welcome...to my home away from home!

You know how teachers joke around about how their students think they "live" at school?

Well....it's closer to the truth than I'd care to admit sometimes.   I spend an average of 11-12 hours at school (sometimes more, sometimes less) a day during the week and then I usually come back on Saturday or Sunday for a good chunk of time to get ready for Monday.

The past two nights, I was literally giddy over the fact that I left work at or before 5:00.
State testing= less planning for the next day.  
Really the only perks of standardized testing.

The reason I bring this up.....I spend a lot of time in my classroom, so I want it to be comfortable, inviting, appealing, colorful, organized, and a reflection of who I am.

So I bring to you tonight.....my very first.....

CLASSROOM TOUR!  

Please note that all of these photos were taken the week before school started, so everything is new and clean and neat and organized.   And while it's still neat and organized (I wouldn't have it any other way), it's definitely more "broken into" like a new pair of shoes after a month of wearing them.

Warning:  An obnoxious amount of photos are to follow.  I just love my classroom that much.

View of the front of the room

View from the door toward the "window side" of the room

Standing in the front, looking toward the back of the room

And the last full view- to the "cubby side" and doorway

 

Cubby Wall

All the cubbies are loaded up with the student supplies, ready for the first day!

Above the student cubbies are all of my Reading Street teaching resources (we got a TON of stuff for this new curriculum!). 

On top of the cubbies are totes of all of my extra books.

I'm kind of addicted to buying books for my class....:)

As you can probably tell, I heart organization.  All of my Reading Street resources are now organized by unit and reading level.

Such a time saver!

I provide my students with five colored folders and label them ahead of time. 

(The past two summers I've bargain shopped and got them for a penny each!)

 

This is one of my favorite organization tips that lasts the entire year.  Papers for every subject have a place, and with a quick scan of the room I can tell which students have out the correct folder!

I put everything they need in their cubbies before the first day: all of the books, workbooks, notebooks, folders, planner, clipboard, etc. are numbered and ready for them. 

These do NOT stay in their cubbies-- that would require way too much getting out of their seats and wasted transition time.

Within the first couple days, all of this (except for the clipboards) will be brought to their desk.  This process provides a great opportunity to practice efficient procedures.

 

Next to the cubbies is a small bulletin board, with a weekly calendar of events, reminders about our Michigan Miles, and a few signs with inspirational quotes.

 

Michigan Miles are a behavior reward program we came up with years ago to have the students "earn" their trip to Fourth Grade Camp.  They earn miles through good behavior, turning in homework on time, and getting their planner signed.  It's been a great motivator for the kids!

 

Another sign next to the door.....a list of what students can do when they're done with work.  These "May Do" activities aren't choices every day, but often enough to keep up as a reminder.

 

Front Wall

One of my bulletin boards up front.....with my calendar/birthdays, jobs board (which I explained in this post), and Social Contracts for my homeroom and math classes.

On the table in front of this board are some free choice activities- Hot Dots, writing prompts, and math facts practice activities.

 

 

You can get these calendar pieces at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.   :)

 

On this side of my board-- Volume Control (freebie here), the poster where I list each day's homework assignments for students to copy into their planners, a pocket chart for our daily schedule, and a few other signs for reference.

 

Right in front of the board-- my Elmo/Projector table, covered easily with some chevron fabric (see more about that process here).

On the left side of the board-- my daily objective frames (read more about these here and here), a spot for missing work stars, behavior clip chart, and SLANT reminder poster.

 

My other bulletin board....Reading Street Concept Board and posters with literary elements and different genres of literature.

 

This part of the board changes every week.....if you teach 4th Grade Reading Street, go to my TpT store to find these Unit and Weekly Question signs!

 

Window Wall

 

My classroom library....and there are more book boxes in the front of the room.

Did I mention I am addicted to books?  ;)

 

 

Above the bookshelves is my "Moral Focus" wall.  I teach at a charter school with a Moral Focus and Citizenship component.  We teach the Core Democratic Values along with Moral Virtues.  Each month, this display changes but the CDV posters above it stay there all year.

Sorry this is so blurry-- I tried getting everything in the picture.  I should know better by now!

 

The dull and sharp pencil cans I made from metal buckets I found at the Target Dollar Spot last summer.  Love these!  And with my new pencil sharpener (described in this post), I start each day with a supply of perfectly sharpened pencils for the kids to trade.

 

I had to include this.....one of the few things I still have (and use) from my first year of teaching.

 

A shoe box, covered with contact paper, having seen better days, but still serving its purpose.

Students write compliments to each other when another student does something for them that they want to recognize.  I read these at our weekly class meetings, and give the students their compliment slips to keep.  Those little pieces of paper mean a lot to many of the kids.

And they mean a lot to me, too.

 

The front corner of my room-- storage for supplies (read this post about the labels I created), class rules/consequences/behavior reminder posters, and my bookshelf that I wrote about in this post.

(Yikes....I apologize for the blurry pictures-- my classroom has some areas of low light)

 

 

Two motivators-- Homework Stars and Catching Compliments.

 

I'll write more about these two things in a future post.  :)

 

Back Wall

 

On my back counter....drawers for organizing my supplies/copies for each subject area, and the binders/resource books/Teacher Editions I need for planning.

 

The file box is for "Extra Papers"-- I make a couple extra copies of homework assignments, study sheets, spelling lists, and reading logs for students who lost theirs.

Proudly displaying my two diplomas as well!

Close up of this Command Center--- Bandaids, Travel Passes (basically like a hall pass),  Lunch Parent Reports, and Behavior Notes.

 

My second microwave with lunch supply tub on top, and the filing cabinet that I beautified this summer (as described in this post).

 

Reading Area.....lots of comfy pillows to read comfortably around the room during silent reading time.   I even have a student whose one job is to keep the pillows organized. 

I'm a little OCD like that.  :)

 

Right above the reading area....my Star of the Week board (which isn't bare anymore) and my "bed" of Scooby Doo dolls.  Many gifts from many students over the years. 

 

Next to that....my gallery-wall of  "Wise Words".  Most found via Pinterest.

This came to be after changing my objective frames to plastic magnetic ones.....I took the glass out of the remaining ones and used the frames to go around some laminated signs.

I did the same with a couple cheap Target frames too (glass taken out for safety reasons!)...

 

One of my favorites.  :)

 

 

And finally.....a Welcome Sign that I whipped up an hour before our Parent Orientation this summer.  Because for some reason I needed to do one more crafty project....

 

Phew!  If you made it to the end of this tour, I congratulate you.

And thank you.

And am impressed by your stamina.....and patience.

 

As you can probably tell, I love my classroom.

I should.....since I kind of "live" there.  :)

 

five for friday- second week of school

It was one week ago that I was sitting at home, exhausted after the first week of school.

I wish I could say I felt better one week later (a.k.a. today).....but, this week I went from just tired-- to sick and tired.  Like, can't sleep at night from coughing fits sick.  And losing my voice sick.

Teachers....you know how fun that is, right?

One week later, it seems to finally be making a turn for the better.
So, I'm celebrating with a fun "Five for Friday" linky party. 
Yeah, I'm such a party animal.  :)

Linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching....

 

number one

 

I.  LOVE.  THIS.  SHARPENER.

 

Sharpening pencils has always been a source of frustration for me.  Maybe because it's a never-ending cycle.  Maybe it's because my electric sharpeners always break pencils.  Or break down.  Or are extremely loud and grating to hear.

 

This one....sharpens pencils perfectly, doesn't break the pencils, and although I wouldn't call it "quiet"....it's definitely quieter and less annoying-sounding than my electric ones.

 

If this sharpener keeps this up all year, I would be even more impressed.

So excited to have found it through Classroom Friendly Supplies!

 

 

number two

 

I found this idea from Pinterest for a "Mystery Walker", and thought it might be a fun new thing to try this year.  So I took some poker chips that I randomly had accumulated over the years, numbered some round stickers and keep them in a large coffee mug that I got from a student last year.

(I don't drink coffee, so finding ways to use the teacher mugs I get is always a good thing)

 

Basically, each time we leave the room to travel to one of our specials classes (like music or art), I choose one of these chips from the mug, look at it secretively, and put it in my pocket....announcing that I have my "mystery walker".  The students know that I will be paying attention to this student and if he or she was walking up to my expectations, when we get back to the classroom I will reveal it to the class and they get to come pick a prize ticket.

 

Note:  If they don't meet my hallway expectations (i.e. talking, goofing around, etc.) then I just put the chip back and say that the mystery walker didn't earn a prize.  I don't reveal who it is though-- it keeps the students guessing if it was them. 

 

This has worked SO well this year, and it's amazing how a little incentive can motivate the kids to improve their hallway behavior!  Best thing-- the prizes are free and easy like being able to sit next to a friend at lunch, or sitting in one of my rolling chairs for a day.

 

number three

 

So this isn't from this week, but I had to share it....it's the second year in a row that I've used this "Welcome Bag" and I think I'll keep doing it.  The kids really seem to love it, it's a sweet way to start off the first day of school, and a chance to make sure they have a couple things they need right when they arrive.

 

This note explains what's inside the bag.  I can't take credit for coming up with this idea.  I found it through (shocker!) Pinterest, which linked me to the blog Pencils and Magic Wands. The note and homework pass can be found here.

 

Here's what else they get....some cute stickers, a happy star eraser, a welcome pencil (sharpened with my amazing sharpener of course), and a bright and fun bookmark.

 

I put them all into clear cellophane gift bags, and staple the note to the top.

Once I had everything in an assembly line, it didn't take long to get it all put together.

Totally worth it to see the kids' excitement finding them on their desk on that first day!

 

number four

 

Another new idea inspired by Pinterest....and another success!

 

Instead of your traditional bathroom passes that students either wear around their neck, wrist, or clip to their shirt....these actually stay in the classroom.

 

One for boys, one for girls.

Just simple labels (see link below) that I laminated and taped to a bottle of hand sanitizer.

 

When students need to use the bathroom (not during instruction, but any work or break time), they just take the "pass" and put it on their desk and then head to the bathroom.

When they come back, they can of course use some sanitizer and then put it back on the counter for the next student to use.

 

It's awesome because (a) I can always scan the desks to see who is gone, (b) I don't have the kids asking me if they can go since they can see where the bottle is, and (c) I don't have to worry about passes being left in the bathroom, wet and dirty from who-knows-what-they-do-with-it in there, or having a kid forget that they are wearing the pass.

 

My students have learned this new procedure very quickly, and I can already tell that I love it!

 

Note:  If you want those labels, you can find them FREE through the original blogger I found through Pinterest.  Go here for that post.

 

number five

 

One of my awesome fourth grade teaching teammates showed me how she had organized all of her meeting notes for this year into an adorable bound notebook.

 

Of course, I couldn't resist making my own.....through the seller "A Modern Teacher" I bought the organizer pages on TpT, and then I brought it to Staples for the binding.  The front and back covers are heavy-duty laminated so it will last all year.

 

Inside, I made tabs to label all of the sections for the different types of meetings I'll have regularly this year.

This doesn't even include special ed meetings, parent meetings, and other random committee meetings!  Whew.  I'm exhausted already.

 

And here's a look at one of the meeting notes pages....I've already used it for a few meetings and I LOVE it-- it keeps me organized, focused, and helps me to remember those random things we talk about but I sometimes forget about if I don't write it down.

Now I have no excuse!  :)

 

And now....I'm finally going to sleep.  For about ten hours. 

Because I finally can.

objective frames update

When I posted about making my daily objective frames last summer, I had NO idea how "big" that post would get.  

As a little newbie blogger, just learning as I go, to see one of my posts get over 100 pageviews is an exciting milestone.  It affirms that there are people out there reading what I'm writing, and as I'm sure any blogger will tell you, that means a lot.

This post.....has, as of today, had almost 40 THOUSAND pageviews. 
I kid you not.  Mind-boggling.

I do attribute a lot of those views to the power of Pinterest.
I "pinned" my post, which was inspired originally by a pin I saw, and from there it must have just had some sort of crazy pin-domino-effect. 

A few other very fun things have developed after posting about that project....

*The original inspiration photo had no link attached to it, so I couldn't give credit to the pinspiration.  Until Jillian found my post and I was able to give credit where credit was due!

*A few other blogging teachers commented on my post letting me know that they not only made their own versions of these frames, but blogged about it....and linked back to my little ol' blog.  So sweet!

*A TON of readers asked for copies of the documents I made on my computer for the frames.   After sending out about thirty different emails, and not being able to figure out a way to link a PDF document to a blog post, I caved and opened a Teachers Pay Teachers seller account. 
If you go to the link to my store, you'll see that I not only have the vertical and horizontal frames (with many additions as suggested/requested by other teachers) for free, but I now have TWO more inexpensive products that I added on today!
     

• My black circle labels (link to TpT) started out as just cubby numbers, but I added a few other things to make the product more versatile for teachers who may be interested in it.

 

• My blue chevron labels (link to TpT) started out as a way for me to revamp the things I labeled all around my classroom, organizing the items in cupboards, drawers, and shelves.  Again, I added a few other things to the set to make it work for other teachers.

• I also have another product that is so close to being ready....look for a post about it soon!

And now onto the update....

Over the summer, one of my beloved frames either fell or was knocked down during the cleaning process.  In hindsight, I probably should have taken them down for the summer. 
Oh well, lesson learned.
Actually.....I'm kind of glad that it happened.....because I got to update my frames to something I love even more!

 

Magnetic Frames!

(sorry for the glare....my overhead lights made it hard to take a good picture)

 

 

So, when I made a trip to Michaels to pick up a replacement frame, I was sad to find that they didn't carry that brand anymore.  However, I found this gem.

At about 3 dollars a piece, they are slightly more expensive but definitely for those commenters who were worried about having glass in the classroom, these are the perfect solution!

 

(close up in case you wanted to see the specifics)

 

 

 

Check out those magnets on the back-- these aren't going anywhere!

 

 

And since I already had made the papers, assembly was SUPER quick and easy.

Simply slip the pages in...

 

Take down the old Command Strips....you're no longer needed. 

Thanks for your hard work last year.

Reposition everything in place on the board.

 

 

And just because I can't leave well enough alone....I broke out my favorite black and white polka dot craft tape (like washi tape) and framed my frames!

 

I've never been so glad to see something of mine broken before!  :)

 

If you haven't read my first post on how to make the frames, here's where you can get the PDF documents for the labels inside the frames-- go here (for vertical frames) and here (for the horizontal frames).

 

Here's to hoping that this post gets over 100 views.....time for Pinterest to work its magic!  :)