Another day in my room...

OK so it was really only about 2 hours in my room, not another whole day. I started off the morning stalking some of my favorite blogs and I knew it was not a good idea. I ended up running to Wal-Mart before school to pick up crates and seat cushions. I saw on several blog pages this summer about making the seats out of crates but I have to admit I am NOT a crafty person when it comes to stuff like that. I want to be crafty when I grow up but I just haven't gotten there yet. Anyway, I figured the crate/seats were just out of my league until I saw what Becky over at Fourth Grade Fanatic had done! She just took the crates, turned them upside down, and tied a seat cushion to them!! How stinkin' easy and cute!!!! I knew I could do THAT!!! Sooooo off to Wal-Mart I ran. and here's what I ended up with!

After I threw together 4 of these I adjusted my writing table height so that they would be a perfect fit and I added some writing related posters and viola my writing area was complete!

After I finished that all I had left to do was hang up my motivational posters, my genre posters, and the heading on my AR Incentive chart bulletin board

 Here are the motivational posters - I put them around the clock because they are always looking up at the clock to see if it's time for lunch or specials LOL

This is my job chart and my Comprehension Strategies posters

My genre posters above the white board

My Incentive Chart bulletin board

While I was there I kept looking at my Daily 5 bulletin board and it just wasn't speaking to me soooo I had to revamp it.

BEFORE 

AFTER 

Finally at the end of my time in my room, I went to the rooms of 2 of my kindergarten friends. Since I had taught Kindergarten for 8 years before moving to 4th grade last year I had a TON of primary teaching resources. These two wonderful friends stored all my primary resources in their classrooms (and of course they were permitted to use them as much as they wanted) so that I would not have to store it all at home. I didn't want to get rid of it becuase I wasn't sure how much I would like 4th grade AND my daughter had just graduated from college with her degree in Elementary Education and I didn't know what grade level she may get a job teaching. Soooo these wonderful friends gave up space in their classrooms for my stuff Well today, they got to get back quite a bit of that space. Since my daughter got a job teaching 1st grade I am taking her quite a bit of my primary stuff for her to use in her own classroom. The entire back of my SUV is FULL of stuff and it will have to stay there until Friday when my youngest son and I head to Port St. Lucie to help her get her classroom all ready for her little munchkins.  This is what the cart looked like that I took to my car

Well that's all I have for now. I am going to spend the rest of the day today, all today tomorrow, and all day Thursday doing NOTHING school related (we'll see how that goes LOL)

~~~~~~ Have a great day!! ~~~~~~

Cindy

Classroom Update - I'm almost ready!

I finally got to get into my classroom today!! I was so worried that I would be overwhelmed and for a moment when I first walked in I felt a slight wave of panic wash over me when  saw everything piked into the center of the room. I started off like I always do, I take pictures of what it looks like when I first walk in, that way when I feel like I have been working and working getting nothing done I can look back at the pictures of what it looked like when I first walked in and see the headway I have made.

This is what I walked in to see - This is the view from my door

This is my desk area - before

This is my writing corner - before

This is my reading corner - before

A view from the other side of the room

This is all the stuff I brought from home

After spending about 6 hours in my room today I am very glad to say that I am pretty close to being totally ready!! Setting up went a lot faster than I thought. Last year was tough because it was first year in 4th grade and I had to try out all sorts of arrangements with my desks and my teacher table and my reading and writing areas. At the end of last year I FINALLY found a set up that I liked and was really comfortable with the way it "flows."

Today I accomplished quite a bit. I got my furniture all arranged, I got all  my inside bulletin boards done, I got PART of my desk area set up, and I got my reading area all set up. THAT was by biggest worry because I had to go through ALL my books and reorganize them by genre instead of AR levels. I am really pleased with how my room is looking. I only have a few more things to hang up on the walls, plus I have to do my big AR bulletin board in the hallway, and I have to put student's names on things but other than that my room is ready. If I had to teach in there tomorrow I would be fine and that's my biggest concern when I start out. Here are the during/after pictures

This is behind my desk with my great Teacher Toolbox that I hung on the wall!!

P.S. the picture is crooked - not my toolbox LOL

My clip chart with clips all ready to go - just need a class list to put names on them

My calendar, schedule, and Lunch Menu board at the front of my room

Not sure why this came out so blurry but it is my Daily 5 Check-In and my Common Board Configuration

A closer picture of my Daily 5 Check-In board 

Looking at this picture I realize that I need to adjust the two lower side ones, I want to move them up a little 

My updated Reading Area

The view from my door as I was getting ready to walk out at the end of the day 

My writing area with my AR incentive charts on the Bulletin Board - The wall is blank because that is where our anchor charts will be going

Another shot of my reading area - Check out the weather outside the window - it was POURING

My Master's Degree!!

My Wall of Fame LOL - My Bachelor's Degree is at the top, then my Master's Degree, In a couple years I'll have to move everything up to make room for my Ed. Specialist Degree (class starts for that on Sept. 6th)

After looking at my before and after pictures I feel like I made some great progress in the 6 hours I spent in my HOT classroom - Uggghhh I think the AC finally started cooling around 1:00, about an hour before I was finished. Oh well, at least I don't have to run today, I earned my Weight Watchers Activity points by moving furniture and books, and sweating my behind off!