Keeping your teaching and learning space neat, clean, and organized can make all the difference in maximizing your learning environment. Soooo much is expected of teachers. We often don't have the time to clean up messes because we are busy every minute of the day! The goal of this post is to help you be able to concentrate on all the things that you'll have to do by keeping all your supplies organized. I will show you ways to organize to maximize your space and keep things you need at your fingertips, as well as purge what you really don't need. Resources you can download are noted with "Click to Download".
Teaching requires a lot of STUFF. Some of it is essential, Some of it makes our jobs easier. Some is just fun. And some of it helps us stay organized. Knowing where things are at all times is important because much of what we do is on the fly. Here are things in my classroom that help me keep my teaching supplies organized and accessible.
⭐️This is my "desk space". I have a desk, but it is pushed up against the wall. I use it more as a counter with drawers. My work area is my half moon table.
⭐️The gray mesh storage box contains writing utensils for me and for kids who come for small groups. I also keep my desk supplies that I use constantly here (stapler, scissors, staple remover, tape runner, post its, paperclips, remotes, etc.) In the paper storage part of the organizer (in the back), I put materials I will use for small groups. I used to plan small groups for every day and every group. I would be frustrated by the fact that I could never get through it all. Now I plan for activities I want to do but realize that centers won't ever run perfectly. First graders are just too needy. I get done what I get done.
⭐️Here are books I use during small groups. I used to have a lot of book sets. I have whittled it down to just enough for each basket. In some cases, less is more.
⭐️I use printed decodable books for whole group practice during my phonics lesson. During the summer, I print them, staple them, and store them for later use. Doing all of one type of work at the same time is called batching. It is a lot of work all at once but actually takes less time overall because you only get the supplies out once.
⭐️Speaking of paper, I don't keep paper files. Digital is the way to go. It takes no space. I can search for the items by just typing the name. Here is what my Google Drive looks like.
My ELA folder has folders in it for all the parts of our standards.
Phonics in first grade is the most important thing I teach. When I find a resource that I think will be helpful, I put it in the file for the skill it goes with.
Here's my math folder. It has folders in it for all the parts of math in first grade.
For holidays, seasons, science, and social studies topics, I have folders for each theme. For the ones that are seasonal, I store them in in that month folder.
⭐️The place I use the most are my week folders. I have a folder for each week of the year. I plan out my whole year in the summer so I can make sure that I can cover the whole curriculum. I can change it, but I need a plan. Scan papers instead of filing paper copies, then name the file something searchable. Wherever you store your files, put them in folders so you can find them easily. Here is an example of this. You can also put folders inside of the folders.
Phonics folder for Week 21, slides and things to print:
Math folder for Week 21, slides and things to print:
Centers folder for Week 21: Centers are made. I just print out recording sheets.
MLK resources to print:
Name files things that you would search for. I have so many files that it is easier for me to type what the file is named in the search bar to find the file. These are my professional development certificates. This way I don't lose them!
⭐️New students can show up 5 minutes before class or even during class. 🤪 Here's how I stay ready.
PHOTO COMING SOON!
These rolling book carts with book bins are from Really Good Stuff. Students can match the picture on the front of the bin to the sticker on the book.
⭐️File cabinets can be used for more than papers. I love my file cabinets to store my center materials and other supplies.
I use expandable folders and gallon ziplock bags to store materials. This is my r-controlled vowels drawer.
⭐️Another place I store teaching materials is in these monthly storage file boxes. They have expandable folders in them, too. I also use them to point to when we sing our months of the year song.
⭐️All of my storage boxes are clear so that I can see what is in them. My math supplies are on the left, and ELA on the right. When I bought storage boxes, I bought multiple of the same so that I can mix and match lids.
Here is a close up of all my math materials:
⭐️For my small group area, I use this cart to keep my supplies at my fingertips.
⭐️For my copies, I use these crates.
⭐️This is my standing desk area at the front of my room where I teach while kids sit on the carpet.
The clear cart has different supplies including flashcards, pointers, magnets, etc. On top, I keep my lesson plans, posters/anchor charts I will show, and worksheets I will use for that lesson. The white drawers have my calendar supplies. On top of the standing desk are my equity sticks and markers. On the bottom are book bins with read alouds, a notebook for modeling math journals, whiteboards, and teaching manuals. On the shelf in front of the whiteboard, the top shelf has a paper tray with more supplies (crayons, markers, a spinner, dice). Next to that is my mystery box. To the right of that are my mini anchor charts that I pass out to kids to look at while we are reading in our reading books at our desks. The white baskets have toys for free time. Here's another view of this area.
On the other side of the smartboard is my math wall.
The black tray on the green drawers has materials I use for our calendar routine. The drawers also have supplies I'll use throughout the year. I use a curriculum supplement called Number Corner.
⭐️Art supplies are stored in this closet. The drawers are labeled.
⭐️Crate chairs are great for storage.
I keep my consumable readers in them as well as extra school supplies. This year I covered the fabric with clear plastic from Hobby Lobby to keep them clean.
I have them around my small group table and in my library area.
⭐️I have every size of Sterilite drawers! The left has floor puzzles with pictures of the puzzles that go in them. 
I have extra clothes that I buy from goodwill for accidents. I have extra headphones for those who need them. The last drawer cart has a pickle on the top drawer for "pick one" during centers. The bottom two drawers are for baggies.
This is how I store the floor puzzles. They have a photo of what the puzzle looks like completed in them as well as a tag on the bag to know what puzzle is in it.
Classroom procedures are the backbone of good classroom management. Here are some ways to stay organized during procedures.
⭐️When students are absent, the student helper puts an absent student bucket on their desks to collect papers for the day. At the end of the day, I collect the papers and put them in the absent student's mailbox. 
⭐️My rule on bandaids is no blood, no bandaid. When I do let them get one, I don't want them to have to go down to the nurse's office. The nurse is glad to give me some to avoid so many visitors! I keep them in this drawer. They put them on themselves. If they take it off, they don't get another one!
⭐️If you want to learn about how I run my centers, click here: 1st Grade Centers
I have had these Sterilite baskets for YEARS and they are still going strong.
⭐️If you aren't using NUMBER ORDER, it is awesome! Line up in number order, mailboxes are numbered so no changing names, putting take home folders in order to see who is absent or forgot theirs, on and on and on! At the beginning of the year, to help me and the students learn the numbers, I put up this.
Other teachers use it when they need to put something in a locker or mailbox.
Speaking of folders, this box sits outside the door to collect folders each morning. I have a couple loaner folders for kids who lose theirs. I use a different color so parents are alerted that it is on loan.
⭐️One of my helper jobs is putting empty folders in mailboxes.
When the folders are put in first, the papers they put in their mailboxes go on top. This makes it much easier for kids to get their mail because they pull the folder out and put their hand on top and carry it to their desk. They don't take their folders out to their lockers to prevent spillage. Instead they bring their backpacks in to put their folders in. A small change but saves a lot of mess.
Here are some other jobs. The helper gets this sheet in a sheet protector so they can see what jobs they need to do.
⭐️I give silly straws for birthday gifts. I make them all at the beginning of the year so they are ready to go. I just show them the bucket and they pick one. Have an exSTRAWdinary birthday!
⭐️Having a drying rack is nice for watercolors and papers covered in glue. The helper collects them and stuffs them in mailboxes.
⭐️Lost supplies are inevitable in a busy classroom. This is our lost and found for small items. The helper puts them back.
⭐️"I'm done!" If we don't have something immediately ready for them to do, chaos ensues! This isn't the best picture so I'll list them:
Click to Download.
- dry erase markers on whiteboard clipboards
- flip top boxes (see in the organizer below)
- draw (no cutting and gluing)
- Chromebooks (certain games allowed that I explicitly teach before they are available)
- bingo daubers to make pictures
- puzzle (24 piece on a large tray so if they don't get finished, another student can finish it later)
- play-doh (basket with toys, screw top rubbermaid container with 2 jars of play-doh, tray to play on, idea card)
- read a book
- color a math mural puzzle page
Lucky ducks who earn it get to choose from these candy jars. They are easy to open and if they drop them, they are less likely to crack.
⭐️Our math curriculum uses partner activities a lot.
Once I know who works well with who, I make 3 sets of partners so that they can work with different people but people they can work well with. The student on the bottom is the alternate for someone who is absent that day. If I have an odd number, I will be partners with that person.
⭐️I use these 2-sided counters a lot for math modeling. Twenty fit in these dollar store containers. Easy for kids to open and easy to pass out and collect when we are done. 
⭐️I used to have my classroom walls covered with posters. Now I'm trying to only display things we are currently using but still wanted students to have access to them when needed. These "desk helpers" have a word wall on one side. On the back is "right and left", alphabet with pictures that go with our phonics curriculum, a 120 chart, color words, shapes, and coins.
⭐️Other commonly needed supplies are here: 
One drawer of lost lids is for glue, and one is for markers.
⭐️These are clear game boxes that I use to store 
⭐️Also for math we use dice a lot. I keep them in the Sterilite 3 drawer organizers. Most of the time we use the foam dice (no noise and they don't hurt when they occasionally get chucked across the room). The drawers are labeled so kids can put them back independently.
⭐️I got these zipper pouches at Target during back to school, but they can be found many places. One of my center routines is for them to read 2 decodable books. I use decodables that go with our reading series for homework. When students reread and their parents sign, they get a sticker. Then the books go in their zipper pouches for additional rereading. These books are from TpT. I used them at the beginning of the year before we've built a supply of them. I rotate them out as they need more challenging material.
⭐️To keep students at their seats as much as possible and to keep supplies neat, each group of desks has a caddy with supplies and a mini trash can. The caddy has pencils, highlighters, dry erase markers, dry erasers, pink erasers, and bingo daubers. One of my daily helper's jobs is to empty the trash and make sure the caddies are stocked. I made the trash stickers on my Cricut.
⭐️Another way to limit the time it takes to get supplies is using crayon drawers. Each student gets one full box of crayons in their school box at the beginning of the year. After that, they can come and get the crayon that they need. At the beginning of the year, one of my math activities is sorting all the crayons and markers into their colors. I fill the drawers. Overflow goes into baggies to refill later. Sometimes I have to order single colors of crayons to replenish on Amazon. Most commonly, we run out of red, gray, and black.
I don't let them have markers at their desks at all times. When I do want them to use markers, I will distribute these pouches. They are numbered so I can use them year after year.
Here are where I keep the extra markers, also sorted by color:
⭐️I sharpen all the pencils donated at the beginning of the year and store them in large baggies. Kids trade in pencils here. When the dull is full, sometimes I just get new pencils out. When I do sharpen, I will take the red cups out of the buckets to the sharpener. Then students can still use the buckets, and I have places to hold the dull ones and the ones I sharpen. Just little tips that make my life easier!
⭐️One of my center routines is a "pickle" for picking a spelling activity. These are worksheets that are programmable for the spelling list. I make these up at the beginning of the year and save them in my digital week folder for easy weekly printing. Then on Friday I just have to take out the old and put in the new. At the beginning of the year, we do each type as a class so they can get used to them.
⭐️These are clear game boxes that I use to store
games. I like them because the kids can open and close them easily and see what is inside.
⭐️When we have free time, this is the art center. Here is what is included:
- binders with directed drawings
- construction paper in the magazine folder
- basket with lined paper
- basket with pictionaries for different themes in page protectors
- regular markers in the blue caddy
- smelly markers in the aqua basket and another smaller basket of them within the bigger basket (used for one of my pickles: smelly spelling)
- hole punches in white basket
- colored pencils and manual sharpeners in white basket
- crayons in white basket
- random note pads in white basket
- crazy scissors in the "let's write" holder
- regular scissors and glue are on the other side of the paper trays
⭐️Part of my center routine is mayo - may-do. These have different early finisher activities including 100 chart color by code, color by code, finish the picture, mazes, dot to dots, crack the code, word searches, directed drawings, and ispy pictures. The container came from the kitchen organization aisle at Walmart. 
⭐️Giving students access to the anchor charts for our reading curriculum helps them to annotate when they are reading. These are 2-sided to save on paper. I used the stick on file tabs to label them into sections.
⭐️I hope this gives you some ideas on how to organize and run your classroom like a well-oiled machine!
