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.

Beaching It!

I'm enjoying my time at the beach.  I popped into McDonald's to sponge off their free wi-fi and great sweet iced tea. It is SO HOT and we're loving every minute.  I'm proud to say I've not really done any school related thinking while on vacation.  But I can't wait to get back home and get into my new classroom - there is still so much to do!  See you again with regular posts on Monday!

Toes in the water, ____ in the sand, not a worry in the world....

Home Office Organization Part 2!

So I've moved into my new classroom (a separate post!) and have brought home 3 tubs and a box of stuff.  Here's a visual aid:

The night before, I cleaned off shelves and this is what I had...

I was pleased that it only took me about 25 minutes to get the stuff put away.  I credit that with the fact that I didn't actually "pack" stuff - I just set it into the tub. That meant I could just set it on the new shelf.  There wasn't a whole lot of loose stuff either - it was mostly in bins, bags, or book boxes.  Here's the full shelves:

Can you hear them creaking and groaning? My concern now is that I'll come in one morning (or be awakened one night) to stuff all over the floor.  We're talking about buying some bricks and making some brick-and-board bookcases under one window.  We'll see about that after the BEACH!!!

So this isn't the beautiful office from a magazine that I'd love to have - but it is what I've got. It didn't cost me a dime so I'm happy with it. (Although if this is a decorator and you'd like to give my office a makeover, I wouldn't say no!)

What does your home office/workspace look like?