Here goes...
My student supply shelf, with some of my classroom library bins and baskets. I decided to separate my fiction and (most of) my non-fiction books, simply because I didn't have room to put it all in one section of my weird shaped classroom. It actually helps when students are searching for books that they are not all on top of each other trying to look through the same few baskets or bins.
Paper banner: Target $ Spot
Chevron lamp: Wal-Mart
Curtains: made by me with fabric from Hobby Lobby
I took these pictures before school started, and I've already moved these task card baskets. I have two more book baskets there now.
I was inspired by Tim McGraw's song "Humble and Kind". It's our class theme song this year. I refer to it almost daily, as well as filling our buckets.
This is one of my favorite bulletin boards - simple yet pretty.
Fabric on bulletin board: Hobby Lobby
Circle felt string "banner": party section at Target
I hated the ugly brown desks, so I covered them with contact paper from Target $ Spot. Does anyone have any good tips on keeping desks covered with contact paper clean?
Small group table
Stools: IKEA
Contact paper covering table (thanks to my friend, Jessica!): Target $ Spot
Chair: IKEA
The covered door in my room is my favorite section. It's my personal posting door, even though I put pertinent information about school and students there. My friend Jessica covered it with the same black with white polka dot fabric as the bulletin board nearby and I put up the pencil banner and I felt like it really came together.
My room had some UGLY marks, spots, chips, holes, etc in the walls. (See before pictures at the bottom!) So I had to be creative with some of my posters and wall decorations. Almost everything on my walls is strategically placed to cover said marks!
These are our website login loops. I found this pegboard "L" at Hobby Lobby. It was in the super clearance section. My last name starts with L, but "Login Loops" also start with L's and it worked!
These bins are now labeled, but this is my nonfiction section, specifically math, science, and social studies.
Trying to organize and store stuff off the floor!
Shoe organizer: Target
I actually have CABINETS for the first time in a LONG time!!! When you have cabinets, you stuff them full...
The above pictured cabinet is now full with student tissues and paper towels!
I seriously have an addiction to folders, dividers, etc. This was after I cleaned out and donated a lot! Eek!
This is a student supply shelf. I have always used magazine holders for student supplies in math and literacy. I tape them on the bottoms and add tape around the edges. They always last all year!
We recently added student faces (pics) to their boxes!
This bulletin board is in use now, but it was nice to have these up when parents brought in their children's supplies. Thanks to Gladys at Teaching in High Heels for this cute freebie!
More important info added. Also, you probably notice mentor sentence posters on this bulletin board. (Thanks Jivey!) It's right behind my small group table. For the first few weeks, we are doing them together at the table, and it's working swimmingly!
Do you see that little green basket on top of my wide Sterilite drawers? The best thing I did all summer for organizational purposes. It's simply a TO DO basket. It's from the Dollar Tree, but it's great because it's large. It will hold papers as well as workbooks or even binders. I can simply stack the most important To Do list things in that basket. It keeps junk off my table (I got rid of the huge teacher desk in my room) and I know exactly where to look each day when school is over. I try to do as much as I can after school, but sometimes I have to take things home with me. In that case, I have a folder labeled "To Do". I try to keep it to a minimum.
As we read books, I displayed some of them on the weird triangle shelf in the corner!
Thanks to Amy Lemons for the Writing Boot Camp (Write On!) pack. My kids LOVED for me to treat them like I was a drill sergeant and they were soldiers!
We are lucky to have Chromebooks in our classroom. I had desktop computers until 3 days before school started. As soon as I got those out of there, it freed me to allow movement of desks for student needs.
Laura Candler's Power Reading Workshop - my kids LOVE it!!!
More Writing Boot Camp!
We read The Invisible Boy and did a craft from Amy Lemons' Rooted in Reading August bundle. My students loved the story and they LOVED making the craft!
Our first science unit (What is a Scientist?) and working with science tools - made fun thanks to More Than a Worksheet
We are REALLY working on bucket filling this year. My kids really struggle with this! The colored pages are a fun activity from New and Noteworthy by Nita. My kiddos enjoyed this sorting activity.
Here's another math activity from Amy Lemons - We are mathematicians! Let's Get Started-Beginning of the Year Math Activities
I know it's not the perfect classroom, but it's definitely brighter and cheerier than before!
Have a great night!
