My Classroom Reveal
Yay! I’m finally going
to share what I have put so much effort and love into, my classroom. I know there’s
mixed reviews about going ham on classroom decorating, but I love doing it! If
you’re following me on Instagram, you’ve been seeing sneak peeks of my room all
summer. I am so thrilled to share my hard work with you in the post below! Can
I get a drum roll please……
TA DA!!!
Welcome to my home base
this year, AKA my home away from home. Here’s where the planning, dancing, learning, grading, hard working, and caramel filled chocolate eating happens. I am back
in the fourth grade wing this year and chose farmhouse and lemons as my theme. I
wanted an older vibe since I was moving back up to an older grade level. Farmhouse seemed to fit the bill (this may or may not have been inspired by the
endless Fixer Upper marathons I watched this summer with my dogs… but I
digress). Follow the pictures below as I take you through a step by step, or pic by
pic tour of my new classroom!
My Library
“You can find magic wherever
you look, sit back and relax all you need is a book.” –Dr. Seuss. The library
is the focal point of my classroom design. Every summer, I sit down and try to envision
a space that students will want to come to, and get excited about reading. Then
I plan the rest of my room around that. This
year, I started with my big quote on the wall and went from there. Honestly,
reading was so hard for me as a kid, and thus I hated it. I think this is why I
spend so much time and energy into making my library and inviting place each
year.
Links:
Rug I got the 9x6
Pillows from Dollar Tree
The Front of Our Room
Check it out! This is
where our "house" shields, sign language signs, and flexible seating options are
all held. These are accompanied with some kick butt lessons and deep morning
meeting discussions as well. This is the gathering space in our room, the ever
so important watering hole.
Links:
Small Group Area
This is where the magic
happens. I LOVE small group instruction and do as much of it as I possibly can.
This is why you will see the shelf behind the kidney table stuffed fuller than
a turkey on Thanksgiving with all the things. I keep it all right at the tips
of my fingers so nothing will slow down my lessons when the kids come. (Secret,
I might love labeling things a bit too much. I may or may not have been singing
Queen's Don’t Stop Me Now while I
excitedly sliced and taped each label to those binders). Anyway, to the right
of the table you’ll notice my central hub cork board. This is the spot I "plan" to keep spelling words and I Can statements posted and up to date… gonna try anyway.
Links:
The Big Board
This is the long bulletin
board. Each room in our building has one of these boards. This year I decided to split
it between math and writing. Looking at the “even” split you can tell I’m
slightly biased towards the math side of things… hey we’re not supposed to pick
favorite kids, no one said I can’t have favorite subjects. This is where I have
my math word wall, math set up (you can read about that if you click HERE), parts of speech posters, and
more. Below you will see that I try to keep all my math manipulatives at easy
access points under the math board. Likewise, I have writing options (paper
styles, word books, etc..) under the writing board. I try and keep the flow and
organization simple for my kiddos this way.
Links:
Green Paper Containers from Dollar Tree
The Back Wall
This is where the book
bins are housed. I was going to spend time this summer painting all the student
book boxes black (I like things to match OK) but decided against it. Instead my
student’s book bin color aligns with their “house” shield. I also went with an
erasable calendar this year at the suggestion of my wise teammate, thanks Pam!
To the left of the book bin spot is the take a break area and my desk, sadly
both are still a work in progress, but usable… just not great… yet (growth
mindset in action here).
Links:
Metal Sign from Walmart (I added the words with my Cricut)
Pillows from Dollar Tree
Student Work Areas
Work it! I love
offering options and variety to my students. This idea especially holds true
when it comes to finding a best fit spot to do their learning. I tell my kiddos
that our room is like a Starbucks, not everyone who goes there sets up their
laptop at the long table. People will pick the place that works best for them. This
year I have my flexible seating options (read more about that HERE),
carpet area, library area, and high top area. All places are available for
student choice during independent work time.
Links:
Well that’s all folks!
I hope you enjoyed looking inside my room. I can’t wait to share all the
amazing things that will take place in there this year!
Want to explore my resources just for teachers? CLICK HERE NOW!
Want to explore my resources just for teachers? CLICK HERE NOW!
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