I am just finishing up my spring break and I have a wealth of ideas to bring back to my classroom based on my trip to Colonial Williamsburg in March. However, besides traveling I spent a fair amount of time in Target and as I traipsed the aisles I thought about how my classroom is organized and the physical tools I use to enhance lessons and manage my classroom. I present to you my “Top Nine Teacher Must-Haves” with links for access to each. I am not paid to recommend any of these products or websites to you. I just genuinely like them!
If you’ve used any of the following or if you try them and love or hate them, or have something great to add to the list, please comment below and tell us about your experience!
9. Dry Erase Pockets
These dry erase pockets are excellent for formative assessments. While you can put a worksheet in them (I don’t use worksheets very often. If every student is creating the same product, it isn’t really an assessment, but I digress…) I usually put a blank sheet of white paper inside so that they can write or draw answers and hold them up. This is also a great way to have students follow along with a map. Just put a copy of the map in and have them mark trade routes, battle sites, etc. It helps to keep their attention because it is another way for them to participate in the learning. It saves on paper because you can use blank sheets and maps again and again.
Available for $16.97 for 25 pockets on Groupon: Groupon Dry Erase Sleeves, but if you click after the sale is over, you can purchase them on Amazon for $21.99 for 30 pockets.
8. Woodstock Solo Silver Zenergy Chime- Eastern Energies Collection
This classroom chime is a handy tool for classroom management. The sound is extremely calming, which is useful when you have a classroom full of very active students. You never, ever want to add to the noise, so getting students used to hearing the chime and then calming down works like a charm. This has worked particularly well with my energetic fifth-grade class. It is also a nice noise to use to transition from one activity to another, or if you’re doing a stations lesson, to remind students to change stations.
The chime is available at Amazon for $10.95.
7. Dry Erase Wall Stickers
You’re going to notice that I absolutely love any dry erase tool. Dry erase stickers are fantastic for adding extra space if your whiteboard is small or if you get this dry erase wallpaper, you can have an entire dry erase wall (The idea of a dry erase wall is exciting to me!). I happen to use dry erase stickers from Dollar Tree. I have a hard time keeping track of where my students are going during their Collaborative Work Period (Think study hall, but not quiet and you can travel to see other teachers and classmates.) Rather than having them send me e-mails about where they’re going, they simply write their name on a dry erase sticker and the location to which they are going. I put the dry erase stickers on the door to make sure they don’t forget to log their location.
You can check your local Dollar Tree or order the stickers pictured above at Target.
6. The Circle Timer
Timers that you can project are awesome for kids who need a visual for keeping track of time. All of my 5th-grade students benefit from the visual timer, and many of my 8th graders need it to help them keep track of time, as well. The circle timer is my favorite because the hoops open one minute at a time with beeping cues for each minute, but I use that mainly with the older kids because it can be a bit of a distraction (the colors are really fun). I just use a visual cue timer from YouTube for my younger students and for any class that is distractable.
Access the 10-minute circle timer here. There are other circle timers available with different time limits, and if you search for timers on YouTube, you can get a more generic-looking one for use in your classroom.
5. The Erin Condren Teacher Lesson Planner
This planner is my school-year splurge. Planners start at $55, but in all my years of teaching, I have never had my life more organized than I do now. It comes with several different features: a student attendance list, grade book, calendars for each month that you can fill in, and weekly lesson plan pages. It also has a folder, note sheets, stickers, and a clear pouch to hold random objects. It is fully customizable from cover to cover, so the front of mine has my name on it and I added more notebook pages. This planner is a one-stop place for everything school from lesson plans to meetings to things I want to remember for future dates. I absolutely love it and it was a great investment. Believe me, $55 on a planner hurt at first, but it has paid for itself since I haven’t missed a meeting (yet) this year. I like it better than using my computer for scheduling.
Purchase at ErinCondren.com.
4. The Target Dollar Spot
I. love. the. Target. Dollar. Spot, otherwise known as “Bullseye’s Playground.” For between $1 and $5 I can get stickers for my students’ work (8th graders still love to get stickers!), classroom decor, and prizes for my prize box (popular with both 5th and 8th graders alike). One of my favorite finds was the clothesline I found to display student work from wall to wall. The only pitfall of the Dollar Spot is that at my Target it is usually a mess; be prepared to pick through some things for your amazing finds. Target, in general, can be a treasure trove of classroom items if you can get creative. I like to follow Target Teachers on Instagram (@TargetTeachers) to get some inspiration.
3. The Gilder Lehrman Institute for American History
For all your primary source needs as well as professional development opportunities and fun American-history freebies, I present to you The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The Gilder Lehrman Institute (GLI) has an online database of primary sources, lessons to go along with the sources they house, and essays to help give teachers and students context for different periods of time in American history. Additionally, if your school is an affiliate school of GLI (It is free, have your school look into it!), the Institute offers tons of fantastic professional development opportunities. They host “First Fridays” at the New York Historical Society where teachers can view primary sources. I’ve seen copies of journals from the 1700s, rough drafts of the Constitution, and primary source objects. It is free and there’s usually wine and hours d’oeuvres. Furthermore, their week-long seminars are top-notch and cover topics from the American Revolution to 9-11. Seminars are held all over the country as well as in Europe. GLI also offers self-paced online courses for professional development credit.
To check out all that GLI has to offer teachers AND students (yes, there’s more than I listed above), please visit their website.
2. Uniball Vision Elite Rollerball Pen
These pens are smoooooth. When you have to grade 50 or so term papers, it helps to have a pen that’s nice to use. I never use red, though. Why would I when there are so many other, friendlier colors to use?
1. A Positive Attitude and Smile
As said in the musical Annie, “you’re never fully dressed without a smile.” My number one teaching tool is a positive attitude. When you are enthusiastic, happy, and interested in your subject and students, the vibe bounces back to you in a classroom full of students who want to be with you. You could have a kid who has never liked history before looking forward to coming to your room just because you create a positive atmosphere in your classroom. Your smile can turn a student’s bad day into a good one. So along with your dry erase dots, primary sources, and great pens, pack up your awesome attitude each day. That’s your best asset!