My Completed Classroom!!!!

Hello All!
  
  I have been very busy the past few weeks finishing up my classroom, attending workshops, and trying to enjoy the last bit of summer.  School starts on Monday and I am super excited and stressed.  I met some of my new kiddos at Meet the Teacher Night last night.  Third graders are a lot smaller than what I am used to! I think I have a great group and some very supportive parents!  Here are the last pictures from my classroom makeover.

My super cute door.  Thanks to Brooke and Kim for helping me!

My "Classicot Award" Wall that I got from One Extra Degree

Inside the cabinet I have stored copy paper, lined paper, extra textbooks and extra workbooks.  There is also a built in filing cabinet inside.  In one drawer, I will keep the student's graded papers after they have been signed.  I will keep graded benchmark assessments in the second drawer.

This is the back wall of the room.  I have my calendar up.  The empty bulletin board will be for novel study and author study.  I plan on putting my reading vocab words and concept webs on the white board as well.

This is my library center.  I have baskets for different genres, authors, and series.  Each book is labeled for AR.  Every book also has a dot sticker on the front that matches the basket in which the book belongs.  I got my super cute genre posters from One Extra Degree (can you tell I buy all her stuff or what?!)

This is a big view of this wall.  I have shelves running along almost the entire wall.  I have picture books in baskets on these shelves as well as baskets of clipboards and dry erase boards.  Their textbooks are currently stored there until I pass them out next week.  I also have a lot of the math manipulatives stored in plastic bins as well.

A close up of my math journal basket.  I have one just like it for reading journals.

A close-up.  Their book boxes are on this counter.  I have students turn in their work in the drawers.  I have one labeled for centers, one for math, and one for science and social studies.

The front of my classroom.  My math wall is still a work in progress! I have a little desk where my laptop and Elmo are located.  I love that desk because I can store my teacher editions that I am currently using and any over head manipulatives right there.

My bookshelf with TEs, binders, leveled readers, and personal picture books.

A wide shot of the classroom and my small group area.

My classroom helpers and clipchart.  The students will store their data binders in the stacked crates by the door.

I hope to post my plans for my first few days this weekend.  Wishing everyone a restful weekend!

Photo Update

I went out to school yesterday and did some work in my classroom.  I put up some posters, sorted reading materials and new math materials, and put together my new book boxes. I am feeling very overwhelmed by all I have left to do (label all materials with student names, decorate my classroom door, label all my books for AR, copy back to school packets, and plan my first week).  I am trying to take it a little at a time but I want it done!! Ah!! Anyways- pictures!

I put up my craft from Monday Made It!

The Class Leaders are our classroom jobs.  The jobs are on branches and the kids' names will be on colorful owls!

Another shot of my small group area

Library center

Classicott awards (One Extra Degree on TpT!)

My bed is here! Now I just need stuff to put on my pretty new painted walls!

Monday Made It!



All summer I have been looking at all the cute crafts everyone has done for 4th Grade Frolic's Monday Made It series.  And all summer I have been saying I was going to get crafty.  Well I did! A while back I found these awesome printables from Technology Rocks Seriously (they have been all over Pinterest!) and knew that they needed to be in my new classroom.  Today I found some unfinished wooden frames at the Dollar Tree and got to work!

Frames from the Dollar Tree

Paints from Wal-Mart

I got some unfinished photo frames from Wal-Mart and did those as well.  I am going up to school tomorrow to work registration and perhaps hang these up.  I will add more pictures when I do.  My new bed is being delivered tomorrow so check back for more pictures of my Bedroom Makeover.  And don't forget to enter my giveaway-it ends soon!

Decorating Overload!

Hello!  Summer time is in full swing for me.  Having fun with friends, spending time with family, and oh yeah decorating my new classroom! My amazing Mom came into town to help me do a few things around my classroom.  We went to the Parent Teacher Store and picked out brightly colored paper for my bulletin boards.  Today we went out to school and put up the paper and my curtains.  Here are a few pictures. 

My back bulletin boards.  We also put up a new alphabet since the one in my new room was print. The pink board is going to be Author Study and novel study related.

The front of my room.  I am going make this my math wall and put my hundreds chart and Mountain Math up there.  I am also going to put number number line up there.

My mom hanging my curtains.

These are my new AMSTI math kits!!

It was like Christmas morning.

Math related literature!

How handy is this? This box came with dividers.

I am still reading Guided Math, Daily 5, and about to start the CAFE book.  Make sure you check out these great book studies that are going on right now.   I am also redecorating my bedroom.  Correction, decorating it.  I moved into my apartment four years ago and wanted to buy an iron bed and do my bedroom.  Then I decided to focus on my living room.  Then I got talked into doing my dining room (which I have used all of two times).  SO now I am finally, finally, finally doing my bedroom.  I might post some before and after pictures even though this is just a teaching blog.  Anybody have any great painting tips for me?

Organization and Classroom Make-Over Update

 I was playing on Pinterest last night(like the addict that I am) and decided to review my School Ideas board.  While doing this I am across a pin for a desk top organizer from Miss Kindergarten and decided it was something I def. needed to do. 

I found this image on Pinterest but it belongs to Miss Kindergarten

Organization has always been a struggle for me despite my buddy Brooke's attempt to train me.  Anyways, I have a desk top storage file (from Target) I can use and plenty of file folders.  I love love love how she used rings to attach her lesson plans to the front.  Thanks to Miss Kindergarten for the idea. 

I found this at Target last year and loved it. I put notepads, my grader, and other items I use frequently in the front compartments.

I used binder clips to label my file folders.

I lost my planner in the move to my new classroom so I had to get a new one today.  I was going nuts without it.  I am sure I will find it now that I got a new one.  I also got a matching notebook.  Each new school year, I get a new notebook and take it with me to all my grade level meetings, faculty meetings, and workshops.  That way all my notes are in one place. 

I did work in my new classroom today.  I am still helping the teacher who lived in there last year remove all of her materials from the walls.  I did get my book baskets on my shelves, started putting away supplies, and arranging a little bit of furniture.  Check it out.

I "borrowed" this metal shelf from an empty classroom.  Don't tell!

My table and some storage.  My computer is on that counter behind the kidney table.  I plan on putting some of my supplies in the drawers under the counters and then putting classroom supplies in the other.  A co-worker of mine had a room like this one year.  She said she put a green sticker on the drawers that students were allowed to use and a red sticker on teacher drawers.  Or I could make a little curtain.  Have not decided yet.

My carpet will go in front of the board.  My Elmo will go on that little desk so I can sit and model.  There is storage for some Teacher Editions in that desk too.

All my desks.  Sorry it is blurry.  That ladder display is not mine.  Still working on getting it down.

My library center with a bunch of chairs in it.  I cover my books during the summer so they do not get as dusty.


I have a long way to go but I am excited about the small steps I made today!

Another Classroom Makeover

Last summer I completely redecorated my classroom-new curtains, new colors, new borders, new everything.  Looks like I have a another classroom makeover ahead of me this summer.  Since I am moving to 3rd grade, I am also moving to a new room.  This room was a kindergarten room last year and is a lot smaller than my old room.  I have no idea where to put all my books! I took some pictures of my new room on the last day of school and I am sharing them below.  Stay tuned as I work out my organization and decorations over the summer! Any and all suggestions and ideas are welcome as usual!

All the decorations on the wall belong to the Kindergarten teacher who is moving down the hall.

Green walls and a yellow floor-yikes!

Those are some of my books and supplies that I moved in on the last day of school.

I am thinking of doing a reading focus wall to the right of the Promethean Board and possibly my Mountain Math to the left.

Whopps a bit blurry.  Two big storage units!!

Those bins go underneath the counter.  I plan on putting my computer on the counter and my kidney table in front of the counter.  I am not going to have a teacher desk this year.  Mine always collects junk and I never use it.