A Peak Into My Classroom

I have decided to show you a little bit of my classroom.  You will notice that I have a few lamps.  I actually have a total of eight.  Research shows that this type of lighting is better for learning.  I have used lamps in my classroom for about six years, and I don't think that I will ever go without them.  The lighting is soft, the kids love it, and on top of all that it feels like home!

 1.  My handy-dandy easel on wheels!  I had to share this one, because my husband made this for me.  I have to applaud him, because he is always willing to contribute to my quirky ideas. 

2.  I added this shelf to the front of my room this year to keep things accessible.  My students and I spend a lot of time on the carpet.  On this shelf, you will find sharpened pencils ready for those who forgot one, a stapler and tape for attaching items in our notebooks, chart markers, a drawer for sticky notes and clothes pins, and about anything else you can imagine.  I'm loving it!

I just got brand new tables for my classroom.  I am so excited about this!  I decided to go with square to accomodate the size of my room.

3.  In the middle of each table I have a caddy that contains easy to access supplies.  Each caddy has a box of crayons, markers, and colored pencils.  They also have scissors, tape, glue, and post-its.  Under the caddy, students stack their marker boards.  I am pretty impressed with how my class is keeping everything all nice and neat.  These pictures were taken after they left for the day!

4.  I spent quite some time making these chair pockets over the summer.  They are very handy, but I suggest using fabric that is highly durable.  I simply used sheets, but I have spent a lot of time lately taking them home and fixing them. Next time I will know better!

 4.  Here is my ugly file cabinet with a twist.  I use this for Writing Workshop.  I have each student's name laminated with a magnet attached.  Students can easily move their name to where they are in the writing process.

 5.  This year I am implementing select parts of Whole Brain Teaching.  There are five classroom rules that are a part of their classroom management, but I have chosen to implement only three.  The rules that I have for my classroom are:  follow directions quickly, make smart choices, and keep your dear teacher happy :)!

6.  Our school uses Four Blocks.  Below my SmartBoard you will find my Nifty Thrify Fifty in the making.  We will add words to it weekly where we will study prefixes, suffixes, and roots.

 7.  This is our Math Wall where vocabulary and helpful hints are available for students to access.  We add to it as new concepts are introduced.

8.  When students are finished with work, they refer to the Choice Board.  It is simply a large version of a tic tac toe choice grid. 

9.  We have started adding locations to our "Reading Take Us Places" board.  I got this idea from Beth Newingham's third grade site.  I have changed it a little and am only adding places that we come across as we read together.  My goal is to expand it to students' individual reading like the original idea.

Another exciting thing for my classroom this year!  I spent some time sorting my books by genre.  I got these great baskets at the Dollar Tree.  They are perfect for my reading center.  You will see all my textbooks on the bottom shelf.  That is where they stay 99% of the year!