BTS Decor from Zazzle

It all started with Learning in Wonderland's post about customized pillows from Zazzle....

After I ordered the pillows, I realized I wanted some wall art as well. I played around with some graphics and text and came up with the above. I can't to show you how they look in my classroom underneath my spiral deco wreath!

Made It Monday 8*14*17

I've spent the last week working on "cosmetic aspects" of my classroom. I remade my 7 Habits Posters and letters for my classroom bulletin boards and walls. I'm not one to plaster my walls with store bought or even hand made posters. Everything on my walls now have a distinct purpose, mostly it's related to "creating leaders" in my classroom. As the year goes on, I'll add the anchor charts we create to various parts of our classroom. 

These are my new 7 Habit Posters. They are modeled after the ones in Amy Groesbeck's classroom. She offers the templates for FREE on TpT, you just add your own text. 

Here they are above one of my bulletin boards in my classroom. 

I made my bulletin board header out of the Creative Clips Alphabet Letter Bundle. I intend to post reading anchor charts and posters on this board. 

I also made this bulletin board header out of the Creative Clips Alphabet Letter Bundle. I intend to post math anchor charts and posters on this board.

I also made letters using the Creative Clips Alphabet Letter Bundle.

I have a huge wall above my cabinets in my classroom and I use it as my "anchor chart wall" and hang anchor charts from it that we create throughout the year. For now it has the school expectations pinned to it. 

Here's my classroom Wellness Station. My solution to bleeding, sore throats, tummy aches and sore limbs! I used Learning in Wonderland's Let's Get Organized for these labels. 

So that's what I've been working on. I'm trying to keep myself out of my classroom so I can enjoy my last two weeks of summer vacation, we'll see if that happens! Looking for more Made It Monday ideas, check out 4th Grade Folics!

Word Work Drawers

 

My creativity has been in overdrive this summer. I had this idea while waking up this morning. I scored some great Word Work Activity Cards from Cassie Dahl on TpT yesterday. They are no-prep might I add. 25 different activities for students to do during word study. I've seen the large 10 drawer carts devoted to word work and I have one I could use for that purpose but to be honest I didn't need that much space for this activity. Then I thought about the Mini Drawer Labels from Learning in Wonderland and thought... I can use a mini drawer organizer for that purpose.  And so this idea was born...

 

Earlier this summer, while blogging about my Long Range Plans, I discussed how word study looked in my classroom.

 

"Word Study- This year I did something different thanks to my team BFF. Instead of 2 or 3 word study groups I had 5. The Monday Group, Tuesday Group, Wednesday Group... you get the picture. I only met with one word study group a day and all students were on a 6 day cycle. If I introduced the sort to the Monday group, they would take their test next Monday. So it took 2 weeks to introduce and assess all five groups. The Thursday Group's 6 day cycle looked like this:

• Day 1 (Thursday)- Sort Introduction with teacher, highlight features on word cards.
• Day 2 (Friday)- Cut words out, sort, record in Word Study Journal
• Day 3 (Monday)- Sort, record in Word Study Journal
• Day 4 (Tuesday)- Sort, record, word hunt (searching for words in literature that have the same spelling feature)
• Day 5 (Wednesday) Sort, glue
• Day 6 (Thursday)- Word Study assessment with teacher. "



 

I still intend for each group to be on a 6 Day Rotation, it's just now they'll have more word work options. As you can see my drawers are labeled Word Study, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4. I'll look through Cassie's packet and pick out 3-4 activities for each day, I'll run Day 1 activities on orange colored paper, laminate, cut and place in that drawer. Day 2 on yellow paper, Day 3 on green paper and Day 4 on blue paper. In the top drawer I'll keep miscellaneous activities for early finishers or any word work supplies they may need for an activity... haven't really decided yet. So the new schedule will look like this:

• Day 1- sort introduction with teacher, highlight features on word cards, choose activity card from day 1 drawer to work on
• Day 2- cut, sort, record, choose activity card from day 2 drawer to work on
• Day 3- sort, record, choose activity card from day 3 to work on
• Day 4- sort, record, choose activity card from day 4 to work on
• Day 5- sort, glue in journal
• Day 6- assessment with teacher

I've added links above for each resource I used. Cassie Dahl's No Prep Word Work Cards are only $3.00 and Learning in Wonderland's Organization Labels are only $4.00. Learning in Wonderland also included this information about the mini drawers. I purchased mine from Wal-Mart. The 3 Drawer Organizer was about $5 and the 5 Drawer Organizer was about $9.

Guided Reading Mini Flip Books

Man oh man has it been a rough week! Does anyone else feel like they are one "something" away from a nervous breakdown? I know I feel that way... one thing that calms me is creating and crafting. I purchased Learning in Wonderland's Double Sided Mini Flip Books during the TpT sale on Monday. I spent some time Monday night creating some guided reading mini books for my students to complete in reading groups.

 

I created a fiction and nonfiction versions. Links to printing and copying video tutorials are included with the set. I'd say they're appropriate for 2nd-4th grade.

Click Here to download the Guided Reading Mini Flip Books

Classroom Tour 2014-2015



My classroom is finally finished. In the 11th hour they hired a new teacher for 3rd grade so I felt the need to finish it so I can be available to help her teacher work week.

Here is my writing station, all ready for my bar from Ikea to be hung, that has the containers you can hang on it and my Whole Brain Teaching rules board.

Here you can see my Behavior Clip Chart, my Daily Schedule and my Parent Wish List... got the cupcake idea
from Pinterest.

 

Here's my calendar, the Super Improver Levels from WBT, 7 Habits of Happy Kids, Life Skill of the Week,
Jobs and Morning Routine.

Above the board our Nonfiction Text Features and Reading Strategy Posters I got from my last school.

Here is my Super Improver Board, students will start off with a White Card, Beginner Level, then once they earn 10 stickers
they move up to the next level, Green Card, Learner Level. I'll put my writing and math posters in this corner.

Carpet Area with my Spiral Wreath with the Birthday Chart hanging below it.

Classroom Library leveled for Accelerated Reader.

Here's the computer nook, workstations and carpet area.

Storage area with boxes set up for sorting community supplies during Open House.

The Back Counter, it will house all of the things my teacher desk use to.

Sink Area

This is my Science Area, it has Engineering and Design Process Posters, Science standards and the Scientific Method.

Reading Group Materials, Chevron Baskets from Michael's.

Genre and Reading Posters... oh and my name banner.

Reading Strategy and Skill Posters

Reading Group Area

Reading Group Area...aka my new teacher desk

View from the door. I've already put out the students' Literacy Binders, Communication Folders and Welcome Treats.

I love setting up my classroom for a new year! Below are some links to some things that are in my room, just in case you want to get them for yours ;)

*Chevron Labels by Learning in Wonderland
*Melonheadz Genre Posters by Rachel Lamb
*Melonheadz Reading Posters by Amy Groesbeck