Parent surveys are a great tool for getting to know your learners from the parents’ perspective. You’ll be amazed at how much information you can gain about your students when you ask their families to share some details. Learn all about back to school parent surveys and how to implement them in your classroom below.

What is a Parent Survey?

A parent survey is a tool for teachers to use to gather information about students and their families. The time parents invest into completing it, the way they describe their child, and the goals they list for their child will allow you to infer how involved they will be and help determine how to best work with them throughout the year.

Your students’ families are the most important partnerships you will have each year. Therefore, it is imperative that you take the time to establish strong relationships with them. Sending home a parent survey is a great way to do this.

Why are Parent Surveys Valuable?

Parent surveys are a valuable tool for elementary teachers to use to get to know their students at the beginning of the school year. Below are reasons teachers love parent surveys.

• Parents appreciate when you ask for their thoughts and ideas. They are putting a lot of trust into you to nurture their child.
• Sending home a parent survey shows you care about their children and want to know all you can so you can work with them effectively. It will instantly help earn their trust.
• You’ll be able to tell a lot about the parent(s)/family by the way the questions are answered. This will guide you in future conversations.
• Knowing a parent’s hopes and concerns up front will allow you to work towards helping them throughout the school year.
• You’ll learn a lot about the student from the parents’ perspective.

What are Good Survey Questions for Parents?

Your back to school parent survey should be short. Limit it to 1-3 pages. In this survey, you’ll want to collect basic information about the student as well as some helpful insights their parents can provide. Some examples of things you could ask the parents to share are:

• Favorite sports and activities
• Favorite holidays
• Adjectives that describe them
• Strengths
• How they learn best

How Elementary Teachers Can Use Parent Surveys

Below are 3 ways elementary teachers can use parent surveys.

1. Back to School Parent Survey

One way elementary teachers can use parent surveys is as a tool to get to know students and their families at the start of the school year. This new school year parent survey is a great tool for this purpose!

2. New Student Mid-Year

A second way elementary teachers can use parent surveys is as a tool to get to know a new student who joins the class in the middle of the school year. It’s a quick way to make a connection with the new family and gather information about the student. This parent survey is a great option for this!

3. Collecting Feedback

A third way elementary teachers can use parent surveys is as a tool to quickly get feedback from parents. Whether you are looking to get feedback on how homework is going or if they are finding the class website helpful, a parent survey is a great way to quickly get insight on how parents are feeling.

How to Implement a Back to School Parent Survey

Below are 3 steps for how to implement a back to school parent survey in your elementary classroom.

1. Download this Back to School Parent Survey

You can download this parent survey from my Clutter-Free Classroom Teachers Pay Teachers store. It’s available by itself, as well as part of my classroom management bundle.

2. Make a Packet for Each Student

Make copies of the parent survey and staple the pages to form a packet for each student. Some students may need two copies based on their living situation.

3. Send Each Student Home with a Packet

Consider sending them home on a Thursday. That way, families can work on them through the weekend and return them on Monday. Again, be mindful that some students may need two packets based on their living situation.

4. Collect the Packets

As packets come back to school, keep them in one place so you can go through them all once you have received one from every family.

5. Review the Packets

Once you have gotten back all of the packets from your students’ families, take time to closely review all of the parent survey packets. Jot down notes on them using sticky notes and keep them in a safe place so you can refer to them as needed.

In closing, we hope you found this information about back to school parent surveys helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:

• 20 Tips for Increasing Parent Participation in Math
• 10 Read Aloud Tips to Share with Students’ Families
• How to Improve Classroom Management Using Hand Signals

The post Back to School Parent Survey: A Tool for Getting to Know Students in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

11 Ways to Support Your Students Amidst the Aftermath of Hurricanes

Below are 11 strategies for supporting students during the aftermath of hurricanes.

1. Provide Frequent Opportunities to Assess How a Child is Feeling

This is important to do at all times, but especially when a major event occurs that may cause additional stress. The way I have found to be most effective is to provide them with check-in slips to share how they are feeling. Students are often more likely to share things in writing than they are verbally.

2. Focus on the Positives

Obviously, there is a lot of negativity and sadness. Families may lose homes. People may be injured. Hardships are caused. But, there are also a lot of positives in unfortunate situations such as a hurricane. Help your students to see and focus on the helpers. Discuss how communities are strengthened by neighbors working together. Talk about how volunteers come from all over the country to help with cleanup and to share their expertise in repairing roads, electricity, and more. Let them know about the collective efforts of people all over the country donating clothing, supplies, and raising funds to help.

3. Have Your Students Write Letters and Make Cards

You can focus on a classroom or school that has been affected or you can send them to the responders who have helped those in need.

4. Think about the Animals

Children connect well with pets and animals in general. Natural disasters and displaced family situations often leave our four-legged friends in need. There are organizations that help with pet adoption and care. Those may be good options for your students.

5. Plan a Fundraiser to Help Other Children

Donorschoose.org is one of my favorite organizations because the money donated goes directly to a specific classroom. Do a search using the name of the hurricane (such as Irma or Harvey) and you will find teachers who have lost all of their teaching materials in flooded schools. Clothing drives and such are wonderful ideas, but it does take a lot of manpower to collect, send, sort, distribute, etc. the items. Raising funds and donating them is much more efficient and effective.

6. Use Picture Books to Allow Children to Make Connections

It is normal for children to be curious about what has happened. Often it is the unknown, and lack of information, that causes the most anxiety. Quality picture books are a wonderful way to help students connect to people, places, and eras in history that they would not otherwise experience. Sharing stories about the affected areas where a disaster has occurred enables them to make a connection and to feel empathy.

7. Use Nonfiction Books to Learn Facts that May Put Minds at Ease

I read The Wizard of Oz with my 3rd grade class and paired it with a study of tornadoes. Living in the Northeast, it was comforting to know they are not typical in that region. If students are showing signs of worry about tsunamis, and you live in the Midwest, it will help to know that it is not a concern they need to have. Many students stress over earthquakes when they hear about them, yet they are not common in most parts of the country. Hurricanes come with a fair amount of warning time to prepare and it is possible to make a plan for a safe evacuation to stay out of harm’s way. Arming students with knowledge can be empowering.

8. Use Historical Fiction to Take Them Back in Time to Similar Events

There are many books in the historical fiction genre category that take children back to a place in time where people experienced an event. Look for titles with uplifting stories of survival to share during the aftermath of hurricanes.

9. Use Maps to Show the Distance Between the Student and the Disaster Area

A child’s “place in space” is a difficult concept for kids to understand. An event on the news that takes place halfway around the world or on the opposite side of the country may feel like it took place next door to a young child. Use maps, globes, and atlases to help students understand the distance as well as the geography that attributes to the likelihood of a disaster (for example: proximity to the ocean, flat open land, fault lines, winter climates).

10. Collaborate with Your School Psychologist or Guidance Counselor

The professionals within your building may be able to offer you additional resources and support. Some of your students may benefit from individual or small group sessions with the school counselor. These individuals may also be able to communicate a child’s observable behaviors in school to the parents on your behalf or in collaboration with you.

11. Acknowledge that This is a Challenging Time, but It can be Overcome

Turn to historical events to point out similar instances that have occurred and discuss how the area has since rebuilt and recovered. Acknowledging past challenges provides hope and optimism.

5 Ways to Support Your Students’ Families Amidst the Aftermath of Hurricanes

Below are 5 strategies for supporting your students’s families during the aftermath of hurricanes.

1. Communicate Openly

Share what you are observing and what a child has told you with the parents. Document information that may be important, so you do not forget the details.

2. Provide Resources

Work with others in your school to curate resources and information that may be helpful to the families. This could include anything from obtaining replacement clothing and materials to events that are taking place that will be beneficial to them.

3. Reduce Stressors

Consider scaling back homework, projects, and anything else that will require effort at home until everyone has a chance to settle back in. In many ways, consistency and routine are good, but if you are in an area where the families are piecing their lives back together, it may be best to not add anything to their plate.

4. Think Long-Term

There is typically an influx of help and support immediately after a natural disaster occurs, but it tends to linger over time. Think about the lasting effects of what happened and what it may mean months down the road. Be sensitive to that.

5. Ask Them How You (and the School) Can be of Assistance

Parents and family members affected by the situation are the best sources to ask when it comes to determining how you can help.

3 Ways to Help Yourself and Your Colleagues Amidst the Aftermath of Hurricanes

Below are 3 strategies for supporting yourself and your colleagues during the aftermath of hurricanes.

1. Avoid News Coverage

The media often presents worse case scenarios in order to attract more viewers. Watching replays can increase stress and anxiety.

2. Educate Yourself on the Effects of Trauma on Schools and Learning

Each individual processes and reacts to trauma differently, but there are often consistent symptoms and behaviors that are exhibited. Taking the time to learn about what to look for and how to respond will prepare you for how to best react and proceed.

3. Take Care of Yourself

If you are stressed out about a situation, it will affect your teaching. If you have close friends or family, or if you yourself have been directly impacted by a hurricane or other natural disaster, be sure to put your health and well-being first, so you can properly help those around you. It is just like the airlines telling you to put your own oxygen mask on before helping the children to put on theirs. Try to get a good night’s sleep, eat healthy, stay hydrated, and find ways to decrease the stress you are feeling.

In closing, I hope you found these strategies for supporting people in your school community during the aftermath of hurricanes helpful. If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:

• How to Create a Social Emotional Learning Environment
• How to Use Picture Books to Teach SEL Skills
• 75+ SEL Videos for Elementary Teachers

The post Aftermath of Hurricanes: How to Help Students Cope After a Hurricane appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

11 Tips for Teaching Twins

Below are 11 tips for teaching twins at the elementary level.

1. Never refer to them in the collective form. 

When calling students always be sure to use their individual names. Saying things like, “Jacob, Karlee, Braden and the twins will be in the blue group” sends a message to the twins and the class as a whole that they are a collective group and not individuals.

2. Schedule their conferences on two different days.

The second tip for teaching twins is to schedule their parent teacher conferences on different days. Even with the best intentions it is challenging to sit down with their parents and not find yourself switching from one twin to the other or using comparisons. It will take more time and the parents may actually be resistant because it will mean they have to come in twice. Explain how you feel it is important to discuss each child’s strengths and areas for growth in depth and without comparison. Families will appreciate it!

3. Talk to them about their preferences in the classroom separately.

All sets of siblings have different personalities, relationships and feel differently about things in the classroom. Ask them if they like to sit together or be in the same group. Find out what excites them about being in the same class as their brother or sister and what concerns them. But, here’s the catch…you need to do this privately one on one. If you have this kind of conversation with them together chances are one of them will differ to the other.

4. Never let on to the twins that you can’t tell them apart.

The fourth tip for teaching twins is to not let on to the twins that you can’t tell them apart. Do not call them over to look at photos you’ve taken and ask who is who. When in doubt place all the pictures on a table and instruct each child to go get his or her own photo. Likewise, never ask which twin is which. Avoid calling them the wrong names by using general terms with ALL students like buddy, pal or friend.

5. Never ever let on to the parents that you can’t tell them apart.

Moms and dads do not think it’s cute or funny when you joke about not knowing which twin is which. Also, when you ask a parent, “how do you tell them apart?” what the parent hears is “I am responsible for caring for and teaching your child and I have no idea who she is.” Take the time to come up with strategies and clues so you know who is who on your own. Speak to their former teacher and ask her how she did it. Talk to the specialists in your school who have had them before. Just don’t ask the parents. 

6. Be sure to include a note in your substitute plans explaining how to tell them apart.

The sixth tip for teaching twins is to include a note in your sub plans about it. Being a sub in a classroom is hard work. It is always in your best interest and the best interest of all your students to create detailed sub plans so the day runs smoothly in your absence. If you have twins in your classroom you will also want to go a step further and include any additional notes about them. These may include how to tell them apart or even general tips such as, “don’t ask them how people tell them apart” or “avoid making verbal comparisons about their physical features.”

7. Teach the other students how to tell the twins apart.

There is no better way to model a lesson on Venn diagrams than by comparing and contrasting the twins in your class. Ask their permission first so they don’t feel uncomfortable. If they are okay with the idea, then meet with them ahead of time to plan the lesson. Consider sending the diagram home for the family to help with ahead of time. Have the siblings stand at the front of the group and ask them to help you lead the lesson. All of the items that get placed onto the chart should be generated by them. They can share ways they look alike and different. They can also share similarities and differences with hobbies and interests that will help the other children connect with them and form friendships. Avoid having the rest of the class chime in because pointing out differences in height or looks can be hurtful.

8. Never make one twin responsible for the other.

The eighth tip for teaching twins is to never make one twin responsible for the other. It is not Anna’s responsibility to make sure Hanna brings in her homework. Ben shouldn’t be asked to remind Ken that library books are due back to school on Tuesday mornings. If Jenny doesn’t get her reading log signed the teacher shouldn’t ask Penny why mom signed one and not the other. Peer support is a great tool in the classroom. I’ve had my more responsible students assist those who needed support in being prepared for lessons or packing up at the end of the day. If this is the case in your room, just pick a student that is not the child’s twin to offer that support.

9. Understand that even identical twins may have very different learning styles.

It not always easy when you are teaching two children who look, sound and act the same. Seek to find out their individual strengths. Cater to them the same way you would when differentiating for all your other students.

10. Don’t hold back on an award, honor or opportunity because only one twin has earned it.

It’s not fair to avoid giving an award or a classroom job to one sibling to avoid hurting the feelings of the other. Find ways to make all the students feel valued and important, but if you genuinely feel one of your twins has earned the school’s “Student of the Month” award based on a character trait he has demonstrated don’t pick another student out of fear of upsetting his twin. The same is true for casting students in roles for class plays. 

11. Don’t be afraid to share your feelings about the twins classroom placement for the next school year.

Some states have a Twins Law that states parents have the ultimate say in deciding if twins should be separated in school or if their twins should be in the same class. There are pros and cons to both options. Truly it comes down to what is the best choice for the individual set of twins and the family. If you have valid reasons to think they should be separated for the next school year, share them with the parents. Do so with facts and observational data and not emotional opinion. One year my teaching partner and I each had a twin in our class and we felt they would’ve been better in the same room. We talked to the parents about our thinking and they agreed to place them together the next year.

In closing, I hope you found these tips for teaching twins helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in the resources in my Clutter-Free Classroom Teachers Pay Teachers store as well as these posts:

• Back to School Read Alouds for Elementary Teachers
• How to Set Up Your Elementary Classroom
• How to Build Connections with Students

The post 11 Things to Know About Teaching Twins in the Same Classroom appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

5 Parent Teacher Conference Tips

Below are 5 parent teacher conference tips for teachers.

1. Create a Schedule

The first of the parent teacher conference tips for new teachers on the list is to create a schedule. While you want to provide each family with ample time to discuss their child’s progress, there are many families who will want to take a very long time to meet with you. Plan ahead by providing a block of time that will allow you to discuss each student in detail, but will also provide you with a natural ending time.

This can be accomplished by scheduling your conferences immediately before school so that the meeting will need to end when students arrive or by scheduling back-to-back conferences. I avoid the latter because some parents will keep talking even if they know others are waiting to come in and, ultimately, it causes a major back-up and is not fair to the others.

Instead, I personally like to schedule one per day and do so before school. I feel that this not only creates a natural ending time, but also let’s me really focus on that one child and be thorough in my planning. Consider creating a schedule using an online tool like Sign Up Genius!

2. Send Home a Question Sheet Ahead of Time

As the conference time approaches, send home a question sheet for the parents to fill out. Ask what they view as their child’s strengths and weaknesses. Have them list areas of concern and specific questions they would like answered. This will be so helpful in planning for the conference and creating a focused agenda to make the time as productive as possible. It also serves as a reminder for them regarding the date and time.

3. Create a Slideshow

The third on the list of parent teacher conference tips for new teachers is to consider putting together a slide show of pictures of the child in action. I created a quick 10-15 picture slideshow of each child to open the meeting. I didn’t always have a smart board to display it on so I would simply open my laptop and play it on there. It really takes only minutes to put together, but is such an amazing way to start the meeting. It shows that you care about their child as an individual.

4. Pull Work Samples to Share

I love sharing writing samples with students’ families! Parents love to see what their children are thinking about and writing about. It really is a window into their brains. Consider pulling a sample from the first week of school and a more recent sample to show the growth that the student has already made.

5. Download this Parent-Teacher Conference Resource

This parent-teacher conference resource is available for purchase in my Clutter-Free Classroom Teachers Pay Teachers store. It includes tons of tips and ideas for planning and executing a successful conference with students’ families. Specifically, it includes a conference invitation, parent survey to send home beforehand, a sign-up sheet, conference agenda pages, conferencing notes template, thank you note stationary ,and a welcome to conferences sign.

In closing, we hope you found these parent teacher conference tips for new teachers helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts:

• Classroom Management Strategies for Elementary Teachers
• 8 Strategies for Managing a Chatty Class
• How to Increase Parent Participation in Math

The post 5 Parent Teacher Conference Tips for New Teachers in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

What are Parent Teacher Communication Folders?

Parent teacher communication folders are a tool that students take back and forth between school and home. Parents put items like notes, lunch money, and completed forms inside of it. Teachers put items like homework, school notices, notes, and newsletters inside of it.

Why Teachers Need Communication Folders

Teachers need parent teach communication folders because it builds the home and school connection by opening a line of communication.

How to Implement Communication Folders

Below are instructions for how to implement communication folders.

1. Download the Communication Folders Template

You can download this communication folders resource from my teacher store.

What’s Included

This resource includes the following:

• Daily Folder Labels
• Editable Name Labels
• Editable Student Number Name Labels (numbered 1-40)
• Pocket Labels
• Editable Money / Forms Printables
• Blank Sleeve Inserts
• Home to School and Back Communication Pages

Why Teachers Love It

Some of the reasons teachers love this resource include:

• They are editable so you can customize them to meet your needs and personalize the folders with your students name.
• Printing and adhering the labels with Mod Podge or transparent tape makes them last so much longer than traditional labels.
• The set includes printables for money pockets and other forms.
• There are a variety of options in difference colors and both with and without clipart.
• The daily communication pages make it easy to keep track and document notes between home and school.
• The consistent use ensures that money, permission slips, dismissal changes, etc. make it safely between home and school.

2. Print the Pages from the Communication Folder Resource

Print the pages from the resource so you have enough for a class set. Consider printing extras just in case you have a new student added to your class.

3. Purchase Folders

Purchase one folder for each student. Consider scooping up a few extras. You may need them if you get new students or someone loses their folder. I love using the 2 pocket / 3 prong folders because I can easily fit everything I need inside, yet they are super easy to store and manage. Oh, and they are cheap!

4. Assemble the Folders

I label the front of the folder with each student’s name and number in the top right corner. The reason I do this is because one of my classroom jobs is to put the folders in order. It’s quick and easy because the numbers are there and it saves me oodles of time. It allows me to easily see who is missing a folder and on the days when I am pulling out homework, permission slips, etc., everything is already in alphabetical order and I can just zip down my list.

The front inside pocket is for assignments that need to be returned to school. Some examples are homework, makeup work, and incomplete classwork. The small calendar is part of my behavior logs system. This resource is not included in the communication folder printables packet, but you can purchase it separately.

On the right, you see a clear, plastic page protector. I leave it empty with the exception of the small slip of paper you see at the bottom. Families use this pocket to send in important forms and money. Some examples are field trip money, book club orders, lunch money, and change in dismissal forms. I love this because it is deep enough that things don’t fall out. You could add a velcro dot or a paperclip at the top if you are concerned about it. I can easily see if something has been sent in. Best of all, I can also see if a parent has written me a note without having to flip through pages. It may not seem like a big deal, but every second in the classroom counts and when you can save time on daily administrative tasks it’s always a bonus.

Which leads me to the communication pages. I use them to write back and forth with the families. When the front gets filled, I pop it out and file it. Again, this is to save time by not needing to flip and check for notes.

Behind those pages is another sheet protector. My school sends out a monthly school calendar/lunch money. I slide that in each month so it’s always handy-dandy for the families to access. On the other side I slide in a data sheet to track student grades so their progress is available to the families at all times.

The back pocket is for items that are to be “left at home.” I highly suggest you come up with a routine for sending specific items home and you may even want to consider putting a label onto this pocket outlining this routine.

5. Introduce and Send Home the Folders

On the first day of school, introduce the folders to your students and explain how the folders work.

As a teacher, I found that when I sent things home on a Friday, they were never looked at as evidenced by them still being in the folder on Monday. As a parent, I confirmed this to be true when I found myself tossing the bags in the corner on Friday afternoons and getting my weekend on. On Mondays, we scramble around to find the bags and get out the door.

And so based on that logic, I send home all of the graded work on Monday afternoons. This includes work that I’ve either assigned a grade to or work that I have used as an informal assessment and written feedback onto. This is the ONLY day it goes home, so parents know to look for it. 

If something is time sensitive, I put it into this pocket as soon as it comes in. Otherwise, I try to wait until Wednesday to send home things like book order forms, permission slips and important school information.

In closing, we hope you found this post about parent teacher communication folders helpful! If you did, then you may be interested in these behavior logs for your parent teacher communication folder!

The post Parent Teacher Communication Folders for Daily Check Ins – 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

10 Teacher Open House Ideas

Below are ten teacher open house ideas for elementary teachers.

1. Use a Theme

As you know, I love me a theme. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I like to get my theme on when it comes to this event. In the past, I have done a Hollywood theme, a Wizard of Oz theme, a Fairy Tale theme, and a Charlotte’s Web theme. Check out these other classroom themes for inspiration!

This year I used a camping theme!

I created a “Math Camp” collection of centers and activities” to review all of the number sense strands with my class before the statewide math assessment. I also came up with some “craftivities” for them to make to practice and reinforce additional math skills. 

My students were so into it that we decided to carry the camping theme into our Open House night.

One of my little men brought in a big bag of pine needles and pinecones for ambiance. We sprinkled them around the projects. 

And now I invite you to come on in for my virtual open house. I’ll show you around.

2. Rearrange your Classroom to Fit Your Needs

Don’t be afraid to move your furniture to make the room fit your needs. This was the scene upon entering the classroom. I covered all of my usual displays with brown craft paper. This helped “neutralize” the room. I hot glued all of their work directly onto it. Next, I moved tables around so that all “like-products” could be displayed together. I used to place each child’s collection of work at his or her seat, but I prefer this method as I feel it makes people circulate more and look at everything.

3. Post Student Work

I almost wept with joy when I edited the writing for their animal research projects.  Wow! The kids blew me away! I had given them the criteria, questions and graphic organizers from my animal research packet and guided them in the right direction with bookmarked websites (National Geographic Kids rocks for this) and books, but essentially the work was done completely independently. I was so proud of how well they did on their own.

In keeping with the camping theme, each student selected a different woodlands animal to research. The project culminated with a watercolor painting.  

4. Have Students Create a Self-Portrait

The fourth teacher open house idea on the list is to have students create a portrait of themselves. I do a variation of this project each year…. a “self-portrait” of each student “holding” a book with a book report of their favorite story from third grade. They could either select a text they read on their own or one I did for read aloud, but it had to have been from the current school year.

Roald Dahl was a favorite. No shocker there.

This year I put a spin on the project by having their little people reading in sleeping bags by the campfire.

5. Have All Content Areas Be Represented in the Room

We used these science notebooks in conjunction with a magnets and electricity packet I created. They have nothing to do with camping, but they were so awesome that they needed to be displayed.

6. Tie the Theme into Everything

The 6th teacher open house idea on the list it to tie the theme into everything you can.

This picture shows our ordered pairs fishing scenes.  The students plotted fish, recorded their coordinates, and wrote about what they know about ordered pairs.  It was one of my kiddo’s idea to add the fishing boat. Super cute.  

We lined the counter with another fun project. Each student used colored grids to create a campground and measure the area and perimeter of their campsite (green), pond/lake (blue) and hiking trails (brown). We then made “toothpick” tents as part of a geometry project and then the students wrote about everything they knew regarding area and perimeter.

7. Get Creative

These cute pictures are camping scenes with symmetrical images. They each drew shapes to create a scene and used Sharpies to draw in the line of symmetry.

8. Organize and Clean Your Classroom Before Families Arrive

I usually save the memory books for the last week of school, but I had them get started on them for Open House. They did the pages about their favorite topic and subject as well as what they did in each of their specials (gym, art, music, computer lab). The memory book packet has over 35 pages so we’ll continue to work on them for the next few weeks and add in letters from each student as well as a photo scrapbook.

9. Keep Like-Items Together

Create zones in your classroom so that like items are kept together. We studied the American Revolution and each student created a portfolio along the way.

10. Highlight Collaboration

The final teacher open house idea on the list is to highlight the collaboration your students have done in the classroom. At the last minute we made posters that highlighted the events of the year. Each panel is a month and they worked in teams to label and illustrate all they we’ve done (including field trips, performances, cultural enrichment, special events, topics, read alouds, etc.)…We’ve been busy, busy, busy!

In closing, we hope you found these teacher open house ideas helpful! If you did, then you might also be interested in these resources:

• Parent Teacher Conference Tips and Ideas
• Back to School Read Alouds for Elementary Teachers
• 10 Tips for How to Save Money as a Teacher
• How To Decorate The Classroom Of Your Dreams
• 5 Tips for How to Create a Classroom Theme on a Budget

The post 10 Teacher Open House Ideas for 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.