Useful back to school checklist for teachers 2024

Back to school checklist for teachers:

What to purchase

This list will vary from teacher to teacher but here is a list of essential things that are relevant for most teachers.

In addition to this checklist, read my blog post on teacher must-haves 2022 here.

1. New teacher planner

This is my #1 when I am getting ready for the next school year. It helps keep me organised and I can easily look ahead to see what important dates are coming up for my school or classes. 

2. Diary

I usually have a diary in addition to my teacher planner. This is where I keep all my personal life appointments and activities. This is just as important as having your teacher life organised. 

3. General supplies

A teacher can never have too much stationary. Whiteboard markers, pens, highlighters and post-it notes are what I stock up on at the beginning of each school year. 

4. Subscriptions

Now may be the time you need to renew any subscriptions you have or decide to purchase new ones to suit your needs this year. Here are some that may interest you:

• • • STEM Club subscription

If you are pressed for time and don’t have the capacity to keep up your creativity throughout a long and difficult term then this is a must have! This subscription gets you at least 52 STEM projects throughout the year that you can use in your own classroom or with a STEM/Science club.

• • • Canva (free version available)

Canva is perfect for all sorts of templates from worksheets to presentations to newsletters – there is a FREE version as well as a paid version. Get your account set up and ready to go before school returns.

• • • Magazine subscriptions

I know many teachers who love to have their yearly magazine subscription to things like Science Focus and National Geographic that they can use in the classroom. 

But this is also a great time to grab a subscription for something that is just for you! Something you can look forward to and unwind reading each month. This could be a part of your own regular mental health care.

• • • Screencast-o-matic

Screencast-o-matic is an excellent (and affordable) way to record your lessons, information, demonstrations etc for students. Whether you use it for flipped learning or when you are away sick, this is an excellent tool for teachers. 

5. Teaching resources

If you are teaching a new grade level or subject this coming year, it’s a good idea to see what is out there in terms of free and paid resources to help reduce your planning time. 

This is particularly important if you are going to need the time to teach yourself the content required in a new subject area as you won’t have time to develop your own resources as well. 

My favourite places to find high quality teaching resources are:

• • • Teachers Pay Teachers
    • Amped Up Learning
    • TimeSavers for Teachers

6. Classroom decor

This list will vary from teacher to teacher depending on what grade level you teach and how much autonomy you have in setting up your classroom. 

If you are someone who loves to ‘theme’ their room or decorate it each year, here are some items worth checking out for your space:

• • • Wood Wallpaper 
    • Pretty globe lights
    • Bulletin board decorations

The essential back to school checklist for teachers

8. Work clothes

If you are like me then during the school term you can never find time to go shopping for work appropriate clothes. 

When you are on break now is the time to get a gauge of your wardrobe and the items that need replacing, updating or adding. This may be seasonal wear or just wardrobe staples like a nice pair of black pants. 

Break time could give you opportunity to visit a factory outlet or two which you may not have time for during school term. 

If you aren’t into going to the physical shops, I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised by how many great teacher options there are on Amazon! 

The essential back to school checklist for teachers

Back to school checklist for teachers:

What to brush up on

Before school returns, you may need a few days to get your head back in the game. If you are starting at a new school then some of these things will be completely new to you and so it is important to take the time to review them. 

1. Content knowledge

Even if I am teaching the same content as the previous year, after a long break I often need a couple of days to just brush up on my content knowledge and how I want to teach it. 

2. Fire escape and emergency procedures

This is super important if you are starting at a new school. However, even if you are at the same school, it is a good idea to check evacuation routes for each of the classrooms you are scheduled in as well. 

3. Get to know your new students

While you may not meet your students until the first day of term, you can’t appropriately plan if you don’t use the data you have access to already. 

Check their student plans, testing scores, allergies, and any other data you have on them so you can appropriately differentiate for your class. My 53 Easy Differentiation Strategies might be helpful for you! The essential back to school checklist for teachers

Back to school checklist for teachers:

What to organise before the first day back

1. Seating chart
2. Bulletin board
3. ‘Meet the teacher’ handout for parents / students (get my freebie)
4. Lesson introduction slides (get my freebie)
5. Classroom decorations 
6. Coffee and snack supplies (should probably put this at the top of the list!)
7. Your own planning and work routine or schedule to maintain work/life balance
8. Check your technology works e.g. that your device can connect to an interactive whiteboard etc. 
9. Set up Google classroom or online portals
10. Ensure student textbooks or programs are accessible
11. Print class lists
12. Order necessary materials (e.g. science experiments, food tech ingredients)

The essential back to school checklist for teachers

Back to school checklist for teachers:

What to cover during the first lesson

1. Go through emergency procedures

It is so important that you don’t get caught up in the excitement of the first lesson and forget to go through emergency procedures with your students. 

This includes evacuation plans, location of fire extinguishers, and classroom emergency expectations. 

For those teaching in a high-risk “classroom” such as a science lab or woodworking workshop, it is important to go through the subject and room-specific requirements.

2. Classroom procedures 

To ensure your classroom runs smoothly for the year it is important to plan your regular procedures in advance. This includes:

• seating plan arrangements, 
• where students should leave their bags, 
• what students are expected to bring each lesson, 
• where they should look for work they missed when absent
• where homework and classwork can be found
• how you will get their attention after groupwork etc
• safety procedures

3. Teacher expectations 

It is important to set clear expectations from the beginning of the year as it will set the tone for the whole year. Your expectations of them should include:

• Homework (how much and how often)
• Behaviour, including respect of classmates, teacher and school property
• Consequences 
• Talking – when is it ok and when isn’t it?

4. Get to know you activity or ice breaker

I hate ice breaker activities and never do them in my class. Instead I opt for a ‘get to know you’ activity that is less confronting. My favorite is this ‘all about me in science’ lab bunting that students can fill out for me and their classmates to see, AND it becomes decoration for the classroom at the same time!

5. Introduction to the course

Help students get a picture of what they will be learning this term or year with an introduction to the topic. This is a great time to build excitement with them about what they are going to learn and some fun activities they might look forward to. 

6. Assessment tasks to expect throughout the year 

In addition to the above point, its also good to let them know how their learning will be assessed through the year, both formally and informally. I usually have my students record their formal assessment task dates in their diaries during the first lesson.

The essential back to school checklist for teachers

Conclusion

Planning to return to school can be much less stressful if you have a checklist that ensures you don’t miss anything!

Did you find this back to school checklist for teachers helpful? 

Best back to school checklist for teachers 2022