My Classroom

Yikes!  It's been almost 3 weeks since my last post!  Since I got my classroom keys, I have been so focused on getting the room ready and going to my district professional developments.  But now I've survived the first three days, so I can take a breath.  Right?  

I've been so excited to share pictures of my room.  It is so different - more organized, brighter, more welcoming - than last year. My BTSA mentor was amazed when she walked in for the first time!  I just wanted to wait until it was "all done" to post about it. Silly me, I forgot our rooms are never all done - just done for now.  So yesterday afternoon, I finally took pictures of my room in its "done for now" state. (To be completely honest, there are a few corners I skipped because they don't even qualify as done for now).

Ok, enough with the rambling, here are some pictures!

View from the door.  The board with the pink boarder will be my science board, the board with the blue writing you can't read is my writing board, the map is for our culture project (I mentioned it here and will post more about it once this group of kiddos does it).  My desk is in the back right corner.  I didn't have a desk last year, and I'm not so sure how I feel about it yet.

View from my desk.

Right next to the door.  Social Studies board and We're So Proud board.  For We're So Proud, students choose assignments they want to put up.  More about that later.

Cubbies and we're so proud.  I love how nice and neat the cubbies are at the beginning of the year!

Classroom Library
I am so excited about how it turned out.  Last year, I had two tall book cases.  I arranged the books by AR level, spines facing out.  This library is so much more welcoming and easy to find interesting books!  The AR levels are still on the spines, so they can check that, but they are organized by genre/series/author.  In the bottom right, you can see my make-shift chart paper easel.  It's a bookcase for front facing books.  The chart paper is in it and then I used pushpins to hold the top to the wall.  It's working, but not great!

Math board and mailboxes that my mom's boyfriend refurbished from his work for me.  Sorting student work to hand back is going to be a breeze now!  There are 36 cubbies for my 32 students, so I'm using four of the boxes for extra copies of worksheets, newsletters, etc.  That way the paper passers don't have to hand them to me and the students they skipped accidentally don't have to ask me!

Right side of my whiteboard.  I'm really excited about my When You Finish Early list.  I have a bunch more options laminated and cut that I will slowly introduce.

Close up of my desk and student supply table.  My new turn in boxes are working great!  The black magazine holders on my desk are for all my copies.

Science board, computer area, birthday board (not done yet, but the border is super cute cupcakes!), and the edge of where students' writing will hang.

 Now I'm off to spend my Saturday at a professional development.  And I still have to plan for next week.  Busy busy weekend!

I hope you enjoyed seeing my room!

Edit:  I was just reminded of classroom pictures linky parties and blog hops from Fearless in Fifth's post.  So I'm linking up!  Head on over to these blogs to see some fabulous classrooms!