Beginning of the Year Teacher Checklist

A beginning-of-the-year planning checklist by teacher-author Amy Sandvold walks elementary teachers through six preparation categories — classroom arrangement, technology, classroom set-up, instructional prep, home connection, and general school logistics — each broken into specific checkbox items such as deciding on desk arrangement, setting up student technology logins, planning a welcome letter home, and confirming recess and emergency procedures. Several sections include blank lines for teachers to fill in role-specific details, such as district curriculum to order or additional team routines. The tool is meant to be printed or used digitally and checked off in the weeks before students arrive rather than during instruction. It functions purely as an organizational aid for the teacher and produces no material for students to complete. Once the year is underway, teachers can move from this one-time setup list to lesson planning templates that provide yearly, quarterly, monthly, and weekly planning grids for ongoing organization.