Classroom Ideas

Good morning!

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I've been off visiting folks before the kiddos come back and I am swamped. But, anyways, in my traveling around I got to visit a couple different school and several classrooms looking for good ideas I saw to share. I decided to focus on things that are probably a good idea to have set up BEFORE the first day of school so you can have the kids practice your procedure. Here we go!

Seating Arrangements:

 There are a million different ways to start off your year; in rows, in groups, in semi-groups. Whatever works best for you. Just a few questions to ask... Can everyone easily see the board? Can everyone easily see you? Can you get from point A to point B in the smallest amount of steps to detour bad behavior? Sweet.

Agenda:

Nothing is worse than I kid coming in a sitting all hour, an administrator comes in and asks them what they have been doing in class and the kid says "I don't know". WHAT?! You've been sitting in my class for 30 minutes!? At least if there is a ready agenda posted somewhere around the classroom and you refer to it often maybe the kid could fake it. ;-) Just kidding, but these are really great to have already posted for the week so not only do the kids know where they are going but also it reminds you to stay on task.

Turn in baskets

 My mentor teacher preached to me about these tower shelves (which means of course I haven't gotten any yet) but these two teachers do. I've heard it is really nice due to the fact everything is in a nice neat pile when you go to pick up papers to grade. P.S. the one on the right is my brother's classroom that I made as girly as humanly possible, thanks Bubs!

Expectations/Procedures Posted:

Hand made, store bought, white, bright, it does not matter. What does matter is having visual reminders for the students that you can point back to whenever they "forgot" a procedure. I wish you could see the bottom two better: The one on the left is his procedure for making up classwork. The one on the right, in the picture frame, is the coming in tardy procedure.

Grading/Make Up Work

The students need to know their grades and as a teacher you don't want to hear "What did we do on Monday, again?" every single day. So, teachers come up with ways to make make up work, grades and no name papers accessible to our not-always-responsible darlings. The top two pictures are pretty cool and I'm sad my picture didn't come out that well. But they both make 30 or so extra copies of that days assignment and put it in the folder/pockets and it is the students job if they miss to go get it. Awesome idea!

A little bit of Flare!

No one wants to start off the year staring at a blank roomed wall with no personality. You don't want to over do it because it could become distracting but adding a few fun things tells the kids "We're gonna work and its going to be tough BUT I'm kinda fun once you get to know me!"
P.S. I am in LOVE with the Hunger Game sign because I am a huge nerd! =)

I would like to wish everyone luck on their first couple weeks on school! I don't have students until the 27th and have work week all this next week so I will continue to post classroom pictures... Get. excited.

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot. Nothing is going to get better. Its not."- Dr. Seuss

Mrs. Callahan <3