Classroom Pics Take 2!

Well, I can't believe it but I pretty much have my room done!  All I need now is a final class list so I can start putting names on stuff.  We don't go back until after Labor Day, but I'll be teaching summer school in two weeks, so wanted to be sure my room was ready for that!

I shared my first set of room pics earlier in the week.  I'm actually going to copy and paste that post at the bottom of this one so everything is in one place.

But, here are my new pics...

I love these brag tags!  I started using them last year and had a huge BB in my class for them.  But the BB was kind of hard to get to and my kiddos wanted to wear their tags all the time, which led to climbing on a counter on a daily basis!  These are much easier to get to and it's a different BB so now my other one is freed up for something totally different!  Once I had my class list, each star will get a name on it and everyone starts out with a "3rd Grade Rocks!" tag.  They earn others (and pony beads too!) throughout the year.

This is my CAFE, spelling. and vocab area.  I just re-made all of those signs this year and love how they turned out!

Here's my area for "I can..." statements.  I have some cards, but it's too cumbersome to keep track and organize them so last year I started just writing objectives on the board and I like that MUCH better.  I got this small magnetic border and this area is perfect!

Here's my Daily Five choices chart area.  You can see it's not totally finished and, since the charts only had 8 slots, I had to rig them up to have 10 so you can see the tape which is a little unattractive, but I think when I get it totally done and we're using it everyday, that it won't be so bad.

This is my class library check-out chart.  Again, once I have a class list, there will be name labels on this chart and the green basket next to it will hold my check-out slips.  How it works is a kid just fills out a slip, puts it behind their name, and then must return the book to a class librarian who are the only students authorized to remove a check-out slip from the chart.  I started this last year and it worked out great!

This is the area behind my table.  I went deskless last year and I love it!

I'm sure there will be a few more pics to share before it's all said and done, but that's it for now!

Here is my earlier post if you want to take in all the sights in room 108!

*****Originally posted on 7/24/13*****

How can I not have blogged since Sunday?  How does this happen?  My blog stalker hasn't noticed to remind me... maybe she hasn't stalked me since Sunday either...!

If you're a blog fan on FB, I promised classroom pictures yesterday but by the time I got home and made dinner, it was time for a girls' night with my friends and when they left I had to spend some quality time with the hubby watching TV (that counts, right?!) and then it was past my bedtime!

So, to make a long story short... I'm sharing classroom pics today!!!

Now, my room isn't done so I'll be sharing more pics soon, but I wanted to show you what I have done so far.  It's similar to last year, so if you've been a follower for a while, it might look familiar...

 

My calendar- check out that amazing ABC set from Ladybugs Teacher Files!

My things for my small groups- you can get those labels for FREE at this old post!

These are my "morning meeting" and mini-lesson essentials... LOVE all this stuff!!!!  You can find the 100 Days to CCSS success at TpT and the Vocabulary Power (which is awesome and they look pretty cheap now!) on Amazon.

My little mini-lesson area- see those hula hoops in the background?  My kiddos use them when they need personal space!  They just take one down, sit inside, and others know not to bug them.

This is our meeting area.  20 bodies on the rug, three on the pink crates, and 2 in chairs or on the floor.  By the end of the year, they were almost too big to sit comfortably in one carpet spot!  Yikes!

My pride and joy... my classroom library!  If each basket has only 30 books (most have between 50-60), I still have over 1,000 in my classroom!  I'm so proud of my library!

Spot to keep track of AR point makers and 100 Club kiddos... you can find the 100 Club on TpT

This is brand new this year... last year this BB because a "catch-all" for papers, pictures from students, notes, reminders, etc... but this year it's a cute little spot for me.  Hopefully I can keep all my stuff more organized!

My shelf of stuff and my carts of community supplies... you can snag those cute labels for FREE if you're a fan of my blog on Facebook!  The basket of cleaning supplies is for one of my new class jobs this year... I don't have a name for the job yet, but the kid will need to dust... which I think they'll love!  Any suggestions for a name for the job?

Just click the pic below to head to FB, "LIKE" my page, and download them from the Fan Freebies tab!

Homework Club display!  I'm hoping for 25 or 26 kids, but have to be prepared... if an assignment is not turned in, students will flip their number around and then, at the end of the month, those still facing forward are in the Homework Club!  This pack with this display, awards, and tons of stuff to start a Homework Club is available on TpT!

My new writing center!!!!!  I'm so excited about this!  On the table are... a big calendar, tape, staples, story starter cubes and other ideas, a plastic frame with words about September (find that on TpT), and that super cute chevron lamp from Meijer!

This is right next to my writing table and has drawers with writing paper, spelling helpers, and other things.  In between the two containers on the top shelf is a collection of cookbooks.  My students LOVE LOVE LOVE re-copying recipes during work on writing.  I realize this is not practice that is helping them generate ideas or develop their craft of writing, but they are practicing handwriting (and when do we have time for that?!), exposing themselves to a variety of words and spellings, and doing some real-world writing that they can use then they get home.  I would highly recommend adding some recipe books to your writing center... they love it!

Also on that shelf are... Lakeshore Writing Activity Pockets (here's the Amazon link to the K-1 version and the 2-3 at Lakeshore), Lakeshore Writing Center (which I can't find on their site right now...), writing flip chart/story starters, and a basket full of photo cards including these awesome ones from Learning Resources! 

So, that's my room!  I have a few more things to do... today is a stay-at-home-and-work-on-the-computer day for me, so hopefully I'll get everything I need made and done so I can finish up my room and show off the rest soon!

**More pics from a post originally dated August 7, 2013**

First up today... more classroom pictures!!!

First... here's my finished writing center.  I really love it!  I have two crate seats for the kids to sit on at the little desk and the shelf next to it is full of resources for writing.  Our first writing unit is on opinion writing, so I have the posters from my Opinions: Order Up! unit displayed on the board at the center.  You can find my Narrative pack on TpT or as part of the amazing deal currently going on at Educents!

Here's the view from behind my table.  I went desk free last year and LOVE it!  My "desk" is the table where I meet with small groups.

And speaking of the table where I meet with small groups the picture above is a week old so... check out what I put on that table on Monday... I LOVE it!!!

See the blue and green circles?  They are actually wall stickers that I put on my table and they are dry erase!!!

I got them on Amazon... click HERE to check them out!!!  I know my kiddos will love participating during small group instruction by writing responses on the circles!  Another teacher in my building has something similar on her closet doors in all sizes and she (and I think the kids too) writes positive notes on them.

Here's another pocket chart with student spots stuck on with Mod Podge.  I am so excited about the whole Mod Podging thing!

Do you have any of these carts?  I got mine at Michael's but you can also see them HERE on Amazon.  Mine are now all organized and ready to go.  I have all of my independent activities for each topic listed in the drawers.  The top drawer is for any "Must Do" students have during the week, then the drawer with games for the topic we are covering... then everything else!

Here's the view from the door.  Don't mind my stuff on that table!

I also gave my teaching and learning beliefs an updated look.  You can read about them HERE.  If you don't have yours displayed, I'd encourage you to do it.  I jut think it helps me stay true to what I do in my classroom and can answer questions anyone might have about why I do what I do!

And last... I hung this "Welcome Back" banner across the front lobby!  You can find it on TpT for just $2!

Now, if you made it though all of that, you deserve a freebie!  Just read a little more...

Today I'm sharing my new CAFE board.  Usually I always always always write out my CAFE strategy cards, but I decided to type them this year and like how they turned out!  Here's a pic of my board with all of the strategies up.  I put magnets on the back of each one and will add them to the board as we learn them throughout the year.

You can access them on TpT by clicking the picture below.  I would appreciate it if you left feedback too!  Thank  you!!!!