Focus Wall - Finished!

Forgive the slightly blurry pictures. My camera hasn't recovered from our beach vacation.  It got sandy and now it won't zoom and sometimes won't focus. Only real issue is the pictures look fine on the camera! It's not until I see them on the computer that I realize they're off.  I'll try to take better pictures on Monday. In the meantime, here is my finished focus wall! (With some bonus pictures thrown in!)

Class Library Checkout (added 5 more pockets under each board)

Desperate to hide the 50-zillion sets of chapter books, magazines, and extra textbooks.

Record Keeping using Google Forms (#Daily5)

So this year I'll have 3 classes worth of data to organize.  I'd been considering Evernote (but had been warned that I'd probably need to upgrade - and I don't have $50 to spend right now.) I had found binders and dividers in the closet and was going to make them up tonight.

Then I had a brainstorm. Could I figure a way to use Google Docs forms to collect the data (and subsequently organize it - SQUEEEEE!)  Well, I did! And it wasn't as hard as I thought it might be.  So take a gander at these surveys - these are copies I created for you to see. The "official" ones I use will be set to private and I'll be the one filling them out. I can't wait to try it and see how it works! (Being concerned for privacy, I'll only be using student first names and first letter of last names.  I don't feel comfortable putting their entire name - even though it would be safe.)  I'll add direct links to the Google Docs on the Documents page.

Enjoy!

Sooooo close! (Or, Classroom Pictures 3.0)

So I worked in my classroom AGAIN yesterday morning. I put in a solid 3.5 hours that felt more like 6. Time literally flew and I got SO MUCH done.  I'm not sure if my poor glue gun will ever recover. But the room is thisclose to being done. Just a few nit-picky details - I was planning to go in tomorrow, but I might just wait until Friday (our first official Teacher Work Day.)  For comparisons, look at 1.0 and 2.0. Enjoy! (And as always, comments welcome!)

Hallway Bulletin Board (might adjust a little)

Phone pockets are ready!

Fancied up the class library :)

Class Library extension - hardbacks, oversized paperbacks, and series books.

Entry/Exit bookcase

Jobs chart, calendar, specials chart, voice level star

Reading Groups bookcase - the bucket organizer is now on a lazy susan. Yay!

Student supplies

Pencil Sharpener, spinner for reading games

Entire counter

Got rid of the extra workbooks - extra storage!!

How is your classroom shaping up?

Classroom Progress

Here are some pictures that reflect the progress I made yesterday. (Here is my previous post for comparison.) I'm very pleased with how the room is shaping up!  I got the janitor to move out the teacher desk and I've got him working on getting me tables.  I went ahead and arranged the desks - I was tired of seeing them willy-nilly around the room.  Any suggestions for fine tuning?

View from the door

From the door, looking right

My last dumping ground. Bulletin Board stuff all in one place.

Reading Groups table with bookcase to organize materials

Entry area. Kids turn in papers to the colored trays - one color per block.

Computer station (also be the FlipCam station)

Reading workbooks - for a reading series we DON'T have!

Front view, TV, Bloom's Flag, and computer/doc camera station

I think it is coming right along! Now I'm spending some hard-core time studying my teaching materials - I've got bits and pieces of different reading series.  I'll post later in the week and share what I've decided and created.  Be on the lookout for documents!  I'll be posting info to go with Elements of Literature and Prentice Hall Literature.

Bulletin Board Updates

I got to school for 2 hours yesterday and managed to get all by boards covered and trimmed.  I even played with the layout of my Focus Wall and my Bloom's Flag.  Here are some pictures of the works in progress!
(Please pay no attention to the purple and greenish-yellow on the focus wall.  That will get swapped with patriotic scrapbook papers that my mother got me - needed a place holder!)

Version 1 of my Focus Wall

Version 2 - Squeezed in CAFE

The whole board - Focus and a section for the reading groups on the right

Beginning stages of the Bloom's Flag BB.