Beginning of the Year Classroom Resources and Handouts

It's that time of the year again and I have been going through my beginning of the year files. I have made changes to some of my files and added some new files for this year.

I am sharing my ideas to hopefully inspire ideas for your classroom. Feel free to download and use in your classroom.

Interactive Math Notebook Resources
I have previously blogged about my Letter to My Students.  I absolutely have to keep using it again this year. I love that the Letter to My Students is the first thing my students see every time they open up their Interactive Math Notebook.  I have decided to modify and change some of the fonts for this year. So it is slightly different than my old version.

My Collaborative Team Roles Graphic Organizer is copied on the back of the Letter to My Students for the students to reference.  I will continue to use these Team Roles because they are such a big part of my Classroom Structure.  They have helped my students to be very successful in 8th Grade Math.

Here is the Letter to My Students and my Collaborative Team Roles Graphic Organizer.

Download Links:
A Letter to My Students
Team Roles Graphic Organizer


I am using my Problem Solving in Math and Writing in Math IMN Resources again. These will be copied back to back.

Download Links:
Problem Solving in Math 
Writing about Math


I have modified my Let's Talk Math IMN Graphic Organizer and I have added talking stems for the students to reference and use during their Collaborative Team discussions. My student friendly Math Practices will be copied on the back.

Download Links:
Let's Talk Math
Student Math Practices

Bathroom Pass Record Sheet

I have always had problems with students wanting to leave class to go to the bathroom. Over the years I have tried so many different things and nothing really helped. So last year I created this Bathroom Pass Record Sheet inspired by mathequalslove.  

Using this Bathroom Pass Record Sheet really helped with the bathroom problem in my classroom. So I am definitely using this again this year. I modified the procedures to emphasize that students are not supposed to ask me, they simply follow the procedures and hand me the sheet to sign. 

Download Link:
Bathroom Pass Record Sheet


iPad Username and Password Graphic Organizer
My students use a lot of apps in my iMath block so I created this graphic organizer for the students to keep track of their usernames and passwords.  I have my students keep this in their iMath folder to reference in class.  When we sign up with a new app, I have the students write down the information in their graphic organizer.

Download Link:
iPad Username and Password Graphic Organizer


Classroom Management Communication Slips
I like my classroom to be as structured as possible so I created communication slips for my classroom that allow me to communicate with students without being bothered when I am in the middle of something.  I copy these on Astrobright paper so that they are super pretty. :o)

Communication Slips
The Communication Slips are by my desk. Students fill out the Communication Slip to communicate with me about anything. They put the completed slip in the Teacher's Inbox on my desk.

Download Link:
Communication Slips

The How Am I Doing slips are by my desk next to the Communication Slips. Students fill out the How Am I Doing Slip whenever they want to know their grade. They put the slip in the Teacher's Inbox on my desk. Then when I have time later that day during my prep or after school, I fill out the A Note From Your Teacher Slip.  I hang the A Note From Your Teacher on the front board and the student can get it the next day in class.

How Am I Doing?

Download Link:
How Am I Doing?

A Note From Your Teacher

Download Link:
A Note From Your Teacher


Behavior Reflection
In our 7th and 8th Grade Math Department the teachers send students on "Out of Class" Timeouts to another teacher's classroom.  This year I made a Behavior Reflection Sheet for my students to complete while they are on vacation from my room.

This is the paragraph they will copy on in Part One of the Behavior Reflection.

These are the questions they will answer in Part Two of the Behavior Reflection.

Download Links:
Behavior Reflection (Paragraph)
Behavior Reflection (Questions)


Beginning of the Year Student Reflection
This is a beginning of the year math reflection for my students to complete. This is super helpful in getting to know my students better and how they feel about math.

Download Link:
Beginning of the Year Student Reflection

Thanks for stopping by my blog... I hope I have inspired some ideas for your classroom...