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5 tips for packing up your classroom

May 20, 2021 By Rachel Vincent

tips for packing up your classroom

These 5 tips for packing up your classroom will save you so much time next fall when it’s time to unpack. You may be tempted to shove everything in a box or closet. However, your future self will thank you later. Plus you have a classroom full of students right now that can help!

Tip #1: Pack Up with a Purpose

Ask yourself what you can do now that will help you unpack. For years, I threw all my classroom library books in a giant storage tub. Then every fall, I’d have to sort them back out again. Now I store each basket in a giant baggie. Setting up my library is now a breeze! I also asked my administration if I could leave things up on my walls. Things I knew for sure I was going to keep up for the next year.

packing up your classroom library

Tip #2 Purge Your Things

While you’re going through your things and packing them, decide what items you no longer need. Create a donate, toss, and sell box. I also send home things with students like extra worksheets. Sometimes as a teacher, it’s hard to get rid of things. If I haven’t used it in 2 years, I’ll pass it along to another teacher.

donate, give, sell boxes to purge your stuff as you're packing

Tip #3: Take Inventory of Supplies

Start making a list of supplies or items you need to stock up on. That way you purchase things you actually need over the summer. You can also recruit your students to help you go through your supplies. They can test out markers, get rid of broken crayons, etc.

Tip #4: Take Pictures of Everything

As you’re cleaning out and organizing, you can make a list of bins and baskets you need to label. So instead of making a list, you can just take a picture with your phone. You can also take pictures of the different setups you want to do again or things you want to change. You can take pictures of your walls, bulletin boards, and classroom door too. This way you can insert them into the background of PowerPoint and add designs on top to see if you like it.  I know I want to change this wall and area, so I took a picture so I could work on it over the summer.

take pictures of areas of your classroom

Tip #5: Create a Classroom Setup Box

Find a box or tub that you pack up last but that you will unpack first in the fall. Inside include things like:

  • stapler
  • tape
  • scissors
  • pen
  • cleaning supplies

box for unpacking your classroom
Now when you start setting up your classroom in the fall, you’ll know exactly where some of the most important things are!

I actually have a checklist that I use every year to help me set up my classroom that I’ll put in this box too.  You can find the checklist inside my Back to School Roadmap Click here to grab a free copy.

the ultimate back to school checklist
These 5 tips for packing up your classroom will allow you to leave for the summer knowing you’ll be ready as soon as you get back in the fall!

  • Rachel
  • Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: organization

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    Rachel | 4th Grade Teacher
    How long is your students’ attention spans? I o How long is your students’ attention spans?
I only have about 10 minutes before I lose them! 🤪
And I don’t know about you but my lessons are typically longer…so I try to mix it up every 10 minutes with a Think-Pair-Share or some kind of movement
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#teachersofig #iteachtoo #iteach4th #iteach456 #teachersofinstagram #teachingelementary #attentionspan #minilessons #thinkpairshare
    6 ways to get your students participating in your 6 ways to get your students participating in your lessons!
1️⃣ Think Time - giving your students time to think about the answer keeps your over achievers from answering all the questions 
2️⃣ Movement - Stand/Sit if this is your answer
3️⃣ Turn & Talk - Everyone shares their answer with a partner
4️⃣ Hand Signals - Perfect for multiple choice questions
5️⃣ Think-Pair-Share - Combines the think time with turn & talk 
6️⃣ Repetition - repeat important information to help it stick
🗣🗣Which number are you trying this week?!
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    Do you have these 4 teacher goals?! 1️⃣ Instr Do you have these 4 teacher goals?!
1️⃣ Instructional Goal - How are you improving your instruction?
2️⃣ Relationship Goal - How are you building relationships with students or coworkers?
3️⃣ Balance Goal - How are you trying to have a better work-life balance?
4️⃣ Non Instructional Goal - What other area are you trying to improve?
Here’s my 4 goals!
1. Vocabulary Instruction 
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3. Leave by 3:00 3 out 5 days
4. Clean off back counter once a week
What are your goals?
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    Coming back from break is a lot easier than the fi Coming back from break is a lot easier than the first day of school!
Less teacher talk 🗣
More student talk 👥
1️⃣ Give your students time to catch up with each other. Even adults like to chit chat about what we did during break!
2️⃣ Review procedures by playing a fun game. Charades is a great way to act out procedures to see if other students can guess what they’re doing!
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What’s your favorite thing to do after a break?!
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