Pages

Friday, July 27, 2012

Classroom is Ready! 2012-2013

Before

So this is what my room looked like when I was able to get into the school 2 weeks ago. Every summer they wax the floors and everything must be up off the floor so I put it on the back counter. After 2 weeks of work this is my classroom:

Back Wall

The back wall is going to be my math focus wall. We are getting a new math textbook this year so I'm waiting until I get those materials to do anything here.

Back Wall_Cabinet

Here you can see my genre posters on the cabinet doors and on the far right it says "Brownie Points." Every time my students get a compliment they earn a brownie. Once the pan is full I bake real brownies for everyone.

CAFE Word Work_Writing

On the left side of the back counter you can see my materials for Word Work and Work on Writing (Daily 5). I'll share a few of those at the end of this post.

Cubbies

These are my cubbies where I have my classroom library. I know, they don't match! But I just couldn't bring myself to paint them black. That would be a huge job to do alone.

Small Group Area

This is my small group table! Behind the table you can see my materials that I use for small groups. On the right side I have reading materials and on the left is math. You can also see my metal supply cabinet that holds all my science experiment materials and goodies!

Teacher Spot

This is my area in the room. I have a document camera and teacher mobi that normally go on the taller table but they were checked into the library before I left for the summer. You can just see the days of the week drawers where I store all my materials for each day of the week. I also used fabric around my desk so it looks a little nicer.

Front Wall
Computer Corner

This is the computer corner. You can see my student mobis and the bag of clickers I just got. I'm not loving the way that poster is looking in the window so I might have to work on making that look a little better.

Entire Room

The is a view of the entire room from the front corner.

HW Board

This is an old Smartboard that we are lucky enough to have. The first batch the school ordered had something wrong with them so they sent new ones and let us keep the old ones. Some of us were able to have them hung in our room to use as a white board. So I have each subject area posted and this is where we write homework assignments, tests, and objectives.

Word Work

This is the shelf that has my writing/word work materials on it. You can see the mini boggle cubes (ordered from Oriental Trading).  The kids use these to play boggle. The dice on the right side are letter dice. Just roll to get a letter and create a hidden letter drawing. The catch? The kids have to write a story to go along with the drawing. On the left side is the basket with trays and Play-Doh. The students use the Play-Doh to write their spelling words for the week (yes, my 5th graders love this).

4 Corners Math

This is one of my math corners. We have 4 Corners, which the groups rotate to throughout the week. This is the fact corner but if you go back and look through the above pictures you might be able to see all 4 corners. We have fact games, number games, strategy games, and paper practice. Before any of the games go in the corner we play them together as a class to learn to play. Then, on a sentence strip, I write the name of the game, number of people that can play, and a picture to help them remember how to play. The cards up here are left from last year. When we start this year the cards will be gone and the crates will be empty. (Where in the world will I put all those math games?) 
Paper plate name

My final project is something I forgot to make a picture of once it was complete. These are the letters I printed and put on paper plates from Target. Each teacher has his/her name above the door to the classroom. So I made these to put up (which I did today). I'll try to remember to take a picture next time I'm at school and post for you to see.

I hope you have enjoyed the mini tour of my classroom. We are having a Meet & Greet this year instead of the traditional open house so I'm planning to do a mini classroom tour via QR codes. That's my project for next week.

11 comments:

  1. Excellent job. I enjoy getting a sneak peek into other teacher's classrooms. Yours certainly communicates your dedication to creating a learner-centered environment and an overall fun place to be. Can't wait to hear more about how your year goes. I would love to connect our classrooms once things get rolling.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Inspirational! Your classroom looks terrific. The black/white theme is so crisp. Perfect for this age. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looking great! I haven't stepped into my classroom yet this summer. We don't start until after Labor Day. I'm very excited about QR codes and would love to hear about your tour. I plan on using them this year in my second grade classroom. Cant wait!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I LOVE your classroom. It looks great. I am thinking of "borrowing" your fabric around the desk idea. I also like your name on the plates.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You have so many great ideas! I'm your newest follower. Come check out my blog about teaching 5th grade myinspiredclass.blogspot.com

    Katie

    ReplyDelete
  6. Can you tell me more about the Brownie Points? I'm assuming that you have "brownies" on magnets that you attach to the pan? How many do you have to have to fill the pan? Great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I found it last summer and loved the idea. Here is the link for the blog with the Brownie Point directions and a file to download them already done for you. Hope this helps!

    http://seriouslyprimary.blogspot.com/2011/07/brownie-points.html

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks, Michelle. I'll definitely be doing this!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice room. I haven't been in my room yet this summer. (Hopefully next week.)

    I'm new to blogging and came across your page. I am your newest follower. Stop by my page at
    Teacherofscholars.blogspot.com

    Katrina

    ReplyDelete
  10. Your room looks great! I love all the center areas and your use of space. Your library looks inviting. Your kids are going to be thrilled!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Very nicely organized classroom...I love the decor of your class and you gave me some really good ideas that can be used with my 4th graders this year!

    Your Newest Follower,
    Charell
    Miss Milton's Memoirs

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments. Students, make sure to answer the question of the week to earn your ticket for the good job jar. If you have trouble posting your comment just e-mail it to me and I'll post it for you.