Learn. Love. Smile. Teach.: My Classroom

Welcome to my Classroom!

When I first got hired, one thing that I couldn't wait to do was set up my classroom! Pinterest and teacherspayteachers became my best friends as I began to prepare and gather ideas for my room.

My classroom is set up so that each table is named after a continent- North America, South America, Antarctica, Australia, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Other locations in the room are the oceans. Using these in my classroom every day has taught my students all of the continents and oceans in first grade! They loved being able to link their table name to the actual location it is on the map.

The district that I am working in uses the workshop framework. Therefore, my carpet is well used each day! Students sit on the carpet for the mini lesson and then practice their independent work in all different areas of the classroom.

Teacher desk! Did you know that you can actually survive without a teacher desk?! I didn't! To tell you the truth, I was EXTREMELY against giving my desk up, but getting a table was one of the best decisions I made. Having a table gives me work space, a place for students to work, and it encourages me to always pick up my piles of stuff.

Being really good at organizing is an awesome skill to have and it is even better to teach your students about organization too! Since I have tables, students have limited areas to store their supplies. Therefore, I bought hot colored crates in August when the back to school supplies were out at Walmart. They are cheap and hold up great! I used zip ties to secure them together and voila! Each table has a table manager and they are in charge of making sure their crate is always organized. Changing seats is always more work for you! Not in my classroom! We call it moving day! Students gather their supplies and go to the carpet. They then get their new table and unpack their supplies to the crate and we are ready.

A teacher school day is always packed with so many things throughout the day. How can you maintain a clean classroom?! Leave your students in charge. In my classroom, everyone has a job! During transition times, in the morning, and at the end of the day students take care of their job. This has worked wonderfully in my classroom! Helps me keep my classroom clean and tidy!

Other things that I have found that worked well in setting up my 1st classroom!

tension rods between the window frames to hang up student work
plastic clothespins from the Dollar Store to hang anchor charts from the shades
binder clips with numbers on them for student mailboxes
plastic bins from Really Good Stuff
stock up on expo markers, sharpies, Mr. Sketch markers (students LOVE these)
have a back up pencil sharpener
plastic crate with hanging file folders to store data and assessment on your students
plastic stacking shelf to organize the week