Classroom Supplies by Terra Graves

Classroom supplies are part of the essential tools you and your students will need to have a successful year. Having the right supplies on hand and stored for easy access is essential to a well-run classroom…

1. As soon as you get your teaching assignment, ask about the supply ordering procedure. More often than not, the staff will have ordered some basic supplies for the new teachers coming in.
2. Some schools have a central supply room and other schools have the teachers keep their own supplies in their room. Regardless of the method your school uses, you need to have certain things on hand in your classroom to start the school year.
3. You should have different types of paper for you and your elementary students. Have on hand – at least – notepaper (3 reams), graph paper (2 reams), construction paper (1 package of each color large and small, 3 each of white and copy paper (10 reams).
4. Writing tools are essential for your classroom. Here is a list you should have on hand as part of your school supplies. Markers or crayons (one package for every 4 students), chalk or whiteboard markers, overhead markers, permanent markers, highlighters and pencils (a gross).
5. Other important supplies you should have on hand for your classroom are: erasers (2 per student), jumbo paper clips (3 boxes), white out pens or tapes (3), 3 white-out pens, tapes, clipboards (2), report folders (2 per student–the kind with the clasps to hold paper and two pockets), glue sticks (2 per student), 2-3 staplers, 3 boxes of staples, staple remover, 2-3 tape dispensers, 3-5 rolls of transparent tape, 2 rolls of masking tape, sticky notes (8 – 10 pads large and small), full size scissors (2 for you and one for every 2 students)
6. Once you have all of your school supplies, where should you put them? Most of the supplies will be on your desk, in your desk, and at the instruction area.
7. You should provide an area for students to get their own supplies. A three-bin rolling cart works well for this.
8. Here is a helpful way to organize your student supplies if you use the three bin rolling cart. On the top tray, put a stapler, a tape dispenser and an electric pencil sharpener. In the top bin, put notebook paper. In the middle bin, put drawing paper (copy paper). In the bottom bin, put scratch paper or graph paper.
9. You can keep a cup of pencils available as part of your student supplies, but your best bet is to hand out pencils to the students every few weeks (if you are supplying them).
10. Art paper and supplies should be kept in a place that is accessible to students. I usually keep art paper in a drawer and the supplies in a cabinet near the sink area (if you have one).

© Terra Graves. Terra is an educator in Reno, Nevada. She has been a classroom teacher (elementary and middle school) and a mentor teacher (K-12). She continues to educate teachers through professional development courses and is currently the professional development coordinator for the Nevada Pathway Project, a technology integration project for middle school teachers across Nevada.

Terra is the author of Organized Teacher, A Guide for Beginning Teachers, and 102 Classroom Set-Up Tips for the Organized Teacher.  These items are available for purchase and immediate digital delivery at:  www.teachingjustgoteasier.com
Follow Terra on Twitter: @teachingeasier

And if you want to get your current semester organized or prepare for the next, I highly recommend If You Do Nothing Else This Semester. With the strategies I present you will get the strategies you need to not only have a successful semester, but a successful year.