Teaching Resources That Every K-1 Teacher Needs
There are a few things that I use in my classroom DAILY that I absolutely could not live without. I’m so happy that I get to share them with you so that you can use these things as well to help make your days much easier! Read below to find out about my favorite resources that every K-1 teacher needs!
K-1 First Week of School Plans
This pack helps any K-1 teacher start the year off on the right foot. It includes a full week of plans, activities, visuals, and daily checklists for the teacher. Whether you are a new teacher looking for guidance on what to teach during the first week, or a seasoned teacher looking to change things up- this pack is a life saver for anyone. Even though this pack is designed for the first week of school, it includes TONS of activities that can be used throughout the year to help refresh students on rules and procedures.
Individual Student Math or Literacy Tool Kits
This is one of those things that I scrambled to make during Covid times, but I ended up LOVING, so I’ve used it every year since! Say goodbye to having to pass out math/literacy materials during every lesson/center time. Quickly pass out math or literacy tools and mini dry erase mats to students with this pack.
Step by Step Visual Direction Cards
After explaining the directions for any task or activity, our class reviews them step-by-step together as I place the visual direction cards on the magnetic white board. If any of my students get lost and forget what to do next, they can look at our board and see what to do. These cards are a MUST from the first day of school!
Digital Center Rotation Boards and Matching Expectation Visuals
There’s only one way to do centers smoothly in my opinion- and it involves a digital rotation board that changes slides by itself, and corresponding visuals for each center. I have found so much success with these resources, and my littles are able to get so much done while I work with math or literacy small groups.
Read more about Math Centers HERE.
Read more about Literacy Centers HERE.
Grab the literacy expectation visuals HERE.
Classroom Organization
Staying organized is a must for me! I have so many great labels and organizational tools for you and your classroom.
Home Learning Folder
These take home folder inserts are life-savers for parents and teachers! Include important info like student app logins, sight words, math/reading strategies, and homework helpers.
Student Offices
I always have my students grab an office to work in when they are feeling distracted, or when they need some helpful writing/math/reading tools. I created these offices by quickly printing out the inserts, gluing them on to two manila file folders, and then laminating the two file folders in one giant long piece. These were a labor of love Summer project but I’ve been using them for the past 5 years and they’re still going strong.
Star Student of the Week
This is a fun and easy tradition to start in your classroom. It’s sweet to celebrate a new student each week, and this pack makes it easy and hassle-free!
Project and Trace or Print Anchor Charts & Phonics Crafts
These are two things that I use DAILY! I use my ceiling projector to project and trace these interactive anchor charts, and then I use them as teaching tools to fill out with my students (these charts can also be printed out in color). My anchor chart bundle has 350+ anchor charts for you to choose from.
The phonics crafts are done weekly after we spend the week working on a new phonics skill. We save the craft for fun Friday.
Sound Wall
A sound wall is the way to go! I have over 2000 options for you to create a sound wall for your classroom, and it includes “lock” cards for you to cover up or “lock” sounds that haven’t been introduced yet. If you’re wanting to start using a sound wall but you aren’t sure how, I’ve got you covered!
Writing Center Bundle
I like having a writing center in my classroom for students to visit to work on writing. This center is stocked with examples of different types of writing, different writing paper choices and options, grab and go word lists with visuals to help support spelling, and more!
Daily Graphing Station
As K-1 teachers, we tend to focus more on addition, subtraction, and place value. That means graphing/data analysis gets blown over pretty quickly. I designed a super low prep graphing center that your students can do DAILY, and it’s different every time!
To read more about how this center works and how to use it in your room, CLICK HERE.
Student Data Binders
Having students track their own data can be so powerful. Plus it makes family/teacher conferences sooo much easier, because you have a binder full of data to look at with each student’s family. Track writing, math, reading, and SO much more with this pack!
Cool Down Corner
Social Emotional Learning is so important, and I’ve always made sure to have a “safe space” for students to cool down when they need a minute. This pack includes different strategy cards for you to place in a cool down area for students.
Emergency Sub Binder
One of my previous schools required all teachers to have an emergency sub binder in their classrooms. When this rule was implemented, I groaned at the fact that I would have to spend time typing up all this information, but I ended up being SO happy that this rule was implemented! Having this binder made it SO easy to make sub plans when I was out from school. This binder included any and all information about the school, classroom, schedules, and SO much more!
I’ve made it sooo easy for you to make your own too- just download the binder and quickly type your info into the given spaces. You’ll be so happy that you added this emergency sub binder to your desk!
There are a lot of other great things to use in your classroom daily, but these are just a few of my favorites. CLICK HERE to follow me on TPT to make sure you never miss when I upload new resources or FREEBIES! Let me know if you use any of these things in your classroom, I would love to see them in action!
