Welcome to Our Classroom!
I try to make our classroom an inviting learning space filled with opportunities for the kiddos to problem solve and become responsible little people!
I have a meeting area in the front of the classroom with SitSpots (so excited to be using these this year!!) for each kiddo to have his or her own space. They should have enough room to sit how they want...criss-cross, mermaid, or knee-hugging, and not bother one another. The cool thing about SitSpots is that they are moveable, and I can move them if I need to!
I also have my super cool easel that I got through DonorsChoose with a dry erase on one side and a pocket chart on the other. I love all the storage that it provides! :)
The kiddo's desks are arranged in five table groups. Each group has a crate with a bucket for Binder and supply storage. This way, binders will not get smashed inside desks or take up space on bookshelves!
I do not, I repeat, DO NOT like teacher desks so I am using my kidney table as my "desk" and shelves behind it for my small group storage. (My real teacher desk is going to be used as my standing computer station. I haven't arranged the computers how I like them just yet.) I also have my CAFE board up behind there to easily reference during Guided Reading. I'm really excited to start up CAFE this year! I think it's going to be really helpful in getting those kiddos to use various strategies!
Here's our class Work Wall. I plan on displaying each kiddos' hard work on this wall! Can't wait!
Classroom management is going to be a breeze this year! (fingers crossed!)
I've got Role Model Reggie to help me out! If you didn't already know, my FAVORITE animal is a gorilla. (Yay for the new gorilla exhibit at the zoo!!) Anywho, I had to incorporate my awesome gorilla stuffed animal into my room. Naturally, I wrote a book about him. His name is Reggie and he is nervous about school because he doesn't think he will be able to remember all of the class rules. His teacher (the fabulous Ms. Schulze) helps him by going over the rules and even including hand motions. After a bunch of practice, he realizes it wasn't that hard after all and even helps his friends. His teacher is so proud that she tells him he is a role model to his classmates and even gives him a Role Model necklace to wear. Guess what?! I have my very own Role Model Reggie necklace, just like in the book, that I will be giving to students who are role models in my classroom! What a coincidence!!
These rules are similar to the Whole Brain Teaching rules with one added in...I used this awesome file from TPT from Michelle Rist of InspiredByKindergarten. I'm actually going to be using a lot of Whole Brain Teaching practices this year.(Shout Out: Katie Kekich!) I'm really excited to try it out!
The pocket chart on the file cabinet is conveniently placed where it's not a focal point in the room. I really tried hard not to have a behavior chart on the wall because I don't like the shame aspect and I think it causes more harm than good. With that being said, I still couldn't figure out how to organize my behavior system so that I could stay accountable to who was having trouble...hence this small, out of sight chart. Here each kiddo will have a pocket. If he/she is having a hard time with a rule, he/she will get a rule card. These cards are to help remember the rules. They are pretty much mini posters from the rule poster in the room. That card goes into the chart and he/she has to conference with me to be able to go out to play at recess or do other fun activities in the class. When we conference, we will fill out a conference form that goes home to get signed by mom or dad. To also keep a record of these forms (let's face it, papers don't always come back signed), my kiddos have a calendar in their take home folder with a record of how many rule cards they received daily. This system isn't about shaming or punishing, but to track their growth and document any issues. Hopefully, we will have all kinds of Reggies in my class and we won't have to worry about these forms! (wink! wink!)
I have my Sweet Behavior Board above Reggie. The kids earn cupcakes on the cookie sheet when they receive compliments from other teachers and faculty or do something amazing as a class. When the pan is full (9 cupcakes), we have a cupcake party where I bring cupcakes and the kids get to ice them, themselves! Oh, what a treat!
I've also got my fuzzies (aka pom-poms) for great behavior. On Fridays, students will get to trade 5 fuzzies for a treasure chest treat. My treats include the usual trinkets, but also some fun "coupons" for in class privileges.
I want my kiddos to take ownership in their classroom, so I let them run it through class jobs. I have this awesome job chart from Mel D at Suesstastic, and it comes with a lot of ideas for different jobs. Each kiddo has a job...mostly because Mel gave so many options. I'll rotate them weekly, so each kiddo gets a chance to do all the jobs.
Here is the check-in station in the classroom. You can see the cubbies under the counter. I do not have them labeled with my kiddos' names because I don't have the list yet, but they will have cute name plates soon! They also will put their Take-Home folder in the yellow bucket, and any notes in the clear divider thing. It will be more systematic soon! I'm waiting on a few more details. You can also my ABC (Phonics) station off to the side. It has a few different boxes with different activities for the week. I will do another post later on explaining my centers.
Gotta love organization, right?? I have all my math manipulatives labeled in boxes on a shelf. I wish that the shelf was lower so the kiddos would have access, but we can't live in a perfect world! I'm still pretty impressed with how they look...all neat and in rows.
Here's my Peanut Butter and Jelly board. Each kiddo gets a card (double-sided). Peanut Butters are my highs, Jellies are my lows. This way I can pair up students by ability. It's double sided because a kiddo may be a jelly in one subject but a peanut butter in another. I can easily shift cards so that kids get a chance to work with different partners.
My lovely word wall on some big cabinets. Gotta get creative when figuring out space in the classroom!
And for one of my favorite areas of my room!
My Classroom Library:
Our library is actually two separate libraries. The green buckets hold my thematic books. This is more for kiddos to choose books based on interest. I plan on changing out themes throughout the year to keep the interest flowing!
The blue buckets hold my leveled library. These buckets house books according to the book's reading level. Kiddos will know what level they are on and will be able to choose books that are a good fit for each child.
I have a rug on the floor and a bucket with chair cushions (gotta get creative sometimes) for kiddos to sit comfortably and read a good book. Who wants to read when they are uncomfortable? Right?!
Last, but not least, I have my kiddo's individual book box. This will hold self-selected books, books on his/her independent reading level, sight word ring, Read and Respond journal, ELA Center Log, and Writer's folder. Whew! That's a lot! I may change this later. Most importantly, it houses their ELA center materials. These book boxes will travel through the room as the kiddos work on centers. To return them back (in number order, of course) I have put down tape with numbers so they can easily find it's proper home.
Well that's it for now! Sorry this post was so long, but I wanted to explain a bunch! If you have any questions or comments, please share below!
Have a great night!
