Ahh,โฆ summer, when principals think itโs funny to stress out teachers with changing grade levels! Actually, I donโt think they think itโs funnyโฆ but it is definitely stressful to change grade levels, even if youโve requested the change. Over the last 12 years in the classroom, Iโve taught 2nd, 3rd, 2nd again, 5th, kindergarten, and 2nd again! Needless to say, Iโve had to learn a thing or two about changing grade levels. Today, Iโm sharing some of the best tips for changing grade levels that Iโve learned along this Applicious Teacher journey!

1. Dig into the standards-up, down, and sideways
I know itโs not fun or glamorous, like setting up a classroom isโฆ but this is hands down the MOST important and helpful thing you can do when starting a new grade level.
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Take a few days over the summer to pour over those standards! Make a few notes in a notebook about the verbs or key vocabulary used. Main idea may still be taught in your new grade level, but maybe itโs called something else.
Plus, looking over the standards helps you understand the overall goal for your students this upcoming school year. Most standards are written as the โend goalโ for the year, so if you know where youโre going (standard-wise), it will be easier to get there!
When I switched from 5th grade to Kindergarten, I took the weekend before I started to review the Kinder standards. I was so relieved to see that many of the standards began with โwith help and support.โ It made me realize that there was a lot that Kinders were asked to do, but not much was expected to be mastered in Kinder.
Yesโฆ even sideways
Be sure to look at the standards from the previous grade level and the next grade level. Youโll be surprised what students were asked to do in the previous grade. This is especially true for reading standards! Plus, it will give you a strong understanding of what your new group of cuties should be able to do coming in. And if they canโt, itโs easy to back up a few steps becauseโฆ well, you know!
This was especially helpful when I moved up to 3rd grade. I knew the 2nd grade standards like the back of my hand, so I knew where most of my students were coming from (standard-wise). To help paint a clearer picture, in addition to reviewing the 3rd grade standards, I also glanced over the 4th grade standards to see what they needed to be prepared to do the following year. It was such an eye-opener in helping me design and plan my lessons.
2. Join a FB Group
Now that youโre easing into the idea of changing grade levels, itโs time to surround yourself with teachers who are also teaching that same grade!
This can be done in many different ways, but one of the easiest is through Facebook. Facebook has tons of groups geared toward your new grade level. Do a quick search and join a few!
Here at The Applicious Teacher, we even have our own little second grade group: 2nd is the Best! This group is geared toward second grade teachers looking to share ideas on teaching the best grade around! If youโre heading into second grade, I highly suggest you join our little group!
3. Follow grade-specific teachers on IG/FB
In the same vein as surrounding yourself with teachers, start looking for grade-level specific teachers to follow on Instagram and Facebook. You can do this easily by searching hashtags on IG or asking for recommendations for people to follow in your new Facebook group!
Also, shameless plug: If youโre looking to follow a 2nd/3rd grade-specific teacher on IG, you can click here to follow me there!
4. Team up with your teammates
I get it, summertime is the time to relax, butโฆ if youโre able to, reach out to your new teammates! Even a quick email introducing yourself can help you feel a bit more prepared.
Even better? If you get a chance to sit down with your team before the following school year! I still remember one year, sitting with my second grade team over the summer and working on long-term plans. It was so helpful the following school year!
5. Be ready for a steep learning curve
So, not to scare you or anything, but teaching a new grade level can be difficult. Even if it is only one step up or down from the grade level you taught previously.
New standards, new students, new classroom, new teamโฆ it can be a lot of โnewโ all at once. One thing that kept me afloat all those times in a new grade level? Remembering that good teaching is good teaching is good teaching. Best practices are good at any grade level, so be consistent and lean into those teaching best practices you know have worked for you in the past!
6.Have a strong classroom management plan
Strong classroom management is the key to a successful year no matter what grade level you teach! So, use this time to plan a strong foundation. Reach out to your team to see if what plan/system they use. Some schools require grade levels to use the same management system in each classroom as part of their PBIS, so be prepared.
In the end, remember that a good, solid plan is a foundation for good teaching.
A chatty class is universal, so be sure to check out this post to get ideas for dealing with a chatty class!
7. Extend yourself some grace
This one will be the hardest one of allโฆespecially if youโve taught your previous grade level for more than a few years and consider yourself a seasoned teacher.
Changing grade levels isnโt easy, and extending yourself some learning grace will go a long way over the course of the year. You will make mistakes, so be sure to take the time and reflect on whatโs working, whatโs not, and know that this is all part of the journey! No one will be โperfectโ and you shouldnโt expect that from yourself no matter how many years of experience you have.
The year I taught Kindergarten, I struggled with this one so much! I knew there was better teaching in me, but I just didnโt know how to make that teaching happen in my kinder classroom. I just couldnโt seem to blend my academic-focused teaching style with the developmentally appropriate teaching style you need in Kindergarten. My expectations of my students were too high, and I felt like I was failing every day because the students werenโt โperfect,โ and I wasnโt โperfect.โ
Finally, after a massive breakdown on IG stories over cleaning up bins of toys one afternoon, I realized that I needed to extend myself some grace. I was teaching at a new school, in a new district, on a new team, and a grade level I hadnโt taught in 12 years. I wasnโt ever going to be perfect, and I needed to stop sabotaging myself and my students with this notion!
8. Plan your work and work your plan- lesson plan that is!
So hereโs the secret to helping yourself succeed in your new grade level: lesson plans!
I know it sounds simple, but hear me out on this one! Having a strong lesson plan in place will help you. Your goal is to teach students the standards, and detailed lesson plans will help you with that. Keep in mind, lesson plans are also the perfect place to add in management reminders (like how you plan to have your students unpack and pack up, or distribute graded work).
Planning these details will help you keep yourself accountable for your plans and make you consistent with your classroom procedures. Plus, detailed lesson plans will allow you to thoroughly plan out lessons so you can teach exactly how you need to in your new grade level. Also, keep in mind, you wonโt need to be super detailed for too long, just until you get the swing of things!
Honestly, in Kinderโฆ I had detailed lesson plans all year because, wellโฆ Kinder!
9. Donโt be afraid to take it back to the basics!
Soโฆ your lesson is falling flat, your students are a mess, and maybe youโve forgotten the objective of the lesson you were planning on teaching at this very momentโฆ DO NOT PANIC!
At any point, it is ok to go back to the basics. Reset your lesson, have students return to their seats with their heads down if needed. There is no shame in doing a hard restart when things just arenโt shaking out how you thought they would.
This โbasicsโ theory also works for lesson structures and plans and even classroom procedures. Youโre probably used to doing a ton of highly complex lessons with built-in differentiation, hands-on practice, and maybe even a classroom transformation or two.
But the truth is when youโre starting fresh in a new grade level, sometimes simpler is better (For the time being!). Itโs ok to keep lessons a bit โbasicโ at first. A simplified lesson will help you focus on teaching your new students and grade-level standards effectively. Then, you can move on to the fun stuff!
10. Reflect often
I feel like this word is used a lot in this post, but when youโre new to a grade level, you really canโt do this enough! REFLECT on how things are going!
Didnโt like how your day went? Spend a few minutes before leaving for the day to write out what you didnโt like and some changes youโd like to make.
Maybe your end-of-the-day dismissal was out of control (letโs be honest, dismissal in a Kinder classroom is ALOT different than a 5th grade room!).
So anytime you find something just not working in your new classroom, take time to reflect!
Ask yourself these key questions:
- What isnโt working?
- Why isnโt it working?
- What can I change or do to fix it?
Asking yourself these questions will help guide you in finding routines and procedures that work for both you and your students!
Tips for Changing Grade Levels
These are just a few tips for changing grade levels. The point I want to make is that everything is hard at first. Itโs so new, so unknownโฆ and being โnot goodโ at something right away is ok! We are blessed to work in a job where each day is a brand new day, with brand new possibilities. Where you can pretend that yesterday didnโt happen and focus on making that day count.
And most of allโฆremember that you can do anything for one year!
More Good Posts
Like this post? Check out these other super helpful posts!
- Welcome to 2nd Grade: The Teacherโs Guide
- Back to School: CHANGE! CHANGE! CHANGE!
- 2nd Grade Classroom Tour
- 10 Tips for Moving Classrooms without the Stress!
- How to Organize Your Google Classroom for 2nd Grade