Get your classroom organization under control with gradebooks, tracking tools, parent communication templates, teacher organization tools, and more!
Staying organized when you have 20 or more students in a room is no small feat! Classroom organization can help you manage your time effectively and efficiently, ensure students can find what they need easily, and provide students with structure.
What organization looks like in your room is entirely up to you! An organized teacher is a happy, confident teacher, and accordingly, an organized classroom leads to happy, confident students. Whether you need classroom organization tools or teacher organization tips, we’ve gathered a list of classroom essentials for teachers to keep students organized (and teachers, too).
Classroom Organization Ideas
You know the difference between an organized classroom and an unorganized classroom, and your students know, too. Keep everything in its place with these classroom management resources and classroom organization ideas to help every day run smoothly.
1. Label everything in the classroom
The first and simplest step to classroom organization is labels. From classroom supply labels to book cover labels, editable templates help you organize everything in your classroom so students can help themselves — and clean up after themselves! Themed or color-coded labels can also add some personality to your room or match its decor theme.
Bright and Colorful Classroom Supply Labels with Pictures | EDITABLE Labels
By Maria Gavin from Kinder Craze
Grades: PreK-5th
Label all the supplies in your classroom with these vibrant, illustrated labels. From construction paper to pencils to binder clips, this resource includes two sizes of every label to note every supply your students will need this year.
Back to School Classroom Organization and Storage Labels, Editable: Blue & White
By Catherine Reed – The Brown Bag Teacher
Grades: Any
Keep your classroom organized with a set of editable supply labels, ideal for drawers, boxes, or any other supply containers. The resource includes number and letter labels, student name tags, and focus wall headers to start the school year off right.
Book Covers | Editable Book Labels for Subjects
By Miss Jacobs Little Learners
Grades: PreK-6th
Find a label for every textbook in your library with a collection of editable book labels. With cute pictures and black-and-white letters for coloring, these labels are a great way to stay organized and showcase student creativity.
2. Designate a space for behavior notes and logs
Once your space is organized, it’s time to focus on another type of classroom management. Use behavior notes to motivate and reward positive student behavior and identify areas for improvement. These notes can also help you keep track of student progress throughout the year.
If you keep these all in one place, you’ll always know right where to find them. And, since they can be private, it’s a good idea to make it clear that where they’re housed is just for you. If they are meant to be accessible to each student, make sure the notes are contained in something more private, like envelopes rather than bins, and clearly labeled with names.
Behavior Notes
By KinderKove
Grades: PreK-8th, Homeschool
Manage student behavior and make classroom expectations clear with a set of behavior notes. Best used with a color-coded behavior system and bucket-filling activities, these behavior notes let students reflect on their actions for the day.
Glow and Grow Behavior Notes Positive Notes to Send Home Classroom Management
By Amy Murray – Teaching Exceptional Kinders
Grades: K-3rd
Every student wants to bring home a glow note! These behavior notes use positive “Glow” and Grow” terminology and checklists to communicate behavior expectations with students and parents. “Glow” indicates a positive behavior that students should keep doing, while “Grow” marks a behavior that students can work on.
Daily Communication Log Preschool & Special Education Home School Behavior Note
By MB Creations
Grades: Any
Stay in ongoing communication with parents when you use behavior logs for preschool and special education. The editable forms include daily checklists for behaviors like toileting, participation, emotions, and eating, giving parents a detailed snapshot of their child’s day at school.
3. Create a substitute teacher section in your classroom
Expert classroom organization even extends to sub days! Prepare for substitute teacher days with editable sub packets and templates for all grade levels. These types of resources ensure your students — and your sub — have a successful day in your absence (especially when it’s unanticipated).
Designate and label a clear section near your desk as the substitute resources section, so your fill-in doesn’t have to fumble through first period.
Substitute Teacher Packet: Forms and Templates for MS / HS Teachers
By Hint of Jam Teacher Resources
Grades: 6th-12th
Instead of scrambling to get sub plans together when you wake up sick, take comfort in the easy organization of this complete substitute teacher packet. With a customizable lesson plan, sub letter, attendance sheet, class seating chart, and hallway passes, your sub will have everything they need.
Substitute Binder – Editable Sub Plan Templates
By Teach Create Motivate
Grades: Any
Welcome your sub in style with these colorful sub plan templates! Fully editable and adorably illustrated, the packet comes with cover pages for dividers and printables covering everything from class rules to tech information. Print once and use it all year long!
Teacher Organization Ideas
Your cabinets are labeled, your bulletin boards are picture-perfect, and your students’ behavior is on track. You’re living the dream! All you need now is classroom organization behind the scenes — namely, teacher organization tools to make planning and grading as streamlined as possible.
Find digital planners, student data tracking tools, and syllabus templates designed to make your life easier. Once you’ve chosen your resources and organizational tools, you can set a system up and keep it running for the rest of the year.
1. Get organized with gradebooks and lesson planners
Whether you use color coding, a file box, a digital platform, or all the above, gradebook and lesson plan templates are great additions to your teacher toolbox. From helpful planners to customizable gradebook templates, find the style that works best for you.
Teacher Planner | Editable Digital & Printable Binder
By One Stop Teacher Shop
Grades: Any
Instead of a paper planner that only fits a few of your needs, try out this editable teacher planner that works digitally and on paper. With calendars and lesson plan templates, as well as forms and spaces for notes, you’ll never need one another teacher planner again.
Google Sheets Gradebook Templates
By Ladybug’s Teacher Files
Grades: 1st-6th
If you spend most of your professional time in Google Suites, you’ll love a Google Sheets gradebook template that automatically calculates and averages your class grades. Color-coded templates and subject-specific icons make it easy to find the sheet you’re looking for, while popup calendars and grading formulas keep you on track.
Digital Planner and Grade Book Bundle | Google Drive | Video Tutorials
By Lessons for Learning
Grades: Any
For the ultimate set-it-and-forget-it teacher planner, look no further than this complete planner and grade book bundle. It includes a full year, dated calendar, communication and behavior logs, digital gradebook templates, lesson plan sheets for yearly, monthly, and daily planning, and video tutorials on using the entire bundle.
2. Keep track of student information with pre-made sheets
Tired of student data taking up so much of your prep period? Tried-and-true resources keep track of attendance, IEPs, assignments, classroom seating arrangements, and more. Find the resource aligned to your grade level and enjoy those extra minutes of prep time.
Editable Teacher & Student Data Tracking Sheets | Secondary Student Data Binder
By FamilyTeachTravel
Grades: 6th-12th
Teach students to track their own data with a set of tracking sheets for middle and high school. They assess knowledge at the beginning of a unit, track their progress with check-ins, and reflect on their growth with score bar check trackers and test analysis strategies at the end.
Student Data Tracking Sheets – Anecdotal Observation Record for Google Sheets®
By Mondays Made Easy
Standards: CCSS W.9-10.6, 11-12.6, SL.9-10.1, 4, 11-12.1, 4
Grades: 9th-12th
If you’re tracking student behavior, missed assignments, and parent communication on your own, you need an easier way. This set of student tracking sheets has everything you need to keep this information in one place, allowing you to host student conferences with important data just a click away.
Classroom Seating Chart Attendance, Grade Sheet & Behavior Tracking Template
By GoGrade
Grades: Any
This straightforward resource lets you enter student names into seating charts for printable seating plans. It also includes a full class list where you can check off any assignments or behavior issues as needed.
3. Make communicating with caregivers easy thanks to editable letters
Open the lines of parent-teacher communication at the start of the year with editable letters. With editable parent notes and informational letters, you can keep caregivers informed about your class and ensure a smooth transition between home and school. Not every parent is confident with digital communication, and printed letters can help the note feel more personal.
Editable Notes to Parents | Letter Templates | English & Spanish
By Learning in Wonderland
Grades: K-3rd
These letter templates communicate everything you need to say, so you won’t need to spend time drafting emails every time you want to reach out to parents. Each one comes with an eye-catching header to tell parents what the letter is about, and each letter is editable to fit your specific needs.
Growth Mindset Letters for Parents: 33 Weekly Informational Notes
By Kirsten’s Kaboodle
Grades: 2nd-10th
Let parents know that your classroom is built around the concept of a growth mindset with this helpful resource. Thirty-three weekly informational notes discuss topics like accepting criticism, self-talk, perseverance, and making mistakes, allowing parents to use the same terminology that you’re using in your classroom.
4. Find a syllabus template to set the tone for your class
Manage your classroom from day one with a straightforward syllabus that keeps your expectations clear. Editable syllable templates let you add classroom rules, behavior expectations, learning objectives, helpful resources, and key dates. Whether you want to go digital or provide paper copies, students can reference this important document throughout the school year to stay on track.
Syllabus Template: Editable, Modern Newsletter Layout {Google Version Included!}
By Secondary Sara
Grades: Any
Whether you’ve been teaching for 20 years or are starting out this year, this syllabus template helps you set up expectations from the start. A newspaper format adds interest to the syllabus, calling attention to important details that students may otherwise miss. A blank template lets you fill in your own policies, while a filled-in copy can help you form your own rules and restrictions.
Editable Syllabus Template
By The Engaging Station
Grades: 6th-12th
Customize your annual syllabus with a template that lets you move and add clipart, adjust fonts, and add class policies. With easy-to-read headers and eye-catching graphics, this syllabus helps students start the year knowing exactly what you expect from them.
Syllabus Template
By Cult of Pedagogy
Grades: 6th-12th
Ideal for middle school, high school, or college-level courses, a syllabus template creates both printable and digital versions of this important document. It includes places to add contact information, grading and late work policies, course assignments, meeting times, and much more, as well as a syllabus acceptance form to ensure everyone reads the syllabus before class even starts.
Organize your classroom for student success with TPT
Students flourish when your classroom organization is under control. With these simple classroom organization ideas and teacher organization tools, you’ll find that everything from student behavior to the grading process runs more smoothly. Find more inspiration by browsing school organizational resources from TPT.
