Step Inside My Room - A Classroom Reveal

It's done! It's done! It's done! Our classroom is finally set up and students have arrived. You know what that means......time to get busy, get learning, and makes some messes! So before that all starts lets take a look at what the space should look like :) To do so, I've joined up with Ashley Schroeder over at Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd as well as Angie over at Lucky Little Learners to link up because just like at the beginning of August, #2getherwearebetter !!!!

So let's jump into our classroom!

The hallway and outside of a classroom is the first space that students, family, and staff see. It needs to be encouraging, welcoming, and functional. Welcome to our class!

Here's a quick view of our classroom bulletin boards. I fully believe that bulletin boards should be educational and functional. They must go beyond simply being cute. If students and teachers can't benefit from their use then what's the point? For a more in-depth look at our classroom bulletin boards take a look back at our August post here.

We LOVE centers in our class. Between daily literacy centers and a rotation of math centers weekly we are constantly rotating through our activities. Students have designated areas for center materials, center order, and center groups. While reading centers locations are designated by material locations, our math center locations are designated by hanging shapes from the ceiling.Tip #1 for center management: color coding! Reading is yellow and math is blue! Check out our blue center location shapes, math tubs, and we'll even have blue math folders next week!

Organization is key. Somebody important said that once, right? Does organized chaos qualify? When walking in you may quickly scan and see chaos but believe, we know exactly what we are doing, where we are supposed to be, and how to get our materials!

 After our school went through construction and renovation, our classroom lost it's closet doors. Not only did this mean that we had to get creative with our storage (no one likes looking at things crammed in closets) but we also lost a ton of display space. This year we are using every nook and cranny of our wall and whiteboard. From focus walls, yearly information, Whole Brain Teaching materials and class motivators, our walls are packed full of knowledge and tools!

Last but not least......Welcome to my little corner of the world! Where I stock treats, cram resources, and make magic! It's a work in progress. I mean, can a teacher ever have enough resources or ideas? ;)

Thanks for taking the journey through our room! Be sure to check out the link-up and tour some other awesome classrooms! Welcome back to school everyone! Let's make this year AWESOME!

Bulletin Boards - Borders, Placement, & Content....Oh My!

Hey all! We are getting closer to the beginning of the school year. What does that mean for teachers? That means we are in our classrooms moving stuff around and getting ready for a new group of kiddos. One of the first things I tackled this year were my bulletin boards. I found some great fabric for curtains and tied all my boards into it with colors and grey borders. Thanks to Ashley over at Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd and Angie at Lucky Little Learners for creating this Link-Up. We are all blogging about our bulletin boards. Be sure to click on the banner below to find the post with all of the other bloggers who are joining in! Is there any better way to get a ton of bulletin board ideas, tips and pictures in one place? I dare you to check it out and find something better ;)

Before I show my bulletin boards let me give you a few tips I've come around to learning (some the hard way).
1. Make the content meaningful: Don't put things up just to cover space. Make the material count and be useful to students.

2. Use pushpins and don't staple material down if you plan on taking it off to utilize and demonstrate with students.

3.If you are going to be moving materials often invest in fabric! Paper or plastic table cloths work but will rip eventually. Fabric will last and can be washed and then reused.

4. It's okay to start the year with blank bulletin boards and add to them with your class as the year goes on.

5. If students are going to contribute to the bulletin boards or will use them for reference then make them accessible! Put materials where they can reach and see easily!

6. Don't over do it and clutter the space. Many times, less is more!

Now let's get onto my boards:

This is the first board you see when you walk into my room. This board is the focus of many class meetings. We start with this base and then add strategies as the year progresses. The 5 point scale is one of the first pieces we utilize in reference to our feelings. EMAW will be expanded as the year goes on to include E(everyone participates) M(minute to think) A(all agree on plan) W(work the plan).

Directly next to the Problem Solving Board you'll find this split board. We post our monthly Author Study materials above the book rack. We will include the author's name, pictures, book characters, and interesting facts. The writing materials remain up all year and are referenced almost daily.

At the front of the room we have an entire board dedicated to math! Students help build this wall as the year goes on. As we work on different math activities we post them and expectations on here for reference. The space in the middle is used for posting content vocabulary from our math series (Math in Focus). The math strategies are on pushpins so they can be taken down and referenced when needed. Above the board are school-wide strategy posters that are used in every grade. I connect the primary-looking strategy cards to the school strategy cards as we touch on them.

Lastly, here's my board! This board is behind my desk and is part of my central hub. I've got my curriculum map for the year to help keep me on pace and structured. I've also got some district tech policies I've written up. As the year goes on I'll add our class schedule once I can get it finalized. I'll also add any important docs that I'll need to constantly reference from my administration or colleagues. The upper corner is dedicated to student work. I can't wait to see the creations they gift me :)

So those are the boards in my room this year (and hopefully years to come). The material might change but I plan on keeping the themes the same for a while. Please be sure to click the picture below (or the banner at the beginning) to check out some other amazing blog posts about bulletin boards. Get excited ya'll! It's almost time to start school and things are getting real!

Here's to successful work days as we all get ready for school whether you be a teacher or a parent. There is work to be done and as always #2getherWeAreBetter !

TpT Seller Challenge Update!

I finally finished updating a product! A while ago I created an editable Substitute Binder and it was pretty lack luster. It got me through the year but there were definitely changes that needed to be made. Enter in the challenge for this week of a make over. Here's what my product used to look like:

Sad, right?

Let me introduce my new sub binder:

 I cannot wait to get this in my binder. Sub days will be no sweat now. If you like what you see head on over to my TpT store!

Here's to happy planning!

Teaching Teachers

It's fast approaching, and I'm not talking about the supposed snow we are getting.The snow seems to be unavoidable and while many teachers welcome the snow I am the complete opposite.

It's on its way!

I think I've had my fill of snow this school year. Not to mention I don't want anything getting in the way of tomorrow. Tomorrow is the second annual Little Apple Tech Fest! While others are enjoying being off on President's Day, our students included, the teachers of USD 383 will be at the high school getting some professional development and getting hands-on experience with new ideas, implementation, and tech innovations.

Be sure to check out what's being offered here.

You'll notice that this year I am not just an attendee but I am also presenting!

My session at LATF.

I've spent the weekend thinking about what teachers may want to know about classroom blogging. I think I am as ready as I'm going to be. I'm nervous out of my mind and I may have checked the attendee list a couple times hoping I'll see some familiar faces. While I am defintely passionate about using classroom blogs with students and my own class has made huge gains in this area, when it boils down it's still presenting to other educators. I'll always get those butterfflies. I'll always get the racing heart. I'm just finally accepting that's okay.

 Here's hoping everyone walks away with an interest in blogging, the resources to create their own blog, and some fun blogs to follow for resources and inspiration!

P.S. 
Teachers: Do you get nervous presenting? How do you get around it?

Winter Break = A Break, Right?

IT'S WINTER BREAK!

Can you tell I'm a little excited? Winter Break is all about resting, family, Netflix and naps! Teachers aren't the only ones who crave the break. My kiddos were super antsy before we let out and I am sure that this break did most of them some good. I know it's done loads for my sanity, which benefits us all doesn't it?

If you are a teacher you've probably heard this before, "Why do you need so many breaks? You have so much time off!" You also realize the huge misconception here. There is no real time off. There are constantly things to get ready, new ideas to try, and changes to make. Be honest, we're all addicted to Pinterest and teacher blogs, right?  Also, I don't know about your school district but ours requires that we put in a full day's work during the break. Of course, I could put in a whole week and still have more that could be done. Today I decided to start chipping away at those 8 hours.....Let's just say I didn't get very far.

As I sat at my desk I started making a to-do list. Looking around my classroom the list continued to grow. From changing the calendar to switching the seats, my work is definitely piling up. Now did I tackle that list? Did I chop it in half? Did I cross even one thing off? No! I packed up my bag and brought some work home. This is my break and if I have to work, why not do as much as I can from my couch.....while watching Netflix :)

So here I sit.....on my couch....watching movies......with a couch full of work. I know I have to go back and tackle my list. It'll be there tomorrow. I'll be there too :)

Here's to sweats, Netflix, and squeezing every last minute of relaxation out of this break!

P.S.

Teachers: What does your Break to-do list include?

Parents: What do you enjoy most about breaks?