Daily 5 - Book Boxes or Book Bags??

We are on a roll....  Daily 5 is under way and going great!  I started Daily 5 last year and will never go back to doing traditional centers.  The room is so quiet and all of the students are engaged in reading!  It is great for pulling my guided reading groups.  So my big question is, book boxes or book bags.  Well, last year I used plastic book boxes because they were provided by the school I was teaching at.  This year I am using book bags (Ziploc bags).  I have to say, most of the Ziploc bags have holes in them already and it is hard to organize.  Right now they store them in their desks (aka the black whole). You never know what you will find in there.  I think that I will look for plastic book boxes that I can label with their name. Using book boxes that have the student's names on them and that are durable is definitely the way to go!!!

My Favorite Things

 

 

I love this tool for creating sign up lists!  I have used it for parents to sign up to volunteer for reading to the class, science lab help, and I will use it for conference sign up.  This tool is a life saver! No more paper to send home, organizing sign up times, or just waiting for responses.

Try it, It's free!

 

 

 

                                                                      Sign Up Genius


Check out this website to enhance your school web page.  Wix.com is easy and FREE! So many designs and templates to choose from.

 

Wix.com

Decorating the Classroom - Day 5&6

 This week I was busy finishing the classroom.  I can't believe it took me so long.  Perhaps it is because of the no stapling rule.  I hope all of the bulletin boards stay up all year! :)  The new idea is to use 3M mounting squares or tape. 

The glue gun was my friend for this bulletin board.  I cut pieces from one of the boarders and glued them to clothespins to hang student work.  Then I used mounting squares to put each red page on the brown paper.  Thank goodness for my son, Logan.  He helped me put the whole thing on the wall.

This is the left side of the classroom. 



Here is the front.  I made a spot for WOW words.  I am going to hang up interesting words that we find as we read books.  This will tie in great with the CAFE strategies.

I framed my subway art and put it by my desk.  I just love it.  By the way, this is probably the cleanest my desk will ever be!

Here is my Daily 5 chart.  I will put the students names on cards and they will be able to choose 3 choices a day.  More info on that later.  I will also post all of the anchor charts we create in the brown space above the chart.  I am also going to get another shelf to put book boxes on. This is where they will get their books.



Projects

Look what I found on Pinterest today! I wanted some subway art for my classroom so I printed and framed them.  Can't wait to hang them in my classroom.  These prints are from Balancinghome.com and they are FREE!   Click here  to print your own.

    

   
I also got some cute ideas for my birthday silly straws from Pinterest. Here are mine.  I got the flower pot (.96) and straws (.97 per pack of 6) from Walmart. I created the Happy Birthday signs on Word.  The cupcake clip art is from  mycutegraphics.com and I cut out the circles with my 3 1/2" punch with scalloped edges I use for scrapbooking. I used scrapbook mounting squares to attach the circles to the straws.  It worked out great!

Decorating the Classroom - Day 4

Today I got another shelf put together and my books unpacked.  I got this tall shelf at Big Lots.  Only $25!  Below is my before and after picture.  Now all but 2 boxes are unpacked and cabinets are full.  With limited storage space, I must purge.  No hoarders allowed! I will have to get rid of some of my Kindergarten stuff.  No place for it.



Before



After

Decorating the Classroom - Day 3

I have shelves! 2 to be exact.  I spent 1 hour of my day putting those shelves together.  They look good.  Now I need a tall one next to my desk for all of my books.  I need to go back to Big Lots.  These were on sale for only $15 each!   Pretty cheap!  I put this one in my reading area.  I got the book boxes from Target. I still need 12 more but they seem to be out. :(  



This is where I put the other shelf.  It is holding all my Math manipulatives.

 I also got the word wall put together.  This took a while with all the measuring and forgetting letters and needing to redo it 5 times. LOL.

For the letters, I printed them on red card stock, laminated them and used a 3 inch scalloped circle punch from my scrapbooking stuff.  I know you can't really see it in this picture.  Took pictures with my phone today.

Decorating the Classroom - Day 2

Holy Cow! Those are some big desks in my classroom.  They sure take up a lot of space! Not sure what to do with the table on the floor, hoping I can get rid of it?  I think I finally have the room arranged the way I want it.  Still need to get shelving for storage.  I need to get the many boxes out of my garage.

So here is my tip for today.

Tip #3: Arranging the room. Think about what spaces you will need.  For example: Guided Reading area, Whole Group meeting area, Calendar, Library Area for your leveled readers, Centers.  (I do Daily 5 so I do not need areas in my room for centers. I just need a shelf for the word work and writing activities.  The kids pick any spot in the room to work. Love that!) Don't forget to sit in your guided reading chair to see if you have a clear view of all the students while you are working in small group. :)

Today I tackled part of the big, white wall.  I put my CAFE  bulletin board behind my guided reading table so the students will be able to see the list of strategies we will be using during small group.

I also had my helpers with me today. We had to get all the computers up and running so I could get some work done! All favorites have been added.  (Notice the three boys at the computers. They love going to our new school!)

I am really loving this Dots on Turqouise theme!  So Cute!  I finished my Helper Chart and will be making some letters for my word wall. (or maybe find some on Pinterest)

Decorating the Classroom - Day 1

Wow! It is already time to start decorating my classroom! I finally got to see what my new room looks like. Let's get started! 

This is what I see when I walk through the door. A big, white wall. UGGG! It won't be white for long!

To the right are the student computers.

On the left is a big, long, bulletin board.

Well, first thing first.  I have to pick a color scheme. 

Tip #1: Pick a pattern or theme and stick to it!  Use 2 or 3 colors from the pattern or theme to keep the room looking put together.  It also makes your room look more organized!

So, this is the color scheme that I chose this year, Dots on Turqoise.  It is from Creative Teaching Press. 

 I love the colors!

Next step is to find out what is required to be posted on the walls and what I want to put on the walls.

Tip #2: Make a list of what you need and want to post on the wall. Then you can decide how much wall space is needed for each and decide where the best place would be.

My list so far:

1. Word Wall (required)

2. Target the Question (required)

3. Class Helpers

4. Class Rules

5. Calendar

6. Daily 5 choices

7. Daily 5 Cafe Menu

8. Daily 5 Anchor Charts

9.  ?? still thinking

Hello,
I am so excited to be creating my first blog!  I was first introduced to Pinterest and became addicted. Then, I discovered all of the great blogs that I now follow almost on a daily basis.  I guess you could say I am a Blog Hopper.  I just love all of the GREAT ideas that I find!  It really helps make things more fun for me and the kids!  I have started a list on the side of all the great blogs that I love!  Can't wait to add more.
I also can't wait to share all of the fun things that I do in my classroom with the kids.  I hope you enjoy my blog as much as I do yours!