{Peek in My Classroom}

Welcome to my classroom, let's take a look around the space my new firsties will be learning in this year! Heads up: This is a LONG post with a ton of PHOTOS! Get your popcorn ready! :) 

_____________________________2015-2016_______________________________

Side note: You will notice two teacher's names on things and no math or science materials, this is because we team teach & I only teach ELAR & SS! 


Once the students enter the classroom they have a little info center. It has our calendar, I put up birthdays & special days once the year begins! They can also quickly check the which activity we will be going to, put away their daily folder, & grab their name tag from the boys or girls hook. 


We wear name tags for the first three weeks so all school staff can quickly see students names. After that, I keep them around for field trips, subs (if they want), and special events where we may be splitting up. The empty white box is my "drop box" notes from home, forms for the office, and any sweet little colorings go in this box which I check during my conference period each day (in reality, while we line up for specials, so I only have to make one trip out of my classroom during planning!). It works wonders, no piles of things on my desk, no losing important papers, & it even trains sweet people like PTA to check here for box tops, donations,  & forms instead of interrupting my lesson. Its easier for everyone!  {The backpack on the door is for fire drills with 911 supplies, the rolled up weird thing in the corner is a huge map that only comes out for special lessons.}


Continuing down this wall, this is my student supply area. Everything they need is located in this area and I have & explicitly teach procedures for getting supplies when needed. 


Sharp & broken pencil cups..you already know how this works! The crayon container is a freebie in my TPT shop, its super simple, I didn't want 12 different drawers taking up space, so I combined into one, its perfect for me! Click the picture to download the labels. 


The way the lost/extra crayon organizer works is brilliant & has nothing to do with me (perf). Each of my tables has 5 desks so 5 plastic sliding pencil cases (staples, $1 or sale for $0.25), each case gets a full box of crayons in the beginning of the year. If a student finds a crayon on the floor, into the organizer it goes, cue student who lost that crayon realizing they have no red and gets one from the organizer. You can read more about how this work here.  


The caddy sits on top of a 3 drawer organizer at each table. The top drawer contains picture dictionaries, portable word walls, & a school box with scissors and glue, taken out only when needed. 


If at anytime students need extra baggies, cards, glue, scissors, pencils, they simply get what they need from these containers. Every once in a while, I get a glue or eraser hoarder, but every system has its flaws. I'd rather fish out extra supplies once every few months than be interrupted during group time because Suzy needs another glue stick for her table. I try very hard to teach proper supply management throughout the year and it usually pays off in the form of respect & independent workers. 


I used to have huge bins for students to turn in papers & I kept them in a corner...this led to huge stacks of papers being left alone forever & forgotten. Now I use these small bins & transfer papers to be graded, filed, and sent home very soon after they are turned in. My teaching style has changed a lot in five years & I do significantly less independent turn in style paperwork now, so this works great for me! 


Nothing too fancy here, I keep my garbage can, recycle bin, & cleaning essentials in this area, our class restroom is directly to the left of the sink. {I need a cute mirror}


Past the restroom is the classroom library, MY FAVORITE PLACE in my classroom! I just love looking at this area! My awesome MIL helped me paper this whole wall over the summer to make it look more cohesive. Under all that paper, is a small awkward white board & an equally awkwardly placed bulletin board. To read more about how I organize my library, click here, it looks different now, but the management is the same system!


I put theme or author study books here. I love themes but I also love doing author studies, I try to bring a balance of both! Either way, this is where they are displayed! The back side of the shelf contains past read alouds that students can reread or retell during morning arrival. 


Book buddies go in this large basket, we use these during read to someone and sometimes read to self! 


This tub is a total fun point in my classroom. The kids love to sit in it & read. I've used it as a behavior reward, just a reading station, but lately I have moved to letting kids work where they want. Not surpassingly at first, EVERYONE wants to be in the tub, but then some find they prefer to stand, sit at a desk, or lay on the floor. The tub becomes just another work place choice. To read more about how this tub came about, click here. 


Going past the library area, we have the back cabinets, which is one the places I display student work in the classroom, #amazingauthors anyone!? I love this. 


Here is the display with student work on it, currently it has letters from last years students to my new firsties! Something to keep parents busy looking/reading during meet the teacher and a great way for my new students to learn a little bit about me too! 


Here is the display from across the room! I love it! I laminated 12x12 cardstock and used sticky tak to attached the papers to the cabinets. I used pre glittered/painted black clothes pins to hold up art work, also attached with sticky tak! It held all year for me last year.


Passing the cabinets brings us to my teacher area! I always struggle to make this area look cohesive & simple because of the amount of things that are kept here and lack or matching furniture. Its one of the reasons I moved this area out from the doors "first look"! I use this cart to store extra copies, M-F work copies, things for filing & planning.


Here is a more expanded look of the area. I like to keep my guided reading table & my teacher desk together, it helps me to work more efficiently. I only have one computer for me & my students to share, so I bring my laptop and keep in on my desk in front of the window during the day. This allows me to easily check emails & take attendance in between working with students at my table. 


On my desk, I keep the essentials! 


Tape, stapler, post its, nurse passes, & of course my recess sunglasses! Ha!


For the supply addicts! I snagged this silverware holder (I think??) at hobby lobby on sale this summer! 


All of my extra supplies that I keep on hand go on this shelf. Birthday pencils & my prize box on top. Markers, sharpies, anchor chart supplies, stamps, and office supplies on first shelf. Guided reading group boxes, assessment & data binders here too. The bottom row in my new student box, and file boxes for planning, sub tub, & random stuff that needs a temporary home! 


This is my guided reading table, compete with Ikea stools & animal word helpers! I will put up different focus tools under the word helpers throughout the year. 


I took this close up before I put down my dry erase stickers. I usually keep my data binder here along with a few pens & things for easy access for note taking. 


Here is a close up on what one student has to work with at the table. its a small magnet board, magnetic letter tiles, a dry erase marker & an eraser. If I know we will be highlighting, I will add in a highlighter. Sometimes I place seasonally themed mini-pointers here too! It just depends what I have planned for groups. 


Passing the teacher area into whole group. 


Passing the group table you will see my listening center, I still need to grab some new 3M hooks for my headphones! To read more about the listening center, click here. 


Above the listening center, is my ESL/ELL help posters, but really they are great for all students. I explicitly teach these one at a time in the beginning of the year, I keep them here, but I will take them down until I teach each one! To check these out on TPT, click here.


Our anchor charts we make each day/week will go in this space while we are working on them & then be transferred to a more permeant location for reference throughout the year (shown later in tour).


This little area is for a weekly display that lines up with our objectives & I can statements. It is more of a visual display of skills & concepts for my firsties. To see the full set, click here. 


This is our mini-lesson/read aloud area. It is right in front of the focus board & white board area. See additional views below.



The white paper you see below the board is an area where we record books we read as a group & love! 


The boxes with teal washi are for I can statements & objectives. Sentence stems for student response go under the skills & concepts posters. {Haven't does those yet} 


Phonics & HFW displays & games will go into the black pocket chart. The 3 ways to read a book, is one of my first lessons, so its ready to go! This space will change & grow throughout the year to accommodate different lessons. 


The schedule cards are magnetic, my school changes things up A LOT, and with events, PLC days, its great to be able to manipulate them around when needed. I also jot notes to myself and students in the blank area. The date goes up top! The 1,2,3 denotes our Daily 5 {in reality 3} rotations. I put the students names on small cards on either side (two classes, remember!) and move the D5 cards, not the  names! 


A more expanded view of the whole group area from across the room, you'll notice this was before I arranged my focus boards (sorry!) 


I keep pointers for me & the students to use while doing lessons in the pink jar, popsicle sticks for random selection in the purple tub. The blue table is a goodwill find $7, its a telephone table, so it has a great space to store this weeks read alouds below! Flash cards, remotes, & timers on top! 


Next to my chair is our easel, weekly poem on front, and our phonics name chart on back. I flip them around as needed. The books below are also for morning arrival time, students can read these and sit on the floor once they have unpacked. I have two locations for these to avoid pile ups, my students trickle in from 7:45-8:30, so this isn't a huge issue for me. 


Another expanded view, before I finished the focus boards. 


Behind my read aloud chair & easel is the writing center (remember the name chart faces this way most of the time ;) ) Students can grab clipboards, sit at the collaborative table, and get writer's workshop paper from this area. 


I use Latoya Reed's "Let's Write About..." centers religiously. They are my favorite TPT find ever! The cup has sentence starters & vocabulary cards that can go to students' desks and back. The stand up display has the same words but stays at the collaborative center. Each time I switch out a writing unit, I put the vocabulary display sheet in a binder so the students can go back to the previous theme's words. 


Behind my writing center are the computers. My students LOVE to take AR quizzes, my school has this amazing hallway long island display that they work toward moving their boats on to. I am hoping to get another computer & I think it may actually happen {fingers crossed}.  My Elmo & teacher computer, and phone stay here. It doesn't bother me at all.  


The polka dot poster & ribbon is for students to sign up to take a quiz. The two baskets in the green basket will have mini clothes pins with each students name. They simply pick up their clothes pin & put it on the ribbon in order. This worked like a charm last year, I establish when we can and cannot take quizzes throughout the day and they work down the list. The blue & pink large bins contain their AR/Library folders. We go to library as a 'special' to they take the folder to make sure they are selecting books on their level & not choosing a book a second time. It also has their computer passwords if they choose to go to the computer lab before the bell rings to quiz. Yellow posters are for 100's on quizzes. The black chart is a hall of fame type thing! 


My school uses CHAMPS throughout the building I use this display to teach & remind students of appropriate behaviors in different settings. I will also be adding our class compliment jar to this board  {when I get a chance}. 


I have my phone, contact binder, a file to drop notes in, and a few pens in this area. I just jot down anything I need to in this area. I actually like having my contact log across from my desk, it keeps it NOT LOST. haha 


This sad little area is student cubbies, directly to the left of the computer area. Its also where my anchor charts will find a more permanent home for reference, since it is only reading and social studies, I find that keeping them on clips to flip works well for me! 


I keep student selected work for portfolios, I work on them though the year and display them for open house. We continue to add to them after open house (marchish) until the last week of school. 


This is where I keep writing & art that students select as their best work, until I find time to fill them up (about once every two months). 


On the end of the cubbies, are mail slots. My students each have a number but I cover the edges in washi tape so I can also sharpie on their names next to their numbers! Above the mail slots, I keep absent work to hand out the next day, things that come back from my teacher mail box at lunch or whatever other busy time that need to be filed, papers to grade, and a data file where I temp. toss things from or for meetings. 


On the side of the cubbies hangs my hodge podge of hall passes! And that brings us full circle around my classroom!

Here are a few wide look views of my classroom: 






I hope you enjoyed your peek into my classroom! 

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_____________________________2014-2015_______________________________



Welcome to my first grade classroom! 


Our school theme this year is, "Teach like a pirate" so even though I do not have a pirate themed classroom I set up board up to be pirate themed all year long :) I can't wait to put christmas lights on my ship! HA.

We each have to choose a college to decorate and support on our classroom doors,  I choose UH. You can also see you "Where are we sign?" If you would like to purchase it click here.



My filing cabinet is right by the door, its not the cutest thing ever, but it is magnetic & holds my hall passes like a champ! I also put the transportation magnets on here later :) Up on top are the buckets I draw a secret walker from, our name tag bucket, and my birthday bouquet just for a little bit of cute when you walk in!


I use the pink basket as my drop box for student notes, parent notes, things I need to turn into the office. I use the black trays to sort things to "file, absent work, team teacher papers, things for tuesday folders, and data" This is right next to my door. 

These are my homeroom students' mailboxes, the binder clips have their numbers on them, the yellow tape says their name next to their slot. The kids take everything we put in here home on Tuesdays in their Tuesday folder. 


The two crates hold their items that need to filed into their first grade portfolio binders. Two crates, one for each class I teach. The anchor chart is a an afternoon routine reminder, I saw it on IG & can't remember who made it! The green roll you see is a pocket chart that comes down for word work or other classroom activities. 


Right past my mailboxes are the student's backpack cubbies, you can see the numbering system I use. Two kiddos share a top cubbie & we use the bottom row to store our portfolios and extra items! 

Here is what you see when you stand at the door in my classroom. 

Here is the opposite view from the back corner. You can see my guided reading/teacher desk area. 

I teach two groups of kiddos for reading. I use the supply caddies for community supplies both classes can use at their need. My homeroom class keeps their school boxes with any special pencils, erasers and their own crayons in the top drawer of the 3 tier cart. The second drawer houses Writer's Workshop folders & Poetry notebooks for my homeroom class. The third drawer houses the same items but for the second class. Inside the kiddos desks they have two paper sized baskets. One for each student who uses that desk (one HR and one second class). They use this basket for their book box & it also holds their reader's notebook that we use during guided reading and for interactive activities. 

I have five groups of five desks. I use colors and numbers for them. The lanterns & supply caddies coordinate to show which table is which.  
Here is a close up of my classroom rules. These are a freebie in my TPT. Click here to check them out.  

The black pocket chart on the white board is for our phonics word work. The Bulletin board next to the white board is where I display our current writing.

Here are few more large views, you can see my alphabet, color words, guided reading area, and few more of the kids desks. 

My teacher area, I use clipboards for lesson plans & my contact form, all the usual teacher stuff and guided reading items are housed on the shelf next to my desk & behind my GR table. 


I teach all my mini lessons & writer's workshop lesson here in this area. We also cover the daily schedule & objectives here in the mornings. You can also see my focus wall here, if you are interested in seeing more of that click here.



Behind my focus wall area is this area, the blue/pink/green baskets are for turning in work and folders. The black organizer is for working on writing, the writing table/station is on the other side of this shelf. The white tubs are still to be determined. ;) 


You can see my classroom library in the background of the previous picture, here is a close up of my shabby ribbon curtains and library organization. You can read more about my library here & more about my curtains here. 



Students use these clips to mark their places while book shopping. Back to the opposite view. 



Up above my focus wall you can see a spaced out alphabet from Ladybug's Teacher Files, that I use a really large word wall! Works great. At the edge of this bulletin board is the door to my bathroom & the the sink & cabinets move further along this wall. 


I use the large drawers to store anchor charts & poems. The pink & black tubs hold extra student supplies, glue, pencils, ect. The black baskets withe the cups are tidy bins. The cups hold scissors. 


Lost crayon sorting drawers and broken/sharp pencil baskets. No more digging in the cups! YAY!

Well, that about sums it up! Here is the sign I used to take first day pictures of my firsties! Of course, I had to have one too! Hope everyone has a fabulous school year!
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3 comments:

  1. I enjoyed looking at your classroom. It's very inviting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Where did you get your mail slots?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Where did you get that champs set up? I'd love to purchase it.

    ReplyDelete

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