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.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Free Plan
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.
- Plus Plan
Token Board
Provide a visual reminder of what a student is working for with this visual reward chart and set of 36 reward cards.
- Plus Plan
Student Learning Style Inventory Pack
Discover more about your students and how they learn with a printable Student Learning Style Inventory pack.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Free Plan
Free iPad Rules Classroom Poster
Display this classroom poster to set the boundaries and rules around using school iPads in the classroom.
- Plus Plan
Picture Reveal - Reward Chart Printable
Encourage your students to follow classroom rules and procedures with fun whole-class behavior reward charts.
- Free Plan
Tiered Behavior Plan – Editable Template
Establish clear expectations, rewards and tiered consequences with this free behavior plan template.
- Plus Plan
Procedures Do's and Don'ts
Identify proper school and classroom procedures with this sorting activity.
- Free Plan
Our Class Got a Compliment! - Class Reward Chart
Motivate your students to keep up the good work with this classroom reward chart.
- Plus Plan
Technology Routines Poster
Display this set of classroom technology routines and expectations near your electronic devices for smoother usage sessions.
- Free Plan
Happy Note Home - Brag Sheet Templates
Communicate positive messages to parents and guardians with a Happy Note Home letter template.
- Free Plan
Weekly Behavior Tracking Sheet
Track and reward student behavior with a printable weekly behavior chart.
- Plus Plan
Headbands Game-Back to School Icebreakers
Print a fun forehead game for students to get to know each other on the first day of school.
- Free Plan
Morning Meeting Greetings Display
Greet each student at the door in style with this set of morning meeting greetings posters.
- Plus Plan
Never Have I Ever... Getting to Know You Interactive Game
Get to know your new class with this child-friendly version of "Never Have I Ever...".
- Plus Plan
Classroom Hand Signals - Poster Collection
Strengthen classroom management and cut down on classroom interruptions with a set of classroom hand signal posters.
- Free Plan
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.
- Free Plan
Random Pairing Generator - Partner Cards
Use these printable partner cards as a randomized pair generator when grouping students in the classroom.
- Free Plan
Emoji Pairing Cards
Pair up your students with a smile using our printable Emoji Pairing Cards.
- Plus Plan
Learning Style Inventory Worksheet (3-5)
Learn your new students' learning styles and more with a printable Learning Styles Inventory Worksheet for upper grades.
- Free Plan
Grandparents’ Day Invitation Template Pack
Download and send a customized Grandparents’ Day Invitation with a printable Grandparents’ Day Invitation Template Pack.
- Plus Plan
Number Handwriting Practice Worksheets
Provide number handwriting practice to your students with this set of worksheets for the numbers 0 through 20.
- Plus Plan
I'm Done! Early Finishers Choice Board Display (Grades 3-6)
Build a useful ‘I’m Done, Now What?’ bulletin board with a printable early finisher task board display kit.
- Free Plan
Student Progress Report Parent Letter Templates
Track academic and behavioral data with this set of progress report templates.
- Plus Plan
Back to School - Procedure Exit Tickets
Assess student knowledge of classroom rules and procedures with quick and easy exit tickets.
- Free Plan
Picture Puzzles - Team Building Activities
A set of 10 picture puzzles to use as a team-building activity.
- Plus Plan
Interview Shuffle — Classroom Community Building Interactive Slides
Help your students get to know each other with a Back to School Interview Shuffle icebreaker activity.
- Free Plan
Rules in the Classroom Worksheet Pack (K-1)
Teach classroom rules and procedures and review early writing skills with a free Rules in the Classroom Worksheet pack for primary grades.
- Free Plan
Finish the Drawing - Worksheets
Get creative and finish the drawings with a set of five art worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Team Building Games – Upper Grades
Encourage communication and cooperation with this set of 10 team-building games.
- Plus Plan
Good Choice or Bad Choice? Worksheet
Help your students differentiate between good and bad behavior choices with a cut-and-paste worksheet.