun back-to-school art celebrating the individuality and diversity of your new students!
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Classroom Procedures Checklist
Determine and track which classroom procedures and routines you will teach at the beginning of the school year with a classroom procedures checklist and tracking sheet.
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Student Interest Survey Pack
Use a Student Interest Survey to get to know your new students at the beginning of the school year.
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Back to School - Personalized Name Coloring Bookmarks
Inspire your new students to read, read, read with their very own personalized name bookmark to color!
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Microorganisms - Good and Bad Bacteria Poster Pack
Teach your students about good and bad bacteria with a printable Microorganisms - Good and Bad Bacteria Poster pack.
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Drama Game Task Cards
A set of 17 activity cards with instructions for drama games.
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Emoji Pairing Cards
Pair up your students with a smile using our printable Emoji Pairing Cards.
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Array, Array, Go Away Dice Game
Reinforce how to match arrays and multiplication facts with this printable dice game.
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Mini Classroom Mailbox Template
Use this mini classroom mailbox template in a variety of ways.
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Brag Tags
Provide positive reinforcement for good behavior and achievements with printable Brag 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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Back to School Night Sign In Sheet Templates
Use our back-to-school night sign-in sheet templates to track parent contacts, note student transportation, and parent volunteers.
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Place Value Color by Number Worksheets
Share these place value color by number worksheets with your students for a fun way to review place value up to the hundred thousands place.
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Coordinate Plane Games — "Roll and Graph"
Play our coordinate plane games in your classroom to enhance students’ ability to plot points and find the distance between them.
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Multiplication Arrays Mini-Book
Teach your students about multiplication and array models with this printable mini-book.
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Multiplication Color By Number Worksheet Pack
Use this set of multiplication color-by-number worksheets to help your students learn these important number facts.
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Conflict Resolution Template
Manage classroom and playground conflicts positively and proactively with this conflict resolution 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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One Has to Go! Game of Elimination Icebreaker
Play ‘One Has to Go!” and engage your students in a friendly classroom debate with this Google Slides icebreaker game.
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The Bean Game
A fun active game to play at any time.
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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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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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Volume of Composite Figures Activity — Triple Match-Up!
Challenge your students with this volume of composite figures activity that will have them matching compound rectangular prisms with equations and volumes.
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Color by Letter Worksheet Pack
Help students with their recognition of the letters – s,a,t,p,i,n and c,k,e,h,r with this color by letter worksheet pack.
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Time to the Hour and Half Hour - Math Mazes
Engage your students with exciting telling time practice activities with a set of printable Time to the Hour and Half Hour Math Mazes.
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Free Google Slides Template for Teachers - Pink Spots
Prepare and instruct your students on day-to-day classroom happenings with a ‘Pretty in Pink’ Google Slides Template for teachers.