Classroom Reveal 2015!

I'm happy to be linking up with Shroeder Shenanigans in 2nd and Lucky Little Learners for their #2getherwearebetter linky party!  This month we are sharing CLASSROOM REVEALS!  

PART I

Another school year brings another chance to mix things up with my classroom decor!  I'm excited to take you on a pic-tour of my room!

Full disclosure here...  I have only been back in the classroom for about 3 days so you will probably notice boxes here and clutter there...  My room is still in process.   This is why you won't see a picture of the WHOLE room at once and why I am calling this "Part I".  I've been working around the perimeter and am just now starting to get the student tables cleaned off, but I have some great decor and organizational ideas to share with you, so here we go!  

When you walk up to my classroom you will be greeted by "Bobby", "Jasmine", and Adam.  These are some of my Kool Kat Kidz clip art characters.  I got the idea for "blowing up" the clip art from Schroeder Shenanigans in 2nd.  

My goal for these three is to change up the message each day or two.  Eventually, I am going to use these characters and speech bubbles to start introducing quotation marks to my 4th graders.

Next up, you will find these "Habits of Mind" posters greeting students as they walk through our classroom door.  A little positive inspiration to start the day!

As you walk into our classroom you will see my teacher corner.  Last year, I tried to give up my desk, but I only lasted until winter break.  I found that, without my desk, I felt lost and disorganized.  I don't sit at it much, but at the end of the day, I love my corner.  This year, I added a new rug and a few new accents.  

I finally purchased a rolling cart from Ikea!  I love it and think that it will be very useful as I work with students in different parts of the room.  

 Another clip-art "blow-up"!  This one is a custom figure I made of myself.  :)

In my blog post, Ten Steps to Creating a Zen Teacher Space, I talked about some simple ways to create a peaceful area in your classroom that you'll love! 

Next up is the classroom library.  Can you tell I love books?  

I organize my class library by genre.  I also pull some groups of books by the same author and create some author baskets.  I add anchor charts, created with the students, to the wall throughout the year.  

The next few stops on our tour are a few stations I have set up throughout the room.  Here you have the writing station.  I have some reference materials, different kinds of paper, greeting cards, and story starters all gathered for students to use.  

 This is my science station!  I have a small microscopes and several items for students to explore.  The objects can be changed up as the seasons or units of study change.

 This area of the room is for community supplies and math materials.

 I organize my colored pencils and crayons by color.  This makes it easy for students to find a certain color.  They don't have to dig through a big container of pencils for a blue pencil.  Great time saver!

Here we have our tiny-tech center!  Last year my class was fortunate enough to get a iPads funded through DonorsChoose.org.   I found this great (FREE) set of iPad rules by Digital Divide and Conquer

I used this little Ikea dish drainer to create a little charging station.  

Last up, we have my math wall.  I got the idea for this great board from The Teaching Sweet Shoppe!  Last year, I started math workshop with my students and loved it!  I can't wait to start it with this year's group!  My board isn't finished yet.  I've left space for math objectives, vocabulary, etc.

 This board is located on a magnetic blackboard.  I've used magnet tape to mount all of the parts of this set.  This makes it very easy to move things around.

That concludes our pic-tour!  I hope that you found an idea or two that you can take back to your own classroom.  Check back soon for Part II!  I'll be sharing my student cubbies, table set up, and first day packets!