Whether you are a BRAND NEW teacher (welcome!) or new to the grade level, teaching fourth graders can seem overwhelming. However, the tips for new 4th grade teachers will help you feel more confident.
Before School Starts
Create Organizational Systems
Think through your day, where will students put their backpacks, school supplies, and devices? Where will they turn work in or find assignments they missed when absent?
Of course, you may need to change systems throughout the year that aren’t working.
When students arrive, explain to them how your organizational systems work. Remember, they will need to hear it more than once!
Classroom Decor
Start planning out how you want to decorate your room in the summer.
Be sure to grab everything from stores or print out decor online ahead of time. Then as soon as you are allowed on your campus, get to your room and start decorating.
There are so many beautiful classrooms out there. Don’t feel like your room has to be picture perfect. It’s more important for your classroom to be functional. Check out my My 4th Grade Classroom Set Up
Do not wait until your first contract week. There will be so many other things to do such as training and paperwork.
I did this my first year of teaching and it was a disaster! I was up at school every day that first week until 9 p.m. getting ready for Meet the Teacher.
Plan, Plan, Plan
First, break down your plans by subject. It would be helpful if you were able to plan with your teammates.
Then start with a year plan. This way you can lay out everything that needs to be accomplished.
I have a grammar planning guide that will help you plan the first 12 weeks of your grammar lessons.
After creating a yearlong overview, you’ll want to work on each week at a time.
If possible, plan out the first 4 weeks of school before school even starts. Need some ideas, check out my blog post: Beginning of the Year Writing Lesson Plans
Be Flexible
Yes, you planned out everything you want to do. However, things arise, and you must be flexible with your plans.
When plans change, it’s alright. If you don’t get to everything you planned, don’t stress. You can always fit it in later!
Make Your Copies
The school copy machine will be packed the first week back. Teachers will want to get all their first week copies made immediately.
Unfortunately, this means the copier will break down with so much use!
If at all possible, get your copies made before your first contract week. Perhaps, make a few copies each time you’re up at school decorating your room!
The First Week
Off to a Great Start
The First Day of 4th Grade can be overwhelming for teachers and students. If you would like a step by step break down of the first day of school, I have a blog post for you:
Build Relationships
First of all, build relationships with your colleagues. Your team members will help you and keep you sane!
Then build relationships with your students. Learn their likes/dislikes, about their family, who their friends are, and much more.
I love having lunch with one table group daily during the first week of school. Not only do I learn a lot about my new students, but they start building relationships with each other as well.
Finally, build relationships with your students’ families. It will be easier as issues come up in the year if you already have a good foundation with families.
One way to do this is to give a positive phone call to each family during the first two weeks of school. It’s always good to talk to parents for the first time with something positive to say.
Encourage a Family Atmosphere
It is important from the start of the year that the students in your class know that they are a class family.
This can be established by incorporating daily class meetings, providing team bonding activities, and reading books about relationships.
If your students build relationships with each other during the first few weeks of school, the problems that occur later in the year will be easier to solve.
Classroom Management
During the first week of school, it is essential to set up your rules and procedures.
Review the rules daily, and create activities to go over the rules.
Most importantly correct any negative behaviors. If you let it go, the behaviors will just get worse throughout the year.
It is necessary to have a form of positive reinforcement in your classroom.
For example, Classroom Economy is a free system, you can order online. Student receive money based on their good choices. However, they can also lose money with bad choices.
Then students can buy prizes with their class money at the end of each month.
Group Work
In addition to reinforcing good behavior, set up procedures for group work.
Explain, model, and reinforce group work behaviors. One way to do this is to give students examples of what group talk sounds and looks like.
New 4th grade teachers, you are in a great position. Fourth graders love their teachers and want to please them. Also, they are independent. Will there be bumps along the road your first year in 4th grade? Absolutely, there will be bumps your 20th year in 4th grade, too.
These tips for new 4th grade teachers will help you have a smooth start and feel confident to take on this exciting new challenge!
