♥ My Classroom ♥

Here I am about halfway through the first quarter and I realized...


"I should share some pictures of my classroom before it's too late!" (You know, before the newness wears off)
Enjoy!

This is the front of my room. Excuse the fact that some of my teaching materials are still out..

Our Reading Focus Wall. I got this great idea from another blog called "Dots-n-Spots."  

Word wall pocket charts. I have a total of 5. We keep current words from stories we are working on in the charts, then they get moved to the permanent word wall above the board. The different categories are: W.O.W. Words, Character Traits, Relationship, Feelings, and Theme.

My writing corner. It could use some sprucing up to make it more exciting. I also use it for small groups and conferences during reading time.

I utilized the space on my closet doors to hang some great posters for writing.

On the left are my "Make Up Work" files for students to check when they return from an absence. Each child has their own folder. Work is collected in a file folder throughout the day and then transferred into their personal folder. This is also where students go if they need a pencil, tape, to staple something, or a 3-hole punch.

Student work board

Job Chart! The kids are still helping me think of one more job to add. The folders below say "Had a Job" and "Needs a Job" so I can make sure everyone gets a turn.

My always growing classroom library. I would like some matching bins, but right now I am just thankful that I had enough to house all my books!

Close up of the book bin labels I made

Reading strategies and genres bulletin board located in the libary area. As we discuss more genres I will add more posters. Click here to download these great genre posters for your classroom!

Book boxes! Since I have two classes, my desks and book boxes are labeled with numbers. Students  in both classes share book boxes, so I gave each child a Ziploc bag with his/her name on it to keep the books in each box separated. 

My desk area. I am sure some book somewhere would convince me that this is clutter and unnecessary, but I need my own bulletin board space to tack up reminders and important info. I separated it with ribbon and use the top half for displaying student work. We're still working on filling this one up :)

Another view of my desk area.

Our school's version of a clip chart system. This is school wide and pretty useful. Students receive a consequence befitting of their "crime" on red, and if they move up to silver, they get a stamp in their planner to let parents know. Other colors are recorded in planners as well.

This is by the door to my room. Just my calendar, important info, band folders and cones for whem my kids have band. Basically, they choose a "Band Buddy" to give a folder to. That person collects the work while the student is out, and then explains what was missed when they return. The cone goes on their desk as a reminder to me of where they are (in case of any emergency drills, and so on). I also have a bathroom sign-out sheet on this table, along with the famous Red Emergency Binder.

Baskets for handing in completed work

I used some of the leftover scrap paper from my magazine holder project to decorate my binders and help tie the room together a little more.

My curtains that I love! And our classroom's timer. 

This is one of the desk tags I made to go with my "Polka Dot Owl" theme. I made a lot that were in varying combinations of teal, lime, and brown to match my bulletin boards.

Well, that's it for now. I'll update as I add/change more...which is inevitable!