Sunday, January 2, 2011

Classroom Tour 2010-2011

When I went into my room over break,  I finally did something I had meant to do for a long time... take pictures. My room is a portable with no storage and I also share the space with another teacher who teaches half day with me, but needs to store her stuff here as well. I have tried to make use of every square inch of this room. 


Here is the view from the door. You can see the small group u-table and the writing wall straight ahead.


 This is also from the front door, looking slightly right at the front of the room. 


Another view from the door.


Here is the door. I have been meaning to cover the cabinet (This is one of only 2 cabinets I have -- a teacher's worst nightmare, right?) with butcher paper but couldn't stand them plain, so I threw some borders up to tie me over. Also, I use command hooks EVERYWHERE. I hang the red emergency backpack and first aid kit with them. 


Here is the behavior wall. Everyone starts on Star Student and then if they break a rule, they move their clip down. When they are on green, blue, and/or red, they must fill out a behavior log. That's what is in the yellow oops folder. (Oh, and I hung the folder and chart with the command hooks)


This is the reading area. There is no organized theme here. Every year I mean to organize my library, but then I get told I need to pack up and move classes/schools/grade levels and it never happens. Oh, I am an expert packer by the way ;)


The other rooms have a "teacher corner" but since there is two of us in here, I call it our "teacher wall". This is my partner teacher's desk.

Loooove loooove looooove my Lakeshore Daily Organizer thingy. It's empty because we are on vacation for 3 weeks, but usually each day is packed full of everything we need for the day. In front of it I have trays for us to put loose papers in. I am the first to admit, I'm a neat freak and I love my partner teacher, but she is not the neatest teacher you've ever met (Love you Sheri). So I decided to throw trays all over the room and she can put whatever into them and that way at least they aren't just laying around loose. So far, so good. If you have organization issues, do this. It works!


Here is my desk area.

I used to do stacking trays to organize my papers, but I love this way more.


Those little colorful crates are the best ever. I wish I would have bought all of them when I saw them at Office Depot a few years ago, but didn't know how amazing they were at the time. 



 This is what I use to organize the student's files. I like this because I can roll it across the parking lot and into my car if I need to. Another little tip, if you have ugly hanging file folders like me, make them cute by glueing a cute piece of paper from a notepad on the front.


This bookcase stores all of my TE's. On the side, I hung command hooks (I told you I was obsessed) and binder clipped and hung my sentence strips for the year.


So I came in on a Saturday during vacation to get caught up and take these pictures and as I am doing that, I notice that yellow paper there that looks like it's been folded. Weird... I didn't fold that. Looking up... up... up... ohhhh my roof is leaking! Good thing I came in to take pictures. Who knows how this would have looked 3 weeks later?!


Try not to pay attention to the awful window covering job I did. The sun comes beating in and I have to wear my glasses when I sit at my desk! The balloons up there have the student's birthdays on them.

Some math charts to help the students know when to add or subtract with word problems.


Weekly grammar/mechanics posters.


I turned some plastic filing crates on their sides and stacked them and put the student's Writer's Notebooks in them.


Word Work Area - write spelling words, use magnet letters, etc.


A view from my teacher desk. I usually have stuff out on it, but we needed to stack chairs and clear table tops so they could be cleaned over break. In the back you can see the TV stand. Soooo ugly so I covered it in fabric and used magnets to clip the blue pocket chart to it.

Another view from my desk.


I thought I'd share this pencil idea. It works for my kiddos. It's just a cute way to remember prefix/baseword/suffix. Now that I am looking at it, I am having a thought, it may be better to have prefix on the pencil tip and suffix on the eraser. Explain it that you write before you erase maybe?


My listening area needs help. 

Writing table and word wall.


Concept/Question board - week 1. 


So when they made this hideous super cute bungalow, vents must have been in. I have like 50 vents all over, little boxes with nothing behind them and panels, panels, and more panels. My incredible boyfriend spent a whole day covering this wall, cutting out around each of these nuisances, and then because he knows how crazy I am loves me so much, cut little strips of blue paper and made little borders for me.


I could not find any cute writing borders this year! Where are they?! So I was just going to do plain white and then a friend had done this cute little idea with DJ Inker's pencil die cuts. I copied her and I love it.


I made my buckets with clear plastic solo cups and then hole punched them and made a little handle from glittery sparkly wire stuff. The kids decorated, cut, and glued the front of their buckets. If you have a cabinet like this, I have an idea for you!! I bought cork board tiles from Target (4 for $1) and then stuck them up here and now I can staple to the wall without damaging the cupboard. Yay!

Math wall and some storage.


Our Brag Tag Board. Check the Brag Tag post for more info.


This wall has so much going on with it. It's to post social studies projects, display Brag Tags, and has our white board for the small groups.


After packing up my room every year for the last 3 years, I have learned to put everything into shoeboxes and label them. If it can fit, it goes in a shoe box. I rarely struggle to find what I need.


The left side of the cupboard, not quite as proud. But hey, it doesn't fit in a shoebox so what am I supposed to do?


This is the inside of my 2nd and last storage cabinet. I have art stuff and student supplies in here.


Well I hope you enjoyed the tour!

64 comments:

  1. Hi Ms. Male,
    I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog!!! I came across your post on Second Grade Teachers' Club and clicked on your link to the blog. I have to say that I am so inspired by the organization of your classroom as well as many of your ideas. (I may steal a few! :)) I really like your bucket fillers board (plastic cups are a fantastic idea) and your brag tags! Love everything and will be back to "stalk" you often! Thanks for your great ideas! :)
    ~ Mandy
    sunflwr508@yahoo.com

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  2. Hi Ms. Male,

    I was admiring your classroom photos. I wanted to ask what you keep inside the pink and purple crates that are on your desk? I have a few extra empty crates so I wanted to see what else I could use them for.

    http://alwaysfirstgrade.blogspot.com/

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  3. I put CD's and post-its in them. The pink one has two clear stacking drawers and I put my paper clips and binder clips in those. :)

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  4. Ms. Male your classroom is amazing! I'm going to have to visit soon. Thanks for sharing and inspiring.

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  5. Would you be willing to share or tell more about your Ooops behavior log? I like that idea.

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  6. Hey Sarah! Give me your email and I'd be happy to send you the log. It basically just has a 2x4 table and one column is the color, and the other is for what they did wrong. It helps them be responsible for their own actions and REALLY saves me for when the parents ask why they pulled their clips. With so many kids, sometimes I forget exactly what they did.

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  7. Can you send me the Oops log too? That was one of my questions also. I also liked your Grammar/mechanics poster. What were the ones on the end?

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  8. Hey ladies, I would love to send them to you... just give me your emails. :) The grammar/mechanics posters on the end were subjects, predicates, and capitalization.

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  9. Just found your blog. Love so many of your ideas for class organization and management:Drawers instead of trays to turn in papers, your buckets made from clear cups, your rules display.

    Question: Who makes the poster How to be a good student? Is it a Carson Delosa? Love it and must get one!

    I'd love to see your oops log sheet too! KEep up the good work!
    Martha-Carol
    mcarpenter@scsk12.org

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  10. I responded to your response but i didn't get an email so I'll post it here. Thanks!acasiano22@hotmail.com

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  11. Hi Ms. Male!

    I hate to be a copy cat BUT... I would also love a copy of your OOps Log as long as you are sharing! =) Thank you so much! LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog! Thanks! sam

    sspelts@eusd4kids.org

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  12. Haha! I wondered what was on your Oops log also!

    LOVE the writing wall! I am thinking about doing it, but with those clear plastic sleeves so that I can just slide the work in and out easily. I hate spending a lot of time stapling, and taking things away. I've become a fan of those sleeves, and use them for anything dry erase, and also to store copies of reader's theater's in which the parts are all highlighted.

    I've taught 2nd grade for 6 years now. I've moved 5 of them! Also have ugly cabinets and last year was in a "learning cottage". People have no idea...

    The shoeboxes are beautiful!

    Always love looking at other classrooms! Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Thanks for all the kind words PJ! On my writing wall I laminate scrapbook paper and then put two paper clips at the top. When students finish a new writing piece, I just slip it on top of the old ones. It makes it easier when I bind their writing at the end of the year. Loving the clear plastic sleeves idea. I also have a mini-obsession with those. :)

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  14. Do you know who makes or where you got the good student poster?

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  15. It is Carson-Delosa. The item # is CD110029. Hope you are able to find it!

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  16. Hi Ms. Male!

    Did you happen to send out the oops log? I'm sorry to ask but I haven't seen it in my email. I appreciate it and all the pictures you have shared with us.

    Thanks,
    Alyson

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  17. Thank you! Just found on Amazon. My teacher store couldn't find it. Thanks so much!

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  18. Will you share what the plastic buckets are for that you had the kids decorate out of Solo cups? Thanks!

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  19. Hey Jennifer,

    The buckets are for "Bucket Fillers". If you haven't heard of it, google it and get it going in your class. The basic idea of it is that everyone has an empty bucket inside them and when people say nice things to you or you do something nice for someone you fill your bucket. When you do something unkind or someone does/says something unkind to you, it takes away from your bucket. And that's where the idea of being a "Bucket Filler" comes from. The kids love writing nice things to/about their classmates and they become determined to fill everyone's buckets. It also helps the students that maybe don't get along as well with others to try harder because their bucket isn't always full.

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  20. Great idea! I've been out of the classroom for years...raising my babies...but now everyone is going to school...me too...so I'm back on the wagon of ideas!!

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  21. Ms. Male,

    I would also LOVE a copy of your oops log! Love your ideas and pictures!

    Thanks - Amber
    etrisfamily@charter.net

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  22. I love how you hang your sentence strips. That is a genius idea!

    Swimming into Second

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  23. Thanks Courtney! I am not kidding when I say I am obsessed with those hooks. ;)

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  24. I would love a copy of your Oops log. Also, I saw the lesson plan binder on your desk. I am currently creating my plans on an excel spreadsheet, and trying to figure out the best way to organize and keep them. (ie: binder, book rings, glued into an existing planbook.) Are yours just hole punched and put in a binder?

    Thank you! - Karla
    nkbeaty@msn.com

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  25. Hey Karla,

    I just emailed you the Oops Log in .doc form. I have it in PDF ((along with some other behavior goodies)) on this post

    http://brittmale.blogspot.com/search/label/behavior

    As for my lesson plan binder... my principal sends us a template that is filled in for the most part and we are required to do it that way and keep it in a binder on our desks ((hole punched)). Nothing super fancy. You did give me an idea for a new post though... I think I will post sometime next week about lesson plan templates I have used in the past and take some pictures of the other goodies in my Lesson Plan binder. Maybe someone can use it?

    Thanks,
    Britt

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  26. Thanks for the Oops Log! Looking forward to your post on lesson plan templates. I've gotten so many wonderful ideas from your blog and pinterest board!

    Karla

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  27. Yay! Pinterest and Blogging have been my life this summer. So glad that you could use some/any of my ideas! Stay tuned for that lesson plan post. Hopefully I won't let you down. :)

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  28. I'm so excited to have stumbled across your blog. My school is doing the bucket filler program as well. I absolutely love your idea with the plastic cups! I also like your behavior management idea. Could I possibly get a copy of your Oops Log? Thanks so much!!

    alisa.ternes@knoxschools.org

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  29. I'd like to see you oops log too! :) It seems to be quite popular. Thanks for the great ideas!
    Leann.Buck@ocps.net

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  30. Hi,
    Can you share what you do for your oops behavior log? I love the idea of the students being responsible for logging their behavior. Great classroom and ideas :) My email is lala7878@yahoo.com

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  31. Your room looks FANTASTIC!! I am going to buy more command hooks! My brains is thinking of all the ways I can use them! Thanks for the inspirations!!

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  32. Thank you for the tour! I thoroughly enjoyed your commentary, and I love that you were so creative with storage solutions. I struggle with organization in my classroom, so it truly helps to see how other, more organized teachers do it!

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  33. Your classroom looks great! I LOVE the Oops folder. Would you please email me a copy of it? My email is rkpridmore@gmail.com Thanks so much!

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  34. Hi - stumbled upon your blog thru Pinterest (don't you just love Pinterest?!) Anyway, love your command hooKs ideas. Also, got to thinking about your prefix, suffix - pencil and thought maybe you could just turn the pencil around and still have prefix on the point and suffix on the eraser. Have a nice weekend!

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  35. Love your classroom! I have something similar to your clip chart for behavior. I'd love to see your Oops! Log as well (I sometimes forget at the end of the day why someone moved their clip too!). My email is:
    jletourneau@winthropschools.org

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  36. I love your classroom. I would like a copy of the oops log also. My mentor teacher also does the bucket filling and we have been looking for ideas for a bucket wall. I love yours.

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  37. I have a similar behavior chart system! We however start in the middle on "Ready to Learn" (it's green). There are 3 steps down, but also 3 steps above. So I really try to focus my efforts on recognizing the outstanding behavior in my room. Sorta like your brag tags - but it's on the same behavior chart. I found it on Pinterest! Love that site! Thanks for sharing your room! I love your organizational tips - I need them...I feel from reading that I am more like the other teacher in your room, Sheri. :) Lakeshore bins...must purchase.

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  38. I love your blog and your classroom! I was wondering if you could give me more information about your oops log. I have a few students this year who like to test the limits and this would really help with them being responsible for their actions and help with the parents. Thanks!

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  39. You are hilarious! Girl of my own heart! I love to stay organized and take a panic attack at the thought of clutter and your ideas are phenomenal! How about those shoe boxes...I have them stacked high to the sky. Thank you for all of these ideas! To parallel your hooks, Velcro is also amazing. I hung up sandwich baggies labeled by theme containing site words on different colored paper. They can take the Baggie off and out it back and they r nice and neat woo hoo!!! Kudos to the utilization of your space :)

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  40. I want to be organized like you, but I really struggle. However, I'm getting better. Can you tell me about the buckets? What are they filling them with? Is it like a behavior positive reinforcement thing?

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  41. I would love to have your Oops log. Can you send it to me?
    freeman.emily1205@gmail.com

    Thanks!

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  42. I would love a copy of your Oops log. Love your Blog!
    Swbteacher@yahoo.com

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  43. will your shoeboxes and art supplies fit in a regular bookcase such as this? http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-5-shelf-bookcase-espresso/-/A-12630802?reco=Rec|pdp|12630802|ClickCP|item_page.adjacency&lnk=Rec|pdp|ClickCP|item_page.adjacency

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  44. So many cool ideas! I would love a copy of your OOps log. I am very excited to use it. Thank you so much. Could you please send it in pdf?
    tbeyer@sidney.k12.mt.us

    Tammy B.

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  45. Could I also get your "oops" log?? I have a horrible memory and can never seem to remember what the students did wrong! I will be working on sooo many of your ideas this summer! Thanks so much!
    hkonz@hotmail.com

    Heather P.

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  46. I'd love a copy of your OOPS log, please. I love it! This is my first year teaching so I am looking for great ideas. Thanks!!

    davidyyese@hotmail.com

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  47. Really like all of your ideas. May I have a copy of the Oops log? Thanks. My email is : allsaintskdg@gmail.com

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  48. I Love your classroom! :)
    I am being moved to a portable next year (with two small cabinets for storage -insert sobs!), so your ideas are so inspiring! :) I am your newest follower (Thanks to Imagestuff.com)!
    Thank you!!!
    Cheryl
    Crayons and Curls

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  49. Found your blog on pintrest. Great job. I also teach 2nd grade. check out my blog. http://www.cherylvelasquez.blogspot.com

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  50. I love all the organization ideas.Since you took the time to post such great things I was trying to think of a way to help you with an idea. It may or may not work but, for that window by your desk you could probably get a dark shower curtain to hang up with the command hooks and just cut off the access.

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  51. Could I get a copy of your Oops log, and also--what did you use to have the kids decorate their bucket cups? alynn@nkcschools.org Thank you!

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  52. Hello, I came across your blog through pinterest. I love your classroom!! This will be my first year teaching so I am looking for good ideas. Could you share your oops log with me? My email is sarahb803@gmail.com How did you make the How to be a good student posters?

    -Sarah, first grade teacher

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  54. I stumbled across your blog through Pinterest. I love finding awesome blogs on there. You have amazing ideas about organization and classroom management. I would like a copy of your oops log. I think our 2nd grade team would love it. my email is tolendzki@dist265.com. Thank you!!

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  55. Your classroom looks amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!

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  56. What a beautiful and organized classroom! Hopefully, I'll soon be going back to teaching after taking several years off to care for my elderly mom. I've been searching for ideas to prepare for reintering the classroom, and I'm really glad I found your blog. Your classroom is what I would wish for mine to look like. It's cute, but everything has a purpose. It is packed with resources, but it doesn't look cluttered. I love it!

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  57. What an organized classroom! I teach first grade with no assistant, 26 kiddos. I came across your blog on Pinterest. I would love to have a copy of your Ooops log. I LOOOVE your classroom. I'm trying to get clutter free. My email is skint911@hotmail.com. Thanks a lot!!

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  58. Love the organization!! I would love a copy of your opps log!

    Mallory

    mrapp@woboe.org

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  59. Love your classroom! SO many great ideas. Thank you for sharing : )
    Liz

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  60. Thanks so much for sharing! Can you please tell me a bit more about the Oops file? What do the behavior reports look like and what happens to them after they are placed in the file? Parent notification?

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  61. What do you do with the We are bucket fillers? How do they fill the buckets?
    Thanks,
    Joanna Warburton

    ReplyDelete
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