Spring Cleaning « teacher stuff. Got Clutter?
Ever wish they had one of those home makeover shows for classrooms? I used to be the clutter queen until I took an amazing HET (highly effective teaching) class from my friends at Lone Tree Elementary. The class was built on the foundation of brain research. Here are a few tips I learned from them about keeping my classroom organized and clutter free: Decorate your classroom the way you would decorate your house. Not sure where to start? Cover the Clutter. Take time to add subtle little touches. Homey touches. Smell. Sound. Go Digital with Evernote Are your filing cabinets overflowing? Use Evernote to organize your files. Click here for an evernote tutorial Find a good home for your old favorites How long has that rain forest unit been collecting dust in the basement?
District resource — my district has a craigslist-type list where anyone in the district can advertise things they have for sale. Good luck with your spring cleaning! Jensen, E. (2005). 12 Inspirational Quotes for Reading - The Teacher Couple. Untitled. Classroom Timers - Fun Timers. Classroom pics. I have been working so hard getting my classroom ready for my new Kinders!
I know you all have been hard at it too. I've changed a few things, but kept it mostly the same as last year. Don't fix what's not broken...right? My super star board and center chart...plus my new "steps for completing an assignment" chart that I saw on Pinterest. front view of classroom close-up of my clock numbers that came from an idea off of pinterest...my sister made these for me... also, the little numbers will be for "read my code" activities I will be incorporating this year. Center baskets...I made new labels with a sign above where each will be placed after use...because I have 3 sets of baskets, my students were putting the wrong baskets in the wrong place last year so I labeled them to make it easier for them the writing center...plus a cute little "writing banner" I saw this idea a while back from Pre-K Pages...I love how the stamps fit right into the ice cube trays. rug area. Anchor charts. Check this out!
We reached our goal of 20 minutes!! YAY! I love hearing comments from the kids like "WOW! That did not feel like 20 minutes! " or "I could have read a lot longer! " We are also focusing a lot on schema this week. I taught my students actions to go along with this chart.... "Good readers ACTIVATE (throw your hands in the air) their SCHEMA (put your hands on your head) to understand what they READ (open hands like a book). I also made this poster that we will use all year. I'm just LOVING the Daily 5 -- it's my favorite part of the day and the kids love it too! Teacher Binder Freebie. Making a Scrunchy Border. Happy Summer Thursday, Y'all!
It looks like all of us are working hard this summer! So, our school has air for a few hours twice a week during the summer. This gives teachers the opportunity to work in comfort. Tuesday, my partner in crime and I went to school to work and found, seriously, 9 other teachers working, also. We are all so dedicated! What did I do? I changed the paper on this bulletin board and made a scrunchy border to go around it.I had already taken the border off the board before the pic. Several people have asked me about the scrunchy border, so I thought I'd share. This is what you will need: butcher paper, scissors, and a stapler with LOTS of staples This is what you do-I'll be using transition words, here! First, find the color butcher paper you want to use. The amount you will need will depend on how big the board is. Next, cut strips from the paper. You do not need to measure here. Then, fold the strips accordian style. See, mine are not straight. Here's the final product!