Classroom Reveal!

Hello Friends!


The past month has just flown by!  After getting back from my cruise (feeling very relaxed and sun-kissed/burned) my wonderful Aunt came down from Austin to help me set up my classroom, then I celebrated my birthday, and then turned around and started going to more training for teachers!  I'm so so so happy to say that the room is all done!

It took me almost two weeks to completely finish, just because the second week of working on the room I started attending training.  I am super excited to share how it all turned out with you!

This is the view from my small group table.  I got the place value worm from HeadOverHeelsForTeaching on TpT and I can’t wait to use it soon since our first unit is place value! 

This is the view from the opposite corner. You can see all the colorful crates behind my kidney table.  When I moved into my room there were TONS of manipulatives left in the room, which is a good problem to have. Yet, they were spread across 30 different plastic containers, hidden in cabinets, unorganized, and generally neglected.  I spent 3 days sorting through all of them and categorizing by unit according to the scope and sequence.  Crates were the only storage containers I could find that would fit everything and I was worried all the wonderful stuff I just discovered would be forgotten at the bottom of these crates, so I created safari themed labels with the name of each unit on them.  You can find them here.  All my manipulatives are in one place (yes, they are all in that one panel of shelving!), easily accessible, and very organized.  Super happy with it!

The yellow wall is my Math Word Wall that we'll add on to through out the y  If you haven’t noticed,  my family is seriously amazing.I got the stools at my kideny table from Wal-Mart for $15 each and my dad cut the legs so they’d fit under the table and added some cushioning to the seat.

This is the view from the door.   I plan on using that huge back wall for all my anchor charts.  My amazing mom made the curtain to go around the counter and it really added to the room.  (Seriously, I can’t emphasize enough what a blessing my family is and how grateful I am to them.)

The last thing I did was decorate the door.  It was low priority, but I eventually got around to it.

Here are the before and after pictures of the whole room.

 

It's amazing what a little TLC with do. 

I hope to post again soon after Meet the Teacher Night, which is next Monday, and show case how I’m going to utilize some of the spaces in my room.  First teacher workday is Friday!  I’m getting excited, are you ready for the year?

I’d love to hear your feedback and know if there’s anything in my room you’d like to know more about!  Just leave me a comment below.

Classroom Update & New Projects!

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

We're already half way through July, can you believe it??  Summer is just flying by!  I wanted to give y'all an update on what I've been working on the past few weeks before I leave for vacation this weekend! 
I met with my principal today and got the key to my classroom!  Unfortunately they are still waxing the floors, but they'll be done a couple days after I get back from my cruise, which is perfect.  I've spent the last couple of weeks working on some classroom projects and products for my TPT store that I wanted to share with you! 

Lunch Count Board

Each morning we have to get a lunch count and submit it to the cafeteria.  The kids will write their name on a Popsicle stick. Each morning they will move their Popsicle stick to the appropriate lunch selection: “brought lunch”, “plate lunch”, or the alternative lunch.  The alternative lunch changes depending on the day, so I laminated the label and put a magnet on there.  There is a student who will be in charge of lunch count.  It is their responsibility to check that everyone selected their lunch and they will write the number of each lunch above the pail in dry erase marker. 
I made the board using an old cork board, some acrylic paint, and adhesive dry erase paper. I just used duct tape for the border.  My dad had a wonderful idea to attach a chip clip to the top and he was kind enough to screw in some heavy duty hooks for the pails! 
 

Meet the Teacher Stations/ Forms

I’m already thinking about Meet the Teacher Night, which we’re having a whole week before school starts.  I’ve decided to place stations around the room to make the process a little easier and reduce traffic.  I made these Blank Safari Meet the Teacher Station Signs that you can get for FREE HERE.  I also created a Back To School Forms Packet that includes a sign in sheet, student info, technology survey, and a transportation info form that I plan to use for Meet the Teacher Night.  You can get the Back To School Forms Packet HERE.

Light-Up ‘C’

I got this kit at Michael’s for 50% off!  All I did was paint the outside, cut a piece of scrapbook paper to fit inside, plug in the lights, and that was it!  For being so small, it produces a lot of light!  I think it’ll be perfect for when we turn off the lights to see the projector, so I can make sure I can still see everyone!

 

Hope you’re doing well and getting excited for the school year, I know I am!  Any suggestions on things I should consider as I begin moving into my classroom in a couple weeks?  I’d love to hear from you!!

 

Classroom Projects

Hello all (:

I've spent the last couple weeks raiding the target dollar section, scouring the sales at Hobby Lobby and Michaels, and getting lost at Teacher’s Tools trying to find stuff for my classroom. I’ve decided on a safari theme and I thought I’d share some of my classroom creations that I’ve been working on the past couple days!

Supply Caddies

Close up of the checklist

My favorite project is these shower caddies that I found at Hobby Lobby for 66% off and the cups were 4 for $1 at Wal-Mart. I made the labels on PowerPoint and used those amazing adhesive clear pockets from the target dollar section (I just used clear masking tape on the cups). I’m going to stick the checklist next to the table label as soon as I inventory all the supplies the kids bring in August. I’m also going to tie a string to the handle with a skinny expo marker attached. There will be one person at each table who will be the ‘Caddy Keeper’. It will be their responsibility to check that all the supplies are accounted for at the beginning and end of each class and they will initial the bottom.

Turn-in Tray 

I got the tray on SALE at Target for $11. I made the labels on PowerPoint as well and found another use for the long adhesive sleeves from Target. I’m thinking I’ll need to make another trip to the dollar section for more of those sleeves!

Treasure Box 

I got this treasure box from Hobby Lobby and it was 50% off!! It’s filled with goodies I’ve found at the dollar tree and Target.

Exit Ticket Poster 

I love utilizing exit tickets at the end of a lesson! I made this board (that I’m going to get laminated tomorrow!) with poster paper (2 for $1 at Hobby Lobby) and scrapbook paper. I numbered each square so the kids don’t need to put their name on their sticky note and hopefully they will feel comfortable answering the prompts honestly. The kids know what number they are and I’ll know who wrote what.


I’ve gotten lots of inspiration from my fellow bloggers and I love seeing the clever tip and tricks that they share with everyone! Is there anything you wish you knew before setting up your first classroom? I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Wednesday! 

Welcome! (:

Welcome to my blog!

I am about to start my first year of teaching this August!! I am beyond excited to meet my students and start planning for the year. (:

I will be teaching 4th grade math in August at the same school, and with the same team, that I completed my student teaching. Despite having specialized in Middle Grades (4-8) ELAR/SS, I am very excited to take on this new endeavor!!

My classroom is currently occupied with summer school classes, so I won't be decorating and setting up until the end of June/beginning of July.  I plan on sharing my classroom set up/projects in the coming weeks!

One day I would love to be like the amazing bloggers who give me #classroomgoals and are brimming with classroom ideas and are so willing so share their knowledge with others.  In the meantime, I want to learn as much as I can through this blog and other teachers.  So please leave me a comment or send me an email with your suggestions, advice, anything! (: