Classroom Reveal and Happy First Day Back to Me!

It's finally ready! Listen, I worked so hard for two days and got a ton accomplished and THEN...the heat. It was so hot in my room. I am thrilled that the fabulous maintenance men fixed my broken AC so that I won't die while working in my room. Anyway....Welcome to Room 404. This year I am back in 4th Grade teaching Reading and Writing. This is my 4th classroom and I'm starting my 6th year but I gotta say...this room may be my favorite. Besides the fact that the 3 former occupants of the room are all my BFFs, I can see my parents' house from my desk... (for real)...and it has the best set up of all my classrooms so far. So..here it is: 

Computer area with my UNT tree..my giant window is just to the left of the green shelf and gives a TON of light to our room...unfortunately, it also gives a ton of heat and makes it difficult to use the document camera so I have curtains up. #wompwomp

I hate that this pic is blurry #mommaneedsanewiphone, but this is the front board and also the location of my "whole group" area. I've never had whole group at the board before but I'm loving the rain gutters shelves at the front that I can use to house my markers and such for anchor charts we create. I can't wait til there are 25 4th graders in the floor talking about books :) 

No, you're eyes aren't playing tricks...I have a curved wall in my room. It's like a castle. Everyone who walks in, loves it...I haven't decided yet...we will see if my Writing anchor charts stick to the curve and then we can make a decision. 

Fiction section of the classroom library

This is the view of my class from my "desk" aka the guided reading table. 

Of course the Wizard of Oz section is located close to me :) It makes me happy!  

My little corner. You can see the bright light coming in the window...my curtains are up and aren't even opaque and it has that much light!

My back counter and cabinets

There you have it! My little slice of home at Elliott. I really love my room this year :) I'm sure I'll love it even more when it is filled with kids in just a little while! Come back soon! 

Caitlin 

5 for Friday and Classroom Reveal

Is it just me or is the 2nd week of school the worst?! I mean, you are not exactly in the routine yet, it's a 4 day week and the novelty of the new school year has worn off. Also, by the 2nd week of school, I'm officially behind on the zillions of things on my to-do list. Such as "blogging". :( Anyway, I didn't want to miss one of my favorite linky parties! So I'm combining some things :) 

Today I got my first SLANT Box! My new friend Ashley from CANADA sent me all kinds of  cute stuff...I didn't get a pic of the contents but she basically got all my favs...candy, supplies, magnets, pens, and a subtle invite to Canada during the summer. [[Any more 100+ degree days and I may be making my way sooner rather than later!]]

This pic is from the first day of school. The kids in my 3rd class of the day begged for independent reading time. I NEVER deny independent reading time! 

My little Jacksie Bear is going to be ONE in one week. We had an early birthday with his great grandparents last week and my talented cousin made this adorable rubber ducky cake. It is too darn cute. Jackson wasn't actually interested in the feeding-himself part but he loved the icing and cake.   

Welcome to my University of North Texas themed classroom! We are MEAN GREEN'd out and I am so proud. :) Listen, I LOVED college. LOVE Denton, TX and LOVE UNT. I am thrilled to represent UNT. [[Our school is part of the No Excuses University network, so every classroom is a university and no repeats are allowed---I have been another university of 4 years but finally I get to be my alma mater!]]  

 This is the view from the door. It has been said that my classroom looks like a bag of Skittles exploded. I'm okay with that. I am all about color :) The bulletin board above the library area is for book recommendations but I am still trying to figure out how I want to do that because I want the recommendations to come from the kids but I also want to be able to provide them too. I'll get to it...eventually. 

 The bulletin boards over the computers are where my anchor charts for the unit will be housed. Right now we are "Launching Reading Workshop" [Fountas and Pinnell style + Comprehension Connections style!] so I have my Reading Is Thinking up as well as my Reading Salad anchor chart. 

If you can't read the "title" of the boards, it says "Read like a Writer, Write like a Reader". We usually talk about what that means and why Mrs. Andrews would want to put that up on the wall. :) Anyway, hopefully this will be filled with anchor charts galore in the coming weeks as we start our study of literary texts (my favorite!) 

So the top picture of my classroom library area is dark because I took it in the afternoon when the sun was shining through my big window. I LOVE having a giant window and I do all my whole group teaching on the floor while I sit in BIG JOE (the green chair--available at Walmart!). The only drawback to the window is that we don't actually have blinds, and we aren't supposed to have curtains unless they are flame-retardant SOOO I don't have curtains....And when other classes go to recess, we sometimes get distracted.

And I have a Christmas tree. In September. But it's really a UNT tree so it doesn't count as Christmas decor and even if it did, I love it and my kids love reading by the tree. :) 

Picture books, myths and biographies on this shelf

Fiction books :) ..don't know why I didn't snap a pic of my nonfiction shelf but that collection isn't as extensive. 

 

This is "my" area. I have files I need on a daily basis, teacher materials, supplies, my phone, laptop, etc. and on the tall black bookshelf, I keep my guided reading/literature circle materials for all 3 classes (79 students!). 

There you have it, room 410. Where we get down to the business of reading! 

I've shown you my room but I have to share these other cutie rooms from teachers on my campus. The first one is our 2nd grade Gifted/Talented classroom, Ms. Hamilton's class! Leta is like the queen of cute. Her shabby chic classroom is adorable. I want to be her student and read in the library area with the clouds! How cute is this?! 

Right inside the door (She was still decorating)

Leta's teacher desk area

 

I totally stole this pic from Leta's FB but how cute is she?! Are you at all surprised by the cuteness of her room when you see how adorable she is? Bonus: She is the sweetest too. Glad you're at Elliott, Leta! 

Next classroom: one of my besties, Emily! We have been friends since 2nd grade when we went to Elliott together. (We are teaching at our old school!) She teaches Kinder and it has to be the cleanest, most organized kindergarten class in the world. And it even smells good. I'm not sure what kind of crazy magic she does every afternoon, but it ALWAYS looks this clean before she leaves. 

View from the door!

Library and supplies area plus the word wall

Calendar/Whole Group Area

 This is Emily. Isn't she cute too? I love having one of my longest and most wonderful friends on my campus but since we teach completely OPPOSITE groups (she's Kinder, I'm 5th) we hardly ever see each other during the day! 

Alright, thanks for sticking with the longest 5forFriday EVER. Check out the linky party for first/second week stories and other fun stuff! 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend :) 

Monday Made It 8/24/14 ...and Happy First Day of School!

As you read this, I am greeting my 29 5th graders. Listen, I don't know if your state has a max number for the classroom, but in Texas, PreK-4th grade, 24 is the maximum number of students per class. Then you get to 5th grade and there is no cap. Which means I have large numbers of students. In classrooms that were made to house no more than 22 [when it was originally built]...so. We are packed in like sardines. BUT, we will survive. Maybe

On to my made it Monday :) I inherited this adorable red bookshelf from one of my besties who became an administrator this year. I have always loved this bookshelf... [It's been passed around at our school]...BUT red isn't my color. :) 

Some of you know my love for GREEN. I'm not sure when it started but I went to college at UNT and we were the Mean Green AND my classroom is UNT themed so I had to paint the shelf. 

Yes, I painted in my classroom. Please don't tell on me. I used green chalk paint and let it dry overnight before I went back and added a wax. 

How stinkin' cute is this?! I LOVE it. You are probably wondering "How did she know how to do that?" Well, my sweet friend, Mary Jo, took us to a little shop in Waxahachie, TX on her birthday to learn how to make shabby chic looking furniture. Mandy at Texas Pearls and Co is so ridiculously talented and she taught me everything I know :) 

Here is what my shelf looks like ready for this first day! 

My 2nd Made it Monday is a little sign I made with chalk and black butcher paper. I saw a wall painted on vacation at the Oklahoma City Science Museum that said "Here is where..." and was all about science. I loved the concept so I came home and wrote my own "Here is Where" poem. I am going to have my kids write poems about their favorite place. Anyway..here is mine: 

Can't wait to see what you guys have been making! 

What can we learn from the Wizard of Oz?!

This is the hallway outside of my classroom :) It makes my heart happy.

These fabulous [life size] characters were drawn and painted by my wonderfully talented friend Heather Hollomon and some of my fellow 4th grade teachers. (But mostly Heather!)

"Why the Wizard of Oz?" you ask...Well, when I was in college student teaching in Keller ISD, I had this amazing, wonderful, born-to-be-a-teacher mentor. Mary Frances Frawley. I want to be her when I grow up (maybe minus the super tall shoes and spiky hair, but I digress...) Anyway, she is seriously amazing. I feel like everything I do in my room stems from what I learned by watching her...I mean, my classroom jobs, routines and procedures, and most importantly: the way I teach elements of fiction. Mary Fran is obsessed with the Wizard of Oz and therefore, she teaches about character traits, changes, relationships, plot, conflict and theme using this book (and of course, as an extra special treat, introduces kids to the movie!). 

Please excuse my stick-figure drawings but it gets the job done. 

My kids asked the other day why I put this out in the hallway instead of in our room. I [honestly] told them that it was because I knew they walked super slow when they went to the restroom or to get a drink and if they were going to shuffle their feet in the hallway, at least they could be learning while doing so. One of my boys said, "Man, you ARE a smart teacher!" [Was there any doubt in his mind?! I better figure out some new ways to amaze him!:)]

It's almost Friday (praise the Lord). This week has been a beating. Between TELPAS training, PDAS self report, grades, common assessments, lesson plans, sub plans (written and not used), Destination Imagination AND having a 5 1/2 month old...I am READY for the weekend. :)

Talk to you soon! -C