Are you a new 2nd grade teacher? Welcome to the BEST grade! Second graders love their teachers, love school, and are creative and funny! They are eager to learn and soak up content like sponges. Below are the best tips for taking on grade two and all the fun that comes with it!
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Morning Routines
Classroom Management
Organization
Morning Routines
Second graders love familiar routines. Prioritize teaching routines right at the beginning of the year. (Model, model, model those routine behaviors!) One important routine is the morning routine. What should students do right away when they enter the classroom? There are three typical types of morning routines: soft start, traditional and blended routine.
1. Soft Start
A soft start is a great morning routine if your students arrive over a long stretch of time. Soft starts in the classroom involve students using hands-on materials in morning tubs or STEAM bins.
These tubs allow students to use critical thinking skills in these areas, while using their hands and having fun. STEAM tubs are kits for students to pull out each morning and create whatever they can think of! An easy way to get the materials for these tubs is to ask for donations of items from your classroom families! They can even fill the tub at home for their child to discover at school. The best way to understand how this type of morning work looks is by seeing pictures. Check out this GINORMOUS Pinterest board dedicated to STEAM bins & Makerspace!
Choice Time
If you are okay with organized chaos, allowing students to choose a game, toy or other free time activity is always fun! Students will look forward to this each morning. It is IMPORTANT to set ground rules for choice time.
For example: Only two students per lego tub, no running or yelling, stay at your own table, etc..do what works best for the class! When you ensure that students understand the expectations of this time of day, everyone is more productive and learning is more fun! It may be beneficial to create a schedule for the most popular items, like iPad/computer time, Legos, etc.
2. Traditional
The easiest morning routine is traditional seat work, sometimes called bell work. Seat work is work that students know to do first thing (After getting their needed materials for the day!) Having seat work takes away the question of “what should I do now?” when students enter the classroom.
Ideas for Seat Work:
Journaling:
Have students get out their notebooks and answer the writing prompt of the day OR free write. (Check out this free Writing Prompt Generator!) Another great prompt is projecting a picture for the whole class or passing out magazine pictures for the students to make up a story about or list things they see.
Spiral Seat Work:
Spiral work aligns with 2nd grade ELA and math standards and is differentiated. Using a year-long resource causes the students to get familiar with it and stops the teacher from hearing “How do I do this?” while they are already multitasking all of those first thing in the morning to-dos.
3. Blended Routine
A blended morning routine simply blends both of the other two types together. Do bins a few days a week, and seat work the other days, etc
Want more morning routine ideas? Check out our post.
Classroom Management
Effective classroom management is what will keep your school days running smooth and the academics flowing. Check out these posts to up your management game.
5 Solid Gold Classroom Management Tips for Teachers
4 High Engagement Classroom Management Tools to Try Today!
No More Repeating Directions! Tips for Increasing Student Participation
Classroom Setup & Layout
The classroom is the home away from home for the teacher and students and setting up said classroom is something many teachers think about year round! One way to picture your classroom layout is drawing it out. Check out this quick'n'easy Classroom Setup post to see one way to set up your dream space with small groups/centers in mind.
👉 Grab desk or table arrangement ideas here.
Classroom Library
2nd graders like a WIDE variety of books. It is best to have a healthy mix of fiction and nonfiction titles for students to select from. Sort your books by Lexile level, AR level, or genre. If you need to get more books but lack the funding for brand new books, head to garage sales, ask families for donations of old books, browse thrift stores or rack up points from book orders!
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Classroom Organization
Organizing ALL THE THINGS can be stressful. Check out these posts and become the organized teacher on the block!
Classroom Procedures: Organization Hacks
10 Teacher Desk Organization Hacks
Organization for Student Tools
There are tons of tools that can be beneficial for students to be able to access during the small or whole group lessons. One solution to stop students from losing these materials is implementing material binders or folders that include:
- Pocket charts
- Clipboards
- Graphic Organizer
- Writing paper
- Paper math tools
- Math workmats
These items can also be kept in a zipper pouch.
Additional Resources
Also, check out this previous post 11 Amazon Organization Tools For Your Classroom for detailed ideas.
Want to see a real 2nd grade classroom in action? Check out this Classroom Reveal post or check out Pinterest for ideas galore!
2nd grade truly is the BEST grade to teach! Want more ideas? Check out our facebook group, Lucky 2nd Grade Teachers!
