Here we go, Year 6! It's my 4th year in 4th grade and honestly, not much has changed in my classroom over the years. This year I added some lamps to make the place more "homey" and some new words I'm pretty excited about.
You should know that my school was founded in 1884, and my building was built in 1955. Needless to say, everything is old. We still use a boiler as our heating system! So I tried using a black background with bright colors that pop when I began decorating my classroom four years ago. Hopefully it looks inviting and cozy!
WORK HARD BE KIND
I added these words to the front of my room to be the basis of every classroom rule/expectation this year. We made a chart on the first day of school to discuss what this would mean for us.
We're also reading
Wonder as our class read aloud for the beginning of the year and I can't wait for us to really get into it! Grab a copy of the book
HERE.
I teach at a Catholic school, so prayer is a big part of our day. I made these prayer posters to hang on the wall so my students could have a visual when they pray. You can grab these
HERE.
I might be one of the only 4th grade teachers that still uses a rug to teach whole group, but it creates such community and allows me to have close proximity to my class when introducing new skills. It's also great for Turn and Talk time to get them talking about concepts! The rug is pretty old-I took it off the hands of a teacher that was moving schools 5 years ago...and it just happens to be our school colors! I also have a Math and ELA focus bulletin board that will be filled as we get into our curriculum. The Focus Wall is from
Reagan Tunstall's EDITABLE Objective Signs. They are ADORABLE! I laminated them so I just have to write with an Expo marker and wipe away when it's time to change. Easy peasy.
Also, did you spy my new lamp?? It's from At Home and I love the brightness it adds to the front of my room. The quote posters above the ELA board are from
Hope King HERE.
Now onto the back wall:
1. Do you remember the store Dry Ice? These fuzzy chairs were from that store and also in my teenager bedroom. They are OLD but the style is still around! You can find similar ones at Target and Walmart. The rug is from At Home and was on clearance.
2. Here's where I house my reading and math centers. I will go more into their organization at a later blog post, but besides my rug this is the most used area of my classroom!
3. A better look at the back wall with the centers. The word wall will be used for math vocabulary and the long table is just an extra work space for the kids! There's also a black bookshelf for extra supplies as needed.
4. JOBS Board: Magnetic name cards that get changed every Monday. Easy and low maintenance! Also, a 1,000 chart!
My door! Sweet friends gave me the apple and pencil over the years.
The look when you walk in my door. I have an ENTIRE WALL of windows and it allows so much natural light and I looooooooove it!
Most of my classroom library books stay here, but there are also some by the reading chairs on the back wall. Fiction is labeled by last name; Nonfiction is by category. Labels are from
Hollie Griffith.
So here we are! My home away from home. I hope that it makes my students feel safe and welcome and loved and is a place where they are excited to learn! We don't change classes, so we spend a loooooooooooooooot of time in this room together! It's time to let the fun begin!
