Classroom Organization Teaching Resources
Improve your classroom organization with printables, digital desk organizing tools and more teacher resources created by our teacher team just for you!
The teachers of Teach Starter know the challenges that come with entering a brand-new classroom only to realize you have too much stuff and not enough places to put it. We're teachers too, after all!
We've created this extensive classroom organization collection with our own experiences in mind, so you will find tools you can use for:
- Organizing your teacher desk
- Organizing student work
- Organizing classroom computer
- Organizing your classroom library or book nook
- And so much more!
And we didn't stop there! Read on for some tips from our teacher team on keeping things organized this school year — including your teacher desk and student desks too!
Our Best Teacher Desk Organization Ideas
So you’ve gotten your classroom set up and decorated. You’ve organized everything from your manipulatives to your art supplies. But now you’re starting at that teacher desk wondering "how do I my desk organized?"
Our desks can easily become dumping grounds for teachers and students. But there’s an old saying about a clean space relating to a clean mind that really and truly holds true when it comes to organizing a teacher desk. The cleaner the space, the more ready you'll be to tackle your lesson plans for the day.
1. Hang Spare Notes and Worksheets
Spare notes and worksheets that have been handed often end up in a pile on teachers' desks... somewhere! Not anymore... with this simple idea! Hang a laundry sock hanger near your desk with clips for students to retrieve missing work and notes that have their names on them!
2. Get a Sectioned Lazy Susan
Make sure you always have the thing you need right where you can reach it — buy a sectioned lazy susan that spins, so you can just use your finger to roll it around to the section you need!
3. Create Washi Tape Outlines for Items You Keep on Your Desk
Outlining each item will not only remind you to place it back in the right spot but also helps guide students who "borrow" items from your desk.
4. Contain Classroom Clutter With Containers
Putting things into containers not only keeps the space easier to keep tidy but also makes it easy to remove only what you need from a shelf or cabinet and return it when they are done. This is key for organising your supplies as a teacher but also to give your students' clear spots to place items they no longer need.
5. Use Binders for Assessment Organization
Assessments, trackers, checklists, student goals... all of this can become a little overwhelming and you may find you have bits and pieces all over the place! One teacher on our team keeps two main binders on her desk to ensure nothing goes missing!
She keeps Teach Starter assessment trackers in one binder. In the other, she keeps student work samples that she collects throughout the marking period to refer to at report card time or during parent-teacher conferences, or even when it comes time to recommend students for extra support services. Having these binders with everything together makes meetings so much less stressful!
6. Teacher Mugs = Perfect Pencil Holders
This isn’t exactly a mind-blowing tip, we know. But we all struggle with what to do with ALL OF THOSE #1 Teacher mugs we’ve gotten from our kiddos over the years, and the answer is pretty simple. Use them for pencils, pens, rulers … all those classroom supplies that tend to end up loose on your teacher desk.
Bonus: This will clear up the clutter in your kitchen cabinets too!
7. Label Clothespins by Days of the Week
Are you planning out your week of lesson plans? Keep things organized with simple wooden clothespins that you have labeled by the day.
How to Keep Student Desks Organized
Keeping your own desk organized is one thing, but what about those student desks? Here are some organization tips that may help!
- Explicitly teach students what an organized desk looks like, and provide a visual that they can reference. You can take a picture and mount it on your whiteboard where every student can see it.
- Designate a spot where each item should sit on your students' desks, such as "folders on the right" or "workbooks on the left."
- Schedule specific times during the school day for students to neaten their desks, such as before recess and at the end of the day. Taking the time to clear up your desk while students clear theirs is a great way to lead by example.
- Do random "desk checks," and award students whose desks are neat and tidy with a no homework pass to encourage students to take responsibility for their desk organization. You can also award them with one of Teach Starter's desk fairy awards!
- Hold a "clean out Friday" session before any Fun Friday festivities commence.
- Add chair pockets to your students' chairs to give them extra space for items that just have no place to go.
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Vocabulary Building Activities Bulletin Board Set
Ignite student interest with fun vocabulary building activities that make learning new words interactive through our vibrant bulletin board set for a word of the day or week routine!
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Read the Room - Classroom Labels With Pictures
Label where school supplies and equipment are housed in your classroom with free printable classroom labels with pictures.
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Printable Password Log - Free
Help your students keep track of their computer and website logins with printable Student Password Logs.
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MATH Group Rotation Posters
Organize your math rotations with this set of 5 posters.
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Editable Retro Themed Classroom Organization Labels
Get organized with editable and printable bin labels with a fun, retro theme.
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Sharp and Dull Pencil Signs (Pencil Station)
Help keep your pencils organised in the classroom with these pencil station signs.
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Learning Target - Teacher Bulletin Board Display Templates
Set clear expectations for each lesson with this set of Learning Objectives Posters.
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Group Work Role Cards for the Science Classroom
Assign roles for group work in the science classroom with this set of 6 desk cards.
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Cupcake Birthday Bulletin Board
Create a cupcake-themed birthday display for your classroom.
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Auto-Fill Class List Template
Save time making custom class checklists with an editable auto-fill class list template.
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Testing in Progress Sign Bundle
Use these printable Testing in Progress signs to alert those outside your classroom to keep their voices down while your students are testing.
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Hall Pass Templates
Send your students down the hall in style with fun printable hall passes using our customizable hall pass templates.
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Days of the Week Calendar Math Display
Help your students learn about the days of the week with a printable Calendar Math Classroom Display.
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I'm Done! Early Finishers Choice Board Display
Build a useful ‘I’m Done, Now What?’ bulletin board with a printable early finisher task board display kit.
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Math Center Rotation Board
Set up a math stations rotation chart for your students to reference with this display kit.
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Classroom Morning Routine and Agenda Slides
Use these editable classroom morning routine slides to display important information for the day.
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Writing Center Rotation Board
Set up a writing stations rotation chart for your students to reference with this display kit.
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Google Sheets Digital Teacher Planner
Start the school year with a ready-made digital lesson plan and record book using our Google Sheets Digital Lesson Planner.
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Visual Daily Schedule - Classroom English/Spanish Labels
Keep your dual language students on track by choosing from 60 editable English & Spanish schedule cards to display in your classroom.
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Dual Language Labels - Spanish Classroom Objects
Label objects in the classroom in Spanish and English with printable classroom equipment labels.
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Classroom Color Charts
Promote color recognition in your preschool classroom with printable color word charts with images.
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Just Be - Positive Character Traits Bulletin Board
Set an optimistic tone and promote positivity with a Just Be…One Word Back to School board.
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Classroom Practices to Promote a Green Future - A Teacher's Guide
Create a more sustainably-friendly classroom with this 18-page teacher's guide.
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Digital Learning Background – New Year
Celebrate the new year with a special virtual background for teachers and students.
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Classroom Clock Labels - Flower Time Petals
Use our Flower Wall Clock Labels to create a spring-themed display to help children read the time.
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Group Work Role Cards
Review and reinforce eight possible roles for group work with this set of 2-in-1 reusable posters and desk cards.
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Guided Writing Groups Organizer Template
Identify your guided writing groups and move students to different levels with this binder-size template.
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The Dewey Decimal System Poster
Explain the Dewey Decimal system with a printable poster created to complement your library lesson plan!
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Calm Down Corner Classroom Decor Pack
Create a classroom calm-down corner with a printable Calming Corner Decor Pack.
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Schoolwide School Supply List Template
Create a school-wide school supply list to share with the community using an editable school supply list template.
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Editable Class Syllabus Templates
Create your own syllabus with fully editable class syllabus templates.
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Teacher Waiting Room - Clip System
Calm classroom chaos when students need one-on-one help from the teacher with a printable Teacher Waiting List Clip System!