Classroom Reveal 2013

Well, hello again! How are you?

We started last Monday and it has been a complete whirlwind since...well, pretty much since my last post.


Yup... school is definitely back in session.

I wanted to hop on today to AT LEAST show you my digs.  I took these pictures a few weeks ago, so the room already looks different, but this is how it all began...

You may recall from previous classroom reveals, that I do not have a door.  I am one of those "lucky" people that work in an open concept school, so two of my walls are wooden accordion walls.  Pretty awesome, right? (Please note the sarcasm.)

Regardless, I made my own welcome sign to staple gun to the wall. I choose a monster theme this year and I love how it turned out. :)

Here is the view straight from the door.  My front wall used to be blue, but it was painted white over the summer. I miss the blue, but the white wall definitely makes my room feel bigger. Love that!

 The whole classroom view from the door. 

This is my check-in board.  Kids simply move their magnet to their lunch choice each morning. I also have my quote of the day board here, but I need some new quotes.  Any inspiring favorites that you love?  Please comment below and share!!

 I modified this from a cute idea I saw on Teaching 4 Real. She used plates for boys and girls to write their names on when they left for the bathroom.  I just got a small whiteboard, busted out my monster Scotch tape, and we went to town.  The kids love this! They always remember to sign out for the bathroom.

 My mailboxes are from Really Good Stuff.  I bought scrapbooking stickers at Walmart to write the numbers on.  I think they were supposed to be frogs, but I thought they could double as monsters.  :)

 I never got around to posting for a Monday Made-It, but I DID make these this summer.

 Here is my teacher area.  Let's hope it stays this clean ALL year long.  I love, love, love my calendar. I started using the Really Good Stuff calendar last year.  It's perfect for me. I can write on it, put stickers on it, and  I don't have to worry about trying to keep up with any pieces.  The poster goes up and then comes down at the end of the month.  I usually let a kiddo whose birthday was in that month take it home.

 The good news?  We HAVE a smartboard.  The bad news?  It doesn't work. The plastic is staying on to remind everyone not to write on it.  I can't wait to start using it, but I have to admit losing that much board space at the beginning of the year has not been fun.  Keep your fingers crossed that it is up and running asap!

I changed my exit ticket strategy again this year.   I simplified.  I call my exit ticket parking lot - Monster Tweets.  Each square correlates with the students number and fits a regular post-it perfectly.  It used to say "Tracks of Learning." Click here to check out my old post about it.

 This is my 7 Habits tree.  The rest of this wall will become my data wall. Oh and those big beautiful boxes are the rest of the Smartboard...just in case you are wondering.  :)

 I streamlined my library this year.  I went through all my books and figured out what kids were reading and what they were not.  The truth is, your library can be huge, but if it doesn't have books that kids WANT to read, it is pointless.  I also added a few book display carousels that I am really excited about.  It just makes it more inviting and more like a bookstore. Who doesn't love to browse in a book store?

 Here is my "Look What We've Read" recommendation board.  It will look better when it has student pictures and reviews. This is new to me and I can't wait to implement it this year.  

 I mean...you gotta find something to cover the brown accordion wall. Yuck! This is our best work wall.  I bought calendar numbers and glued them to clothespins, which I then glued to the wall.  I actually love how it turned out. It really brightens up the room.

 This is my counter space. That's it! Crazy, right? I use the shelves for text books and supplies.  The black binders are destined to be Leadership Notebooks and the awesome green paper organizer is going to be used for different publishing paper and writing organizers.

 This beautiful cabinet holds student backpacks and teacher supplies.  I'm sure you recognize the clip chart from Teach-A-Roo and the inspirational signs from Technology Rocks. Seriously! My book boxes are from IKEA beacuse you simply can NOT beat 5 book boxes for $2.99. I have my monster tape ready if any of them take a beating.  :)

Lastly, here is my redo work station. Students each have a pocket to hold any and all work that needs to be completed or redone. The little bath rugs nestled in the basket are from IKEA.  Kids get to use those when they read around the room.  Love these! I had 5 last year and used them ALL the time, so on my annual summer excursion to IKEA this summer, I grabbed a few more.  You can't beat the price and if they get icky, just throw them in the wash.  Definitely kid approved.

Whew! And...that's it! That's all the pictures I have for now.  Overall, I'm really pleased with how my room turned out. I wanted to have a lot of space for groups to work and not overcrowd things. I really tried to streamline. So far...so good.

I hope everyone is having a great first few weeks back to school. I have a really good class and I'm looking forward to a great year!!

Please leave quotes below for my Quote of the Day board. Thanks!!