Showing posts with label back to school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label back to school. Show all posts

Thursday, September 12, 2013

My Classroom Tour... Finally!

I am so excited to share my classroom this year with all of you! Since I am looping with my second graders from last year, I wanted to change up my classroom theme a little bit but didn't want to start completely over again. I spent a ton of time sewing and creating things for my room last year and couldn't bear the thought of not using it.

I came across Schoolgirl Style's Road Trip theme classroom décor set and knew that it would be a perfect fit for my third graders. A little more mature but still fun and colorful! I love the way it turned out =) Here are some pics from my new classroom...

 
In the hallway leading to my classroom door, I wanted a fun welcome message for my kids. I saw this idea on Pinterest {here} and fell in love with the hallway display! The cars were actually very easy to make and Melonheadz had the cutest faces clipart that I used for the little third graders in the cars!


Don't you just love pennants?! This welcome pennant is hanging right inside my classroom door.


I have this funky little corridor right inside my classroom door and wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Since I have a massive hallway display (the cute little cars) I decided that I needed a space to display my students' work. I used ribbon, mini clothespins, laminated sheets of black paper, and road trip nametags to make this display. It is so easy to change out student work using the clothespins!


Here is a close up of one of the student work displays. (Please don't mind my reflection in the paper!)


This is the area where I display our daily "I can" statements and anchor charts. I stole the idea for the magnetic curtain rods from Christina at Second Grade Sugar and Spice. It has worked for me very well so far! I'm always looking for more space to hang anchor charts and this idea was perfect!


This year, I'm using a vocab wall instead of a word wall. Each week, I introduce the new vocabulary terms as we learn them and add them to the wall. I refer to the words throughout the week and the kids use them for their vocabulary homework. To make the display, I just used ribbon and Velcro. The Velcro makes it really easy to change out the words each week.


Here is a close up of the vocabulary cards. Each card has the term, definition, and illustration of the word.


I wanted to keep the lanterns that I used in my classroom last year, but wanted to put a new twist on them. In Schoolgirl Style's décor set, there are postcards from all 50 of the states. I decided to name each table a different state using the postcards. My kiddos LOVE being called to the carpet by their state!


Okay, I have to admit something here- I went a little crazy over the summer buying chapter books for my classroom! With the transition to third grade (and the fact that most of my students have already read the majority of my books), I figured I needed to add many more chapter books. I found these amazing bins on Really Good Stuff and filled them up in no time!


Each student has their own chair pocket this year where they store their data notebooks. On each pocket, I put a license plate with the student's name. They are attached to the chair pockets with Velcro so I can easily switch them out!


Here is our "Road Trip Through the Writing Process" bulletin board! My students always seem to think that once they write their draft in writing workshop, they are done. Does anyone else hear me on this?! I thought my kiddos could use a visual reminder of the ENTIRE process!


This is our student computer center. Nothing fancy, but my students LOVE when it is their day on the computer!


I HATE clutter. So last year, I made this curtain to cover up the last few cubbies that I wasn't using. Behind the curtain, there is stuff shoved everywhere! With very limited storage space, I have to hide things anywhere I can!


Okay, can I just tell you that I am in love with this 5 drawer organizer? One of my biggest issues last year was trying to manage my turn-in basket. It would get so full with papers all mixed up and out of order. This organizer from Really Good Stuff is FABULOUS. Each drawer has a different label (morning work, math, word study, reading, and other). It has really helped me stay on top of grading papers. I couldn't live without this thing!

Alright, you made it to the end of my tour! I hope you enjoyed checking out my classroom!

Friday, August 3, 2012

August Currently and 3 Back-to-School Must Haves

It's the first week of August (ahhh... panic mode!) and that means it's time for this month's Currently. Here's what's been on my mind lately:



Speaking of must haves for back-to-school, I thought I'd share a little more info about why these are so amazing!

1. Personal laminator- Who doesn't love the smell of hot lamination?! Seriously, this is the best thing that ever happened to my classroom. Not only does it help with getting ready for back to school, but I also use it to publish class books that we create throughout the year. The kids LOVE reading books that they've written as a class! Here is a picture of the laminator that I have:


If you don't have one of these bad boys, you need to get one ASAP! Mine is the GBC HeatSeal Laminator. When I tried out my teammate's, it was love at first sight and I knew I had to have one. Definitely worth every penny! (Do I send like an advertisement for this yet?!)

2. Thirty-One Hanging Organizer- I love all things related to organization, so when I went to a Thirty-One party and saw this, I thought that it would not only be great for home but also for school! I decided to hang mine on the bulletin board near my desk. You can hang a calendar on this, use the dry-erase board, organize papers, and keep track of your favorite pens or pencils! I can't wait to use it!


3. Reading with Meaning by Debbie Miller- I read this book a couple of summers ago and it completely changed the way that I teach reading. It taught me how to explicitly teach different reading strategies such as visualizing, predicting, inferring, along with many others. The book includes recommended book lists for each strategy and great examples of dialogue to use with your students. It is a great resource if you haven't read it yet!


Well, I hope you all are surviving this crazy hot/dry weather! My hubby and I went to the state fair today and just about died in the heat. Stay cool everyone =) And be sure to link up with Farley at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade!