2017 - 2018
In the hallway outside my classroom, where I will display the amazing work done by my amazing students! Find the posters by The Delighted Teacher here.
I liked my door from last year so much, I decided to keep it! If it's not broken... 😜
Our Morning Meeting space!
Our fabulous wall o' mathematics! I love having the math manipulatives organized and labeled, so they are easy for my students and me to access! You can access my ten-frame posters in my TpT store here.
Last year I turned this metal cabinet into an interactive number-line. It also houses other magnetic manipulatives. I often meet here with individual students or small groups.
The top two shelves house our Math TIME baskets, and the bottom two shelves house our science station baskets. Almost all of the baskets in my classroom came from Dollar Tree!
Our classroom library! I actually prefer a smaller, cozier library, but my collection of books has grown so much that it was impossible for me to fit them all into a smaller space. Of course, getting rid of any was out of the questions. Clearly.
The "loveseat" that my kiddos are sure to love!
Some of our nonfiction books and the rolling cart we will use to hold the Chromebooks each day after they're retrieved from the main charging cart.
My library basket labels are available here (primary colors) and here (brights).
More pics of our classroom library! Originally I was going to put a quote about reading on the blank board you see here, but I've decided to leave that space open for student work and book recommendations.
Our small-group meeting space...
Where I keep my many binders and resource books! Organization is 😍😍😍!
Our wall o' science!
Close-up of our science vocabulary, exemplary work samples, and lab roles!
2016 - 2017
Thanks so much for dropping in!
Welcome to my classroom! After a two-year hiatus from the classroom, I came into this new position even more excited than usual to create a fifth-grade math and science space that my students and I would love! As usual, my goal for this new term was for my students to be engaged, organized, comfortable, and safe in their classroom surroundings.
This "Before" picture does not even do justice to what I encountered
when I first stepped foot in my classroom. This was the result of
several days of working to clean out age-old textbooks, box after box
after box of math manipulatives (there IS such a thing as "too much" of a
good thing), and scores of teaching resource books from 30 and 40 years
ago.
Outside my classroom door, this hangs in the hallway to display student work. I'm not much of a "theme" person, but this year I made several "mad scientists" to add a few pops of fun!
My classroom door display is, by far, one of my favorite aspects of my new classroom! As I mentioned above, I don't typically incorporate much of a theme, but this year I fell in love with the idea of myself as a "mad" scientist and mathematician, and I really love how this turned out! Later I added miniature lab coats with my homeroom students' names.
After: This is the view of my classroom from right inside the door.
Again, the view from right inside the door.
Inside and to the right of my classroom door is my students' "check in" area
where they make their lunch choice, pick up/turn in homework and notes
from home, gather the supplies specified on the board, and get sharpened
pencils as they need them throughout the day.
Close-up of our classroom supplies!
At the beginning of the year, I usually arrange my students' desks in
a way that will be most conducive to welcoming kiddos that I don't yet
know. I assign seats alphabetically and keep the arrangement simple:
u-shaped, straight rows, etc. This lasts only temporarily as I get to
know my students and they begin making their own decisions about where
they work best, most comfortably, etc.
This couch was added later in the school year, but it quickly became a FAVORITE seating option for all of my students! To minimize arguments about "whose turn" it was to sit on it, I wrote four numbers on the board each day, then changed them out for the following four numbers every afternoon when the students left. Super simple, and it eliminated virtually all conflict!
All the #hearteyes for my math manipulatives area! I LOVE organization; everything in my classroom must have a place and be labeled for quick identification. My kids and I use these tools all year long, and having them easily accessible makes using them so easy!
These milk crates I purchased at Wal-Mart made the PERFECT storage bins for games and other math and science materials that we used, but not as frequently as other tools.
In front of my classroom library I originally put a small table that would house the turn-in baskets for daily assignments. Underneath the table were storage drawers for different kinds of paper. This space didn't last the whole year as I found another, less obtrusive place for the paper drawers.
Ahhhh... My pride and joy--my classroom library! I have been an avid reader since I was very, very young, and I hope to instill in my students the same love for reading that has stayed with me to this day!
This small-group area was just right for conducting mini-lessons and individual instruction. A few days after this picture was taken, I added cushions to the custom-built crate lids lovingly fashioned by my amazing husband.
Equally important to organize and have at-the-ready were my science materials and tools. When I took this picture, most of the baskets were still empty. They filled up quickly!
Thanks for stopping by!
No comments