First Grade Must-Haves

Korryna Sanchez
August 17, 2021
No Comments

First grade isn’t just another year in school. And, we know there are tons of first-grade must-haves for the first weeks of school.

Because, first grade is special, this is when students learn to read and write. It’s when you teach students foundational math and set the tone of all the big things students will spend their academic careers learning.

First-grade teachers are special, and we know just how hard it is to be a first-grade teacher.

To make things a little bit easier, Education to the Core decided to come up with a list of first-grade must-have resources, supplies, books and some teacher treats for those Oh-So special First Grade teachers.

First Grade Must-Have Resources

These resources focus on a curriculum that is unique to first grade and ranges from things like phonics and math all the way to sensory skills.

CORE Binder – This is a resource that covers daily activities from classroom routines, math, and ELA. These Classroom Organizers and Resources for Education also include social and emotional tools because we know teaching isn’t all 123s and ABCs.
Morning Work – Morning work made for the whole school year.
Emergency Sub Plans – Having to call a sub is stressful enough without having to worry about planning too. Editable Sub Plans has everything you need to leave for a sub. This includes a general information guide, outlined instruction for activities, and 5 days of plans for the beginning, middle, and end of the school year.
Literacy Centers – 120 non-seasonal first-grade centers for the entire year
File Folders for Math & ELA – A hands-on activity bundle that focuses on math and ELA.
Editable Spelling – An activity that you can edit to align with your unique spelling lists
Sound Wall – The all-inclusive Sound Wall from ETTC gives you everything you need to build a reference tool to make learning sounds easy to teach and easy to learn.
Reading Comprehension – This resource includes 12 monthly themed fluency passages.

More First Grade Must-Have Resources

Listen and Color – The most engaging way to get your students to build listening comprehension and actually follow directions the first time. Repeating yourself will become a distant memory, while you’re working on building your students’ working memory!
I Spy Phonics – Education to the Core heard your calls and developed an entire resource dedicated to phonics-based I Spy activities. But Beyond just the phonics skills practice, these worksheets help your students strengthen their visual discrimination while building their attention and focus skills.
I Spy Hidden Sight Words – I Spy Hidden Sight Words is the perfect addition to your high-frequency word routines – use this after you analyze and map the words with your students for extra practice reading and writing them.
September Social Studies Unit – Education to the Core has created an all-inclusive Social Studies Unit that can be used for any grade between K-3. This unit includes teaching slides, Student workbook activities, read-aloud suggestions, and so much more.
Monthly Packet – Thematic teaching makes things so much more interesting for you and your students. With the year-long Monthly Packet Bundles, you can have an entire year of activities ranging from phonics, grammar, math, science, and social studies.
Premium Membership – If all of these must-haves sound like they will put a strain on your wallet, sign up for ETTC Premium for $10 a month and have unlimited access to these resources and thousands of others.

First Grade Classroom Supplies

We are here to help you out. So sit back, relax, and enjoy while we do the research for you for your first-grade must-haves.

This is a list of things we think you might want in your first-grade classroom.

First Grade Must-Have Books

Every classroom needs books and that is no exception in a first-grade classroom.

This is a list of books in the first-grade reading level that might just be perfect for your students.

First Grade Must-Have Teacher T-Shirts

There is nothing like waking up in the morning and not having to worry about what you are going to wear. So, to help you out ETTC found some cute first-grade must-haves t-shirts.

Here’s to waking up in the morning and doing nothing but drinking some coffee, brushing your teeth, and putting on a cute graphic tee!

*All of the t-shirts and read-aloud links are a part of the Amazon Affiliate program.

The school year is a marathon, not a race and there are so many stress factors that come into play as the year progresses. ETTC is here for you and we are dedicated to making things as easy as we can for our teachers.

The Teaching Tiny Humans Course is a free course that helps primary teachers navigate those tricky situations at school. You can expect emails with tips, tricks, and ideas for your classroom along with freebies and support from the ETTC team of master teachers.

There are also active Facebook groups where thousands of teachers come together to support each other DAILY!

Ask to join the Fearless First Grade Teachers: Education to the Core group for a 24/7 connection with your fellow first-grade teachers.

Written by – Korryna Sanchez

At Education to the Core, we exist to help our teachers build a stronger classroom as they connect with our community to find trusted, state-of-the-art resources designed by teachers for teachers. We aspire to be the world’s leading & most trusted community for educational resources for teachers. We improve the lives of every teacher and learner with the most comprehensive, reliable, and inclusive educational resources.

If you enjoyed what we have to offer at ETTC, be sure to join our email list so that you won’t miss a beat.

Welcome! I’m Emily, Founder of Education to the Core. We are all about helping K-2 teachers by providing unlimited access to affordable printables for every subject area.