Classroom Reveal 2015!

It's my favorite kind of post... the annual classroom reveal!

 

 

I'm linking up with the awesome teacher authors over at blog hoppin' for classroom tour Wednesday!

 

The last couple of years my classroom has looked pretty much the same. The layout has been very similar, the colors were the same, etc. This year I updated my colors, added some new things, and moved some things around!

 

Before I start the tour, here are a few of the before shots:

 

 

We had to take everything down for painting, so it was a big undertaking this year!

 

Well, without further ado, let the tour begin!

 

 

Here is the inside of the front door. The crates hold the books for when the kids are waiting outside in the morning as well as the bins for them to put their guided reading books in when they get unpacked. Above the bubbies I have the compliment jar and the classroom community frame where I post pictures from around the classroom. The kids LOVE to show their parents the pictures when they come in!

 

 

Moving further along the back wall, we have my student work display and student cubbies. The student work displays are made with fadeless paper and corkboard circles that I painted green. I use the green tubs for task cards, sorts, puzzles, etc.

 

 

 Here is where I store regularly used supplies and paper. The pocket chart serves double duty as a poetry center and a phonics sorting center.

 

 

This is the listening center with the crate seats my mom and I made a few years ago. They have held up really well!

 

 

This is my absolute favorite spot! I love my library!

 

I got the marquee letters on clearance at Joann's and added the pom-poms and quotes to make it feel more homey.

 



 

I use the tall bookshelf to store leveled readers, magazines, dictionaries, and chapter books.

 The canvases on the far left are some of our favorite characters. I plan on making an Elephant and Piggie one to add to the collection this year!

Here is the other side of the library. Books are numbered and kept in these bins. I also have little rugs the kids can take for a reading spot, whisper phones, fluency strips, and some nonfiction books that I wrote.

 

 

Just on the other side of the library is the door to the pod I share with the best pod-mate ever, Jen!

 

On the door is my birthday display. Student birthdays go on gift tags that I attach to the month presents.

 

On the wall is my comprehension challenge board. The kids can earn points for completing reading comprehension activities. This is the first year that I have done this, so I'm not 100% sure on the details yet, but I think they will enjoy the challenge!

 

 

I rescued this unclaimed glider on the last day of school last year and my mom was kind enough to recover it for me. I don't use it all the time (mainly for read-alouds), but I love it all the same!

 

Behind my chair is the basket where we keep the scoop rockers. I picked them up at Walmart over the summer for less than $5 each and the kids LOVE them! I figured that they would always be secondary to the library seating, but they seem to be the favorite spot to read so far!

 

 

This is the front of the room. The black rug is new and I got the blue and green spots from Sit Spots. I love that they are functional and look like polka dots!

 

 

Just in front of the rug is the bulletin board where I keep the center chart and calendar. The share chair got a bit of a makeover this year!

 

 

I store supplies for quick phonemic awareness and math activities on this black table. I also have the jar I use for calling on students (the star jar, each student's cubby number is on a star) :)

 

 

This is my teacher corner, complete with flamingo desk skirt and collection!

 

 

This is my guided reading area. I made the bucket seats this year. They were pretty short, so I had to lower the table quite a bit. It makes me feel very short when I sit there!

 

 

 

 

Here is my bulletin board for classroom rules and school expectations.

 

 

This is the word work center-

 

 

-all supplies they may need for word work are kept here. I wanted to try to reduce the amount of time it took for students to transition between centers, so I keep crayons, pencils, etc. here.

 

 

I added lanterns this year as table signs.

 

 Each table has a bookshelf for supplies that we use a lot. They have really reduced transition times!

 Well, that's it for my tour this year! I hope you have enjoyed the peek into my classroom. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

Monday Made it- Center signs, curtains, desk skirt, and more!

This is my last summer made-it post! I am going back to school next Monday, where did the time go?!

 

On the bright side, I did get into my classroom last week and have gotten a big chunk of the set-up done. I hope to be able to post my 2015 classroom tour by next week. Here is a little sneak peak!

 

On to the made-it's!

 

My first made-it this week was something I didn't really ever plan on doing. It just sort of popped into my head while I was making some signs on the computer, so I decided to go for it!

 

In years past, I haven't really had specific areas of the classroom for centers. All center supplies are kept in buckets and the teams would bring their buckets to their table to work. I am changing it up a bit this year. They will still do the majority of their center work at their table, but I have a few dedicated areas of the classroom for some centers now.

 

 

 

For this project, I used wooden circles that I painted green, covered with Mod Podge, then added a bow and mini clothespin to. I used the clothespins so that I can change out the center sign if I need to.

 

 

 

Each center area will have one of these as a reminder of the expectations at that center.

Next up is my new desk skirt!

I came across this flamingo fabric in a Joann's sales flyer and knew I had to have it!

My mom designed and sewed the desk skirt for me (thanks Mom!).

I think it is just perfect!

 

 

This made-it is actually another Mom made-it. (as is number 4!) At the end of last year, a glider showed up in one of the pods that my room connects to. No one else wanted it, so I moved it into my room.

The only problem was the navy blue cushions that look like they were about as old as I am!

My Mom made these new green covers with turquoise piping and they really brightened it up!

The old cushions are inside and the covers open with Velcro, so they will be easy to wash.

 

 Now on to the most sparkly of my made-its this week: my curtains.

I was out fabric shopping for my bulletin boards when my mom brought over this sparkly fabric to show me. She had the best idea to layer it over turquoise fabric to make some curtains that would match my color scheme.

 

She made me two for my library windows, two for my door windows and one really long one for my gigantic front window.

I love how sparkly and pretty they look!

 

My last made-it this week is something I made to go with my black pocket chart that I will be using for my poetry and phonics sort centers.

 

I wanted a way to store the pieces for the center that was easy for the kids to work with. There is very little I dislike more than a messy center!

 

I cut some foam board strips for the bottom and sides. Then I used packing tape to put the pieces together and covered it with duck tape to make it sturdier.

 

 

The final touch was some green duck tape to cover my messy edges!

 

 

I attached it to the wall by putting a strip of painter's tape on the wall, then hot gluing the tray to the tape. I haven't tried attaching anything like that before, so I will have to see how it goes!

 That just about sums up my busy week. I have a couple of pretty big made-its that I am working on finishing up for next week. Our meet the teacher night is on the 14th, so they will need to be done by then!

 

Make sure you head over to 4th grade frolics and check out more Monday made-its!

Also, don't forget about the TPT back to school sale today and tomorrow!