Check out these 5 easy back to school tips just for 5th grade teachers…

Are you feeling overwhelmed with the zillion things you need to do for back to school? Let me help!

Focus on classroom procedures and consistency!

Can I level with you?

You can have the cutest, most Pinterest-worthy classroom in the district, but if your classroom procedures are not firmly in place and enforced with consistency, you will be on the struggle bus, guaranteed.

Fifth grade is fun to teach when you establish clear, purposeful procedures and have students practice, practice, practice.

Grab this free 5th Grade Classroom Management Quick Start Guide!

Building a classroom community should be a priority!

As a first year teacher, I wondered if classroom community was really that important.

I soon discovered that classroom community is critical.

You and your students will spend more time together at school than at home, so building relationships is of the utmost importance, and it makes your job 10x easier.

Building your classroom community is the natural next step once you’ve created a welcoming classroom environment.

When students feel that they belong, they are more likely to engage in learning, take risks, and interact positively with their peers.

Help students get excited about each subject area!

Each of your students will be coming to class with different experiences and feelings about reading, social studies, math, and each of the other subjects.

Give students a sneak peek of what they have to look forward to this year.

If you are departmentalized, you can spend a lot more time pointing out the positives of your subject.

If you are a self-contained teacher, you’ll need to get students excited about each subject area.

Point out what is special about each subject.

For example, you’ll be doing centers in math, primary sources in social studies, and book clubs in reading.

Show students that they have so much to look forward to this year.

The layer books below are a unique, engaging way to introduce your fifth graders to each subject:

• Welcome to 5th Grade Social Studies Layer Book
• Welcome to 5th Grade Reading Layer Book
• Welcome to 5th Grade Science Layer Book
• Welcome to 5th Grade Writing Layer Book
• Welcome to 5th Grade Math Layer Book

Spend more time organizing and less time decorating!

Sure, we all want the prettiest classroom on the block, but I’ll let you in on a secret.

In 5th grade, a little decoration goes a long, long way.

You don’t need to cover the walls with posters, quotes, frills, and pretties.

Instead, leave lots of space to display your students’ work. Your students will create many amazing projects and swoon worthy assignments, and you’ll want to hang them all up, so leaving plenty of blank space is an excellent idea.

With all of that extra time you’ll have because you’re not covering every inch of wall space with decorations, use that time to organize.

Organize your desk, your closet, your calendar, your Google Drive, and get your first few days (or weeks) of copies ready to go.

Time spent organizing will pay dividends when you are exhausted those first couple weeks of school.

Grab a coffee and enjoy some thinking time!

As teachers, we are always on the move… 27 brain tabs open at a time.

Before the school year starts, stop for a moment, close your door, and set aside some thinking time.

How do you envision your classroom operating this year?

What procedures do you need to push the first day of school?

Where do you need your students to be academically by winter break? By the end of the school year?

Are there things you’d like to change this year?

If you are a brand new teacher, what amazing classroom ideas have you seen that you want to implement for your students?

If you know where you are going, you’ll be more focused and ready to tackle the challenges that will certainly pop up.