This is my fifteenth (!!) year teaching elementary school and over time, we’ve definitely developed some routines that really do help our days run smoothly and efficiently.
Personally, I love structure and routine and I’ve found that kids thrive when they have predictability and organization.
Below are some different things we do regularly!
Morning meetings are my absolute favorite way to start a day! We never miss one. Seriously.
You can read more about morning meetings HERE and HERE. We do a ton during our morning meetings (book talks, celebrations, ect) but I think THESE morning meeting cards are my very favorite. I give kids a moment to turn and talk with those around them and then we spend anywhere from 2-5 minutes sharing out. Not everyone has to share but we are all respectful and it’s a great way to practice listening and speaking skills.
And similarly, we use THESE cards to end our day! I notice a HUGE difference when we take the time to pull a card, discuss, reflect, and close out the day. I have my kids completely pack up before we pull one of these, which mean that we are focused and ready to listen or share without distractions!
We start every math block with a quick fluency warm up and the 60 Second Sweep is a HUGE hit for multiplication practice. You can YouTube to see some classroom examples but we always practice once on our own, in our heads, and then we either chant it out loud together or individual students will volunteer to try and get through it.
I love to add in fun pointers too, which really up the engagement. We have THESE, THESE, and THESE that we love!
You can grab the resource HERE.
Out of Office
We always have kids coming and going, whether it’s for the restroom, speech services, or a quick trip to the front office to grab something. Before kids pop out, they grab a cone (ours sit by the sink, which is right near the front door) and drop it on their desk. It’s such a quick and easy visual that helps ALL of us!
I do THESE smaller cones and use vinyl and my Silhouette to add the word “out” on them.
Long Term Storage
Okay, to read more about our flexible seating, you can click HERE. We *have* changed some things this year with the pandemic but I still don’t have students use the built-in desks. They have book boxes for daily use but we also utilize Sterilite dishpans (they’re anywhere from $1-2 each at Target) and built-in cubbies for longterm storage. These hold textbooks we don’t use daily or workbooks we will need in the future. Also, at the end of the day, their pencil boxes must be placed inside too. We don’t leave anything out at the end of the day because we want a fresh slate when we start each day.
Having less space means we stay tidy. It makes a huge difference.
Memory Books
This is SUCH a timesaver for the end of the year!
Each month, we select a new character trait to lean into and learn about. We tie in picture books and bring in discussions with our morning meetings. We also do a page or two from THIS resource and they file their completed work in their folder. I have them in a container on our side counter, so they’re always accessible.
At the end of the year, we will add some published writing pieces and BOOM. They go home with a portfolio of work that literally dates back to the first day of school!
I hope some of those ideas helped inspire you, too!
Jill,
I really enjoyed the idea of “Class Closing Cards”. We do a class meeting at the end of each day where we share appreciations, apologies, and ah-has, but sometimes it feels we need something new to energize the kids. Thanks for the great suggestions.
Megan