Classroom Christmas Tree

The students decorated our classroom Christmas Tree this week. They took such pride in placing the ornaments just right on the tree. The ornaments are copies of our favorite picture books that I printed, laminated, and glued a hook on.

Classroom Maps

In Social Studies we have been learning about positional and cardinal directions. They played "Simon Says" using cardinal directions. They went on a hunt for hidden objects using positional words. They also took a "birds-eye" view of the school by looking at a blueprint of the school. They worked in groups to explain the position of various places in the school in relation to the library and using directional words. They also drew a map of our classrom noting where objects were located according to their position on the north, south, east, or west wall.

My Classroom 2012-2013

Here are a few pictures of my classroom setup this year:

Classroom Helpers

To help the students learn responsibility, we have classroom jobs. The classroom jobs range from being the trash helper (taking out the recycling and checking the floor for scraps), door helper, light monitor, materials manager, teacher helper, computer helper, library helper, cd helper, calendar helper (lead and teach calendar during math with support of teacher), and substitute helper (helps with a job if the assigned student is absent). The helper jobs change each day so the students learn a variety of life skills as they help their classroom community.

Welcome to First Grade!

Here are a few pictures of my classroom this year. It is similar to what I have done in the past but I got rid of some things (like my giant teacher desk) and organized even more to make it feel more open.

Classroom Library Organization and Seating

When I first started teaching I knew I wanted the students to have a comfortable place to relax and read. The problem, as with most new teachers, is there is so much I wanted and needed to buy for my class that I could not afford to buy anything fancy. But, I came up with a solution that has worked just as well. In the former school I worked in, two of the teachers had taken an old gymnastics mat, folded it up, and covered it in a sheet to create a "couch" of sorts. With that idea in mind, I bought a cheap infant crib mattress and covered it in a primary colored polka-dot sheet with the matching pillows from Target. For the back of the "couch" I used a long body pillow also from Target. As an added bonus, the "couch" is super easy to clean - throw the sheets and pillows in the washer and the crib mattress is bleachable. The colors of the "couch" match perfectly to my favorite library boxes that I purchased from Steps to Literacy. I love the boxes because I can sort the library books by theme and into fiction and non-fiction categories. It helps teach the students responsibility and organization skills as they are responsible for ensuring the books go back to the right box. Because the boxes are labeled, they also add to the print-rich environment I mentioned in my post about shoeboxes and labeling everything.

Shoeboxes, Shoeboxes, Shoeboxes

If you've ever been in my classroom or seen pictures of it, you know I like to keep things organized. One of the easiest ways to keep a classroom organized is by storing things in plastic shoeboxes. Mostly I use the shoeboxes for math manipulatives but I also use them to store indoor recess games, magnetic letters, markers, etc. I have a box for everything - I even have a box of "party supplies." As a teammate of mine said, only I would have a party supply box but it does come in handy when a well-meaning parent brings a birthday cake at the end of the day for their child but forgets to bring something to cut it with or serve it on...we've all been there, right? A key to keeping things organized is labeling. I label everything...no, really...I label everything. I tend to use Avery Full Sheet labels because I can create any size that I need. Although I use clear boxes and the labeling isn't necessary for me to find things, labeling creates a print-rich environment for the students. Not only can the students see the objects, they see the matching word and soon the words become a part of their sight-word memory. It also creates a great word bank for the students to use when they are writing.

The Classroom

In case you were unable to attend "Sneak-A-Peak" last week and would like to see your child's classroom, below are a few pictures of where your children will spend their day. The children will have large group lessons on the carpet, small group lessons at the guided reading table and student tables, and independent learning at the various literacy stations around the room.

Where Your Children Spend Their Day

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Welcome to the Classroom Blog

Welcome to our classroom blog. Visit our blog frequently to find out what is happening in our class. Through this blog we will be sharing exciting news from our class, pictures, and helpful tips.