Sit in a comfortable spot in your classroom and visualize the layout before moving anything. It will save you time in the end. Decide whether desks should be in a U shape, groupings or in rows, understanding that students need to see you when you are teaching. Determine where small and large group learning can best take place. Make a decision on whether to have learning centers and a comfortable reading area. Consider which supplies students will need ready access to and where they will be storing their things. Examine traffic flow to determine whether students can move easily from one place to another. Add personal touches that welcome the students and that let them know a little about you.
Establish routines beginning on the first day, so students can get settled. Post a daily schedule. Model a few routines every day like using the reading corner, accessing the computer, lining up and walking through the school, turning in work, accessing materials and supplies and what to do when a student completes an assignment before everyone else. Have quiet activities to keep the early arrivals busy. Establish the noise level. Find a welcoming and entertaining way to start the day like telling a joke, reading a poem or telling a little story. Tour the school and explain the routines for the different rooms and areas.
Setting clear expectations for classroom behavior is one of the most important things you can do to ensure students are on-task learners. Engage the students in the process of setting up the rules by making a list over the first week that describes what they expect of themselves, others and the teacher. Categorize it and post it in the room and refer to it whenever there is a "teachable moment." Review the school's policies and discuss what happens when expectations are not met. Have the students act out scenarios and develop appropriate responses.
Learn about your kids. If possible, meet with families before school starts for an informal discussion of their goals for their child. Talk to last year's teachers to learn of effective strategies they used with some of the high-needs students in your room. Find out which children are new so you can make a special effort to integrate them. Design art, writing and whole group projects for the first week that help you get to know the students and that help the students to know each other. Post their projects in the room so they start to feel ownership of the space. Pretest students in the initial math and reading skills you will be covering to determine teaching strategies and what additional resources to have on hand for enrichment and remediation.