Creating a classroom full of independent doers and thinkers is one of the single best practices teachers can do to have a successful school year. Not only is it essential in being an effective educator and having time for everyone and everything, but it also helps students build important life skills.
I know this from experience. When I was a fourth grade teacher, I would tell my students, “I’m really lazy, so I’m going to have you handle a lot of things for me.” Then I would launch into all our classroom processes and procedures for daily tasks, like passing out supplies and turning in work. They always laughed, and then later at home, they’d tell their families about their new teacher, lazy Mrs. Keith.
While I joked about being lazy with my students, I was actually creating strong scaffolding for students to learn to do things on their own, both in school and at home. I know I’m not the only teacher who has done or is doing this either. By setting our students up to be independent, we educators know we’re setting them up for future success.
The Independent Classroom is here!
Here at Let Grow, we know independence in kids leads to successful, resilient adults. We already encourage this through resources like our Let Grow Independence Kit and the Let Grow Let Them Play Kit, and now we have the Independent Classroom Kit.
We developed this kit in collaboration with several teachers across age groups to make it as useful as possible for both classroom and at-home learning. You’ll find tools, resources, and even interactive digital elements to create a successful independent classroom of your own and to help students take responsibility for their own learning.
Get the kit below or keep scrolling to learn more.
Take a closer look at the tools and resources you’ll get.
Parent Resources and Posters
You'll get resources to share with parents to help establish your independent classroom. This includes a parent letter, a dos and don'ts list, an independent classroom poster, and a pledge sheet to clearly outline expectations.
Student Resources and Interactive Digital Files
We have goal sheets, including weekly, monthly, and long-term. We also have progress sheets and teachers notes, meant for students to fill out for their families and teacher. These are all available via Google Slides so students can fill out materials digitally, too.
Independence Cards
We also have classroom independence cards of common procedures, along with lots of blank cards, for you to create with students.
