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The Brown Bag Teacher

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Classroom Must-Haves: Resources I Love

Today I’m sharing some of my classroom ‘must-haves’. These are resources that have paid dividends for me, completely worth the expense. We use these resources every single week, if not daily. I’ve included my affiliate links to Amazon, so the resources are easy to find!

First up, 1 POUND OF DICE! I snagged 72 dice for $20 on Amazon. I use these things every.single.day for differentiated math centers. Without exaggeration, best classroom resource ever!

So few things in this world are 1st-grade sized and these holders keep card-games manageable. You can make 50 of your own card holders using pool noodles for $1!

Dry erase pockets = boss of the applesauce. I love these for Work on Writing and for our guided math block. They help save on copies and are perfect for on-the-spot informal assessments. You can use sheet protectors but personally, I find these are easier to erase and they don’t crinkle! Also, the magnet letters below are high-quality ones I purchased from Lakeshore and they came in a compartmentalized case. Initially, I had to piecemeal magnets, and having this set made Word Work so much easier!

For Work on Writing, I LOVE these magnetic hooks. Our school doesn’t have anywhere for me to store my teacher’s desk, so we use it for our Work on Writing center. I had been using Command Hooks to hold our prompts and vocabulary lists, but found these 8 magnetic hooks for $9. I love that they’re portable and sturdy so I don’t have to hear, “THE HOOKS FELL, MS W!!” six times a day during guided reading.
These magnetic ten-frames from Learning Resources are perfect for whole-class demonstrations or hands-on math centers. Each pack comes with 4 ten frames and 40 circles (20 green, 20 blue). Below you see a friend working Making 10 to Add math problems. Her problem was 6 + 8, so she is moving 4 counters over from the 8 to make the green 10. I.Love.It. 🙂

We flexibility group our friends into these 3 groups – green (below grade-level), yellow (on grade-level), and blue (above grade-level) for math and reading. To make it easy to remember think of a first grade outside picture (green = grass, yellow = sun, blue = sky). Our kids can move anytime they are ready, no big deal. Anything we copy that stays in a center (math dice mats, math dice, word-work rings) are all copied on colored cardstock. When at a center, students grab their color activity tub. This way, students are able to work on the same activities, but at their just-right level. In a school year, I use a ream of Astrobrights paper (one in each color) and a box of binder rings.

Another ‘must-have’ resource for primary friends is a 0-30 number line. I was hoping to get 2-years use out of them, but we used them so much that it’s time to replace them. I laminate them, punch a hole at the top, and hang them on a command hook for easy access. Students always know where they are and can use them anytime!

Do you all play Sentence Scramble with cut-up sentence strips? I introduce this center later in November, and it soon becomes one of my kids favorite ‘games’ when working on our vocabulary words. It is SUCH a challenge and easy to differentiate.
*Level 1 = cut up sentences with capital letters and punctuation attached
*Level 2 = cut up sentences with all lower-case letters and punctuation detached
*Level 3 = cut up sentences with all lower-case letters, punctuation detached, and vocabulary words are represented with a blank. I provide a word bank and students have to find the ‘just-right’ word in the word bank.

If you don’t teach in a 1:1 classroom, a Belkin Headphone Splitter is a fabulous resource for Listening to Reading. When you plug the splitter in, up to 5 people can share the device!
And of course, no classroom is complete without pocket charts. My classroom came with no less than 6 different types of pocket charts – small color-coded pocket charts, large navy pocket charts, money pocket charts, 120s pocket charts. These are great for putting on the outside of filing cabinets during math and reading centers. And the best type of pocket charts? Magnetic ones!

Now, this is *definitely* a splurge and I was blessed to walk into a classroom that already had a library display shelf. My 1st grade friends love walking in on Mondays to see what books I’ve chosen for them. It is such an easy way to get them excited about reading and exposes them to LOTS of different books!

Well friends, these are some of my favorite resources in our classroom. Most of them aren’t splurges and over the course of the year, I was able to pick them up with classroom money or gift cards I received as gifts. Plus, it always helps to walk into a classroom with a bookshelf and pocket charts. So, tell me, what are your go-to resources that are used weekly (if not daily) with your primary friends? I’d love to hear your ideas!

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Comments

  1. Jackie says

    I totally agree with everything on your list! I LOVE the dry erase pockets and I swear it's the only thing that keeps me within my "copy limits" haha! I will have to check out the bag of dice since I recently purchased your math center pack! Thanks for sharing!!

    Jackie
    Inspired to the Core

    Reply

  4. Danielle says

    I love how you have stuff hanging up to keep it organized and easily accessible for the kids! I have the belkin splitter and a display bookshelf, too. Definitely agree that those are must haves!

    Danielle
    Carolina Teacher

    Reply

  5. Stephanie Ewing says

    Thank you for this amazing list! I am a newbie teacher just starting out and it's posts like these that really help me get narrow down what seems like an overwhelming, endless list!

    Reply

    • Kate says

      The first few months there are endless lists, Stephanie! Take is slow and steady and worry about the things that HAVE to be completed. Then, work on the "wish lists". Good luck! 🙂

      Reply

    • Kate says

      Thanks so much, Shelley! I loved meeting you as well. It's fabulous to put names with a real face. See you next year! 🙂

      Reply

  9. Sarah Paul says

    Sentence strips, hooks, and dry erase pockets are must-haves in my room! I use sentence strips and dry erase pockets more than anything I think (well, with sticky notes and note cards.) This is a great post!!

    Reply

  14. Ashley says

    What a great list! I love the pyramid writing sheet you have in your dry erase pockets. Any ideas where I could find a printable of that? What a great resource!

    Reply

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