My LEGO classroom!

It's been a long week and a half, friends, but the time is drawing near and I'm as finished and ready as I will ever be for the  first day! Copies made, room done, orientations and paperwork and random last-minute and late-night runs to Walmart are ebbing down. I think it's looking good. :) Let me take you on a tour of the room!

Here are pieces of my front door, including names, my magnetic "Where are we?" Board, and a week-at-a-glance board (dry erase) where I hope to be writing a few fun objectives/activities for each day.

Here's the view as you walk in!

As you shut the door, you see my reminders board (for homework and last-minute switches in rides, etc.) and my "how we get home" board...names are on clothespins so we can change it out easily.

On my back wall I'm using some of the MANY storage closets as my student work bulletin board! I'll write funny or profound things they say or write on the quote boards in dry-erase and take a picture of them, then actual work will be taped to the cabinets.

In front of it is my Indiana rug! 

My cozy library...it's not quite as cramped as it looks in this picture, but still. :) Books are organized by genres/series so they can easily find something fun...I'm still working on labeling them with Lexile numbers though. You can kinda see the closets in the background that we also turned into giant LEGOs--with plastic tablecloths and paper plates! :) The front drawers (behind the chairs) are normal white cabinets from Walmart or Target and I just used mini frisbees from the Dollar Tree as the "bumps." A coat or two of spray paint and they were set!

Since my room isn't very big, part of my library is here. :) Picture books (most of them nonfiction) and some more storage. Young Hoosier Books, Title 30 books, etc. will be displayed in the appropriate 9 weeks in the hanging shelves. And you also see my math stations on the right there, all 10 ready to go!

Just a shot of our supply station (on top of the LEGO cabinets in the library)...complete with office supplies, paper, a book hospital, dry erase and clip boards tucked in containers on either side, and my Pringles Box Tops container!

A pic of our mailboxes. Saw an idea on Pinterest about using binder clips and labels to name each mailbox, and SO glad I did, since my class list has gone through multiple changes in the last few days! Easy to change out.

On the back right is my guided reading group area. Anchor charts will be posted on the wall, and supplies/books for each group will go in the shelving. The Lego guy pic says, "We are builders--building knowledge, building character, building community." It's my dream, mantra, class rules and philosophy all rolled into one. :)

Sliding down the right wall a bit are my absent work and extra activities tubs (for early finishers, a folder for each student). Also my class jobs list. They have to apply, be interviewed, and keep their jobs for a full 9 weeks. :)

My boggle board, mobile document camera, and behind it are some supplies and my birthday stuff.

Here's a shot from the back of the room, sans white shelving yet. :) My giant pencil-shaped writing process poster, my ASL signs, word wall, command center, etc.

The students will learn some ASL this year and we will use these signs especially a lot. My command center includes behavior clip chart, daily schedule cards (laminated so they are dry erase clocks), and lunch count.

Next to it I have my Fact of the Day (to get them reading more nonfiction), homework club, and extra dry erase makers with pom poms hot glued on back.

By my teacher desk I have my team points (earning Popsicle sticks for transitions, good teamwork, etc.). a few supplies, and a big tub to turn in homework!

My handy supplies...love those Scentos markers! 

Here is our whole class area...still need to recover the cushion for my chair. :)

My (way too big) teacher desk. 

Drawers for everything!

Whole-class incentives with the Legos, and my "thought bubbles" and junk store on top.

Past the student computers and right by the door (we've come full circle!) I have my bathroom passes, out-of-the-room cups, first aid kit, and storage for random things. Once we make our class rules together, the poster will go above the "Rate Yourself!" exit ticket poster.

Here's a shot from the front of the room, with the amazing Lindsey as my super helper (even late nights!). You can see my white storage shelves for shared team supplies and all binders/notebooks here now. 

So, yeah, here's my room!

I have gotten a lot of compliments. A LOT. But the best part was being here for registration and hearing kids gasp, ooh and aah, and run to tell their friends or parents all about the Lego room. I think it's unique, inviting, playful but not overwhelming or over stimulating, and just a great setup for a great year! It makes me happy and calm and excited to be in my room and have a place for everything. What do YOU think?

This is the day we finished some BEE classroom stuff...for someone else.

My super-creative best friend has been helping me SO MUCH with my own classroom stuff, so it was the VERY LEAST I could do to help her get some things together for her out-of-state boyfriend's first year of teaching, too!  You know, men need help (usually) with the cutesy stuff.  Besides, he had a LOT less notice than I did, and starts sooner, and has NOTHING and NO ONE to help him otherwise.  So I felt for him.  :)

Anywho, his room is bee-themed.  Found some great links on Pinterest but we also wanted to add a few "special touches" that would make it look like he knew about the job waaaaaaay before he did and was totally prepared for it in every way.  :)  PLUS, he's with firsties.  Gotta make the room cute for them.  :)

So, here are some pics of what we've been up to.  When possible, there is a link beneath the picture for a free download via MediaFire.  MUST GIVE CREDIT to Connie Prince for her amazingly perfect "Bee Happy" digiscrap kit that I used for the cutesy stuff (it had a few nice, manly elements that worked well, too...that perfect, not-too-girly bee will pop up everywhere.  :)

BEE magnets out of some leftover Sculpey clay, wire, and magnet buttons. :)

Some random stuff--like that binder--if you find ANYTHING yellow and then put some electrical tape around it, you have instant bee stripes!  (Trash cans, binders, pens/pencils, etc.)  Also, found that "solar daisy with bugs" (bees) at Dollar Tree a while back...glad to have a use for it!  :)

Lindsey made this cute, not-too-girly name plate to hang on the door, in lieu of a wreath.  :)

"BEE-days" board, 11x14, to put in a frame to make dry-erase!

Blank visual schedule cards for the whiteboard--prints 4x6, cuts down to 2x6, laminate, then add in with dry-erase marker the times and subjects/activities!  

A simple lil' border for stationery.  :)

Some "Pringles-sized" bees--cut, laminate, and use for decor, names for attendance/lunch count, labels, or whatever else strikes your fancy.  :)

A Newsletter Template, bee-themed, of course!

For more BEE-themed  ideas, check out my Pinterest Board. :) All sorts of goodies and links to things you can buy from Amazon, Oriental Trading, etc.  I especially recommend investing the $5 in this Teachers Pay Teachers file--it has 85% of EVERYTHING you'd need for your room, bee-themed--labels, calendar numbers, a "how we get home" board, desk nametags, a "where are we?" board, numbers and letters, etc.  We thought we'd have to do a LOT more work, but these are the cutest bee-themed classroom printables we came across in our days of searching and at $5, you just can't beat it. Print, cut, laminate, and you're done.  :)

Sure is easier to find stuff for him than for my LEGO theme! But it'll work out.  Just glad we were able to help him out some so he's not quite SO alone and rushed this time of year!

This is the day I made something awesome...and then screwed it up. :/

4th grade is our state history year, and my friend suggested I make a big Indiana rug to use with geography in my classroom. Definitely a winner idea, unlabeled of course so I can use it to quiz them! :) So I started by getting a cheap rug from Walmart and some chalk, carefully outlining my state borders, rivers, and cities.

Anytime I messed up, I just smudged the chalk away with my fingers and started fresh. :)

Then I took bright glow-in-the-dark fabric puff paint and outlined my state. Used Walmart paints for that, and Dollar Tree colors for the rest. That was my first mistake. Anyway, blue for the waterways, red for state borders and compass rose, and yellow for major cities.

I ran out of blue really fast...

Then I let it dry for a bit. The dollar tree paints bunched up in droplets so I kept having to add more...

Then I had to move it...because if you have dogs or children, you can't just leave it in the middle of your floor!

Major drippage--all from the Dollar Tree paints. My Tulip puff paint held up well.

The yellow is sinking in and the red is dripping and I just want to cry. But I won't. I'll bike to WallyWorld tomorrow and pick up new paint and try to salvage it somehow.

At least the kids won't care. Just me. :/

Update: I think I've fixed it well enough no one will notice or care!

P.S. That is on our queen sized bed, to give you some scale of how big it is!

More teaching stuff...and a birthday board freebie!

Just a few more pics I feel like sharing; these aren't as LEGO-y, either, so they may be of some use to another teacher. :)  I'm slowly, SLOWLY getting there.  Can't believe I only have about a month left until I start!

When students leave the room for speech, resource room, etc., they'll have to leave one of these on their desks first--it'll help me see at a glance who is out!  (You think you remember these things but it changes every day, and once you get into a rhythm...)  The only exception is the bathroom--they'll put the boy/girl hand sanitizer on their desks instead.

My "how we get home" board...with clothespins bearing each student's name on the appropriate circle (bikers/walkers, car rider, bus, after-school activity...)  I liked this idea because it was easily changed out from day to day. Downloaded it from HERE.

My "rate yourself" stoplight exit ticket board.  Gotta laminate it still...but basically, when we learn about something, I can then have the kids take out a mini post-it and put their name on it, along with rating themselves on how well they know it--if green, then explaining/performing it well; yellow, asking a question to clarify something; or red, they really don't get it and need extra help.  Self-evaluation is really important to me.

I also made up this birthday board.  Saw something like it on Pinterest but it wasn't free.  Mine isn't as cute, but it's a little more neutral and I'm offering it as a free download to anyone who wants it.  :) Gotta thank Connie Prince for the digiscrapping kit I used to make it (Go!Go!Go!). It's made to be a 16x20 poster, which Walmart will print off for you for about $13, but an 11x14 has almost the same ratio and works just as well for half the price.  You choose what's best for you.  :) When you frame it, it becomes dry-erase, which is awesome for the classroom.  Or, you could just add family birthdays in Sharpie.  OR, if you're tech-savvy, you could add text to the image before printing.  Lots of options.

DOWNLOAD HERE!

Still working! :)

Just some school stuff I've been working on today

ASL signs--so I don't interrupt dialogue by mistaking a permission-seeking question for a meaningful comment. :)

Quote bubbles. They'll go in 8x10 frames and be used to record the funny and insightful things my students say, dry-erase style, behind my desk. :)

Writing process poster--will be laminated, and clothes pins with names will be moved around during writers workshop. :)

I also made up my reading logs/fluency pages, OhMyGoodness! Other things that aren't interesting if you're not a teacher. :) Maybe I'll do a post on those things some other time. I'm just excited that things are finally coming together, slowly as it may be. :)

I don't know what to call these...but they're cool. :)

In case anyone is curious, here are my questions for these different...conversation starters/reader response/brain break balls?  For the classroom or homeschooling mom.  10 points and maybe even a gold star to anyone who can give them an uber-cool name. :)

GETTING TO KNOW YOU (Yellow Ball) (Keep in mind these are for kids in a first-week-of-class or new-student setting. :):

• How many brothers and sisters do you have?
• What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
• What is your favorite book?
• Do you have any cool secret talents?
• What is your favorite subject in school?
• What is something you're afraid of?
• What is your favorite sports team?
• What are you excited about this year?
• What was the best vacation you've ever had?
• What makes a good friend?
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• "I want a teacher who _______"
• Name 3 of your hobbies.
• What is one thing you're really good at?
• What is your favorite sport to play?
• If you could travel anywhere for one week, where would you go?
• Have you ever met anyone famous?
• Do you have any pets?
• Where were you born? (And when is your birthday?)
• What is your favorite color?
• Would you rather live in the ocean or on the moon?
• Would you rather be blind or deaf, and why?
• Do you have any pet peeves?
• What was your favorite birthday?
• Who is your hero?
• Who is the funniest person you know?
• "If I were an animal, I would be..."
• "I learn best when..."
• Are you a morning or night person?

BRAIN BREAKS (Red Ball):
(In case you don't know, "brain breaks" are short movement activities to do throughout the day that increase blood flow to the brain and help improve concentration and motivation.  Research says doing one every half hour can make ALL the difference in student focus, especially for the few minutes following.)

• Conga line for 2 minutes!
• Seasonal movement--so, fly like a witch or prance like a reindeer, hop like the Easter bunny, etc.--for 1 minute
• Wall or floor push-ups...x20!
• Line up in order of your birthdays!
• 20 jumps over a pencil on the floor! (You could do rope, but I wanted things that mostly didn't take any extra prep work...)
• Mirror-mirror the student of the week (basically they do something and you copy)...for 1 minute
• Clap the Rhythm...you could do the teacher thing and do a two-bar clap, OR have them clap out beats and rhythms for fun.  Beautiful music!  :)
• "Power pose" (AKA Superhero Pose) for 2 minutes!
• Motion song of choice (Tony Chestnut, Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes, the Macarena, Hokey Pokey, etc.)
• Pass around a beach ball for 2 minutes!
• Find it Fast!  (kinda like "I Spy" but with motion...you call out a physical trait, like white or round, and they have to move to touch something in the room that fits that description--no losers!)
• Jump Skip-Counting (by 2s to 20, 3s to 30, 4s to 40, etc.)
• Yoga Time (do 2 poses from Yoga Card List)
• Rock, Paper, Scissors with your neighbor--1 min!
• Try to part your neighbor's hair--with your breath!
• Sing and SIGN the ABCs!
• Whole Body spelling--pick a letter on the word wall and spell out the words with your arms and legs as each letter
• Dance Party--one song on the Smartboard (there are a TON of videos on YouTube)
• How many jumping jacks can you do in 1 minute?
• 5-4-3-2-1 (You make it up, like 5 jumping jacks, 4 toe touches, 3 arm circles, 2 squats, and 1 body roll. :)
• Act like a (name some animal)--1 minute.
• Line up in order from tallest to shortest--NO TALKING!
• Six Spots Dice Game (You have 6 pre-designated spots, and students move to whichever one they want.  You roll a die and anyone at that spot has to sit down.  All the other students can move around to another number if they want, and you do it again.  And again.  And again.  'Til there are only a few students left--the winners!)

FICTION READING RESPONSE (Green Ball, to be played with after reading fiction, obvi):

• What is the setting in this story?
• Do you think the title fits the story?
• Did the book leave you with any questions?
• What was your favorite part?
• Was there anything that surprised you?
• If you could ask the author one question, what would it be?
• What do you think will happen next?
• Retell this story with a beginning, middle, and end.
• Does this story remind you of anything or anyone?
• If YOU were writing this story, what is one thing you would change?
• What genre is this story, and how do you know?
• What kind of reader do you think would most enjoy this story?
• "I felt _____ during (some part) in the story, because ______."
• How did the main character change in this story?
• "One scene I could really visualize well was..."
• If you could ask the main character one question, what would it be?
• What is the point of view in this story?
• Who is the MAIN character?  Who is your FAVORITE character?
• What is your favorite line or quote?
• What is one reading strategy you used? (Chunking difficult words, visualizing, summarizing, etc.)
• What was the problem in this story?  What was the solution?
• What is the theme or message in this story?

NONFICTION RESPONSE (Blue Ball):

• What is the main idea?
• What are 3 details that support the main idea?
• Name 3 text features that show this text is nonfiction. (For you non-teachers out there, text features include anything that helps organize information to make it easier to understand--like charts and diagrams and graphs, captions on photographs, bolded words and the like.)
• What is one text feature that helped YOU understand the text better?
• What is one thing you already knew about this topic before reading?
• What is one question you still have?
• Is the title a good one for this text?
• What is one interesting fact you learned?
• What is your opinion about all the facts in this text?
• What is one vocabulary word that is important to this text?
• What kind of nonfiction text is this? (newspaper/journal article, factual book, digital information, textbook, encyclopedia, biography, autobiography, atlas, etc.)
• Why do you think the author wrote this nonfiction text?
• Did you enjoy this text?  Why or why not?
• Where could you look to find more information about this topic?
• Does this text remind you of anything?
• Who would you recommend this text to, and why?