Getting Close!

Training, training, training! This past week I have attended a training for all new teachers in the Nebo school district.  It has been every day from 8:30 to 3:30 and boy, has it been full of cool ideas!  It was so great to catch up with all the girls that I took all my Elementary Education classes with at BYU.  Good thing my roommate was there with me because every day we left the training with our heads feeling like they were going to explode with all the new ideas that we wanted to incorporate into our classrooms - it sure made for a fun filled ride home talking.  Every day I had about 10 post it notes with lists and lists of everything I needed to do to finish my classroom! These pictures show many new additions to my classroom! It really is getting close to being DONE!

Full of supplies!

each desk looks like this!

this bulletin board is behind my desk - I am sure I will add much more to it as the year goes on

each student will have one of these pockets with their name on it.  Through out the week they will be watching each other and when they see someone do a kind deed for another classmate they can write a thank you note or they can simply write a nice notes to each other!  Then each week during our class meeting I will share a few with the class! These are called bucket fillers because we like to fill each other's buckets with kind words!

after each day I will put all the papers and materials we used during the day in here.  If a student missed a day or a portion of the day, they will be responsible to go to this file cabinet and get their missing work! We will see how this works!

Calendar!

To go along with the carnival theme, I created this ferris wheel for my job chart.  Each bucket on the ferris wheel will be for a different job! The students will rotate throughout the ferris wheel helping with each job one day at a time.  I had a good friend draw this for me (thanks Whit!), then I blew it up, traced it on this larger poster, and then colored and laminated it! I am not sure if I am going to put their picture in each bucket or just their name... but the idea is there!

I added the word wall on the cabinets behind my desk.  I am going to put high frequency words, science vocabulary, math vocabulary, and word of the day words on these cabinets! Also added the cracker jacks to the top!

I added these signs to the cabinets above the sink.  My roommate saw these on pinterest and made them for us! These are going to be my golden rules in our classroom.  in case they are hard to see in the picture they are:

We learn from our mistakes.
We create.
We celebrate each other's success.
We try our best.
We are a team.
We respect each other.

From the training I just went to we had a couple lessons on having our students become SPOT ON readers.  A spot on reader is spot on with all three reading skills: accuracy, fluency, and comprehension.  

This is where I am going to display the word of the day with its definition.  The bottom paper is called a "Vocabulary Count".  Students will place a tally mark on this chart every time they hear a word of the day in context at home, at church, at the grocery store, etc.  Anywhere outside of the classroom, by anyone besides our students in our class, they hear our vocabulary words, they will be able to mark a tally.  Once we reach 50 tally marks we will play a vocabulary game!

I saw this idea on pinterest and knew I had to do it.  To try and keep us all healthy, I want to have students put these passes on their desk while they use the restrooms.  Once they come back to class they will sanitize their hands then put the passes back on this red tray.  I hope they will still wash their hands at the bathroom, but hey, double duty is always a good thing, right?

each week someone in the class will be the star of the week, they will be able to bring in a poster (or any decorations) to add to this bulletin board.

Tickets, tickets, tickets! I will be giving out tickets for our reward system in the classroom.  They will get tickets for EVERYTHING! yes, tickets can also be taken away!

If taking away tickets doesn't help the misbehavior, this stop sign will be placed on their desk.  After the lesson or next free moment, the student will come and chat with me and tell me how they can make a better choice next time! 

Could these not be more PERFECT! They go right with my theme.  I am thinking of covering this label and making a cute label to celebrate each students birthday.  When it is their special day, they will get this lollipop to take home!

I sure do love turtles.  I don't remember how I came to love them but then I started to collect these.  My mom and grandma always bring them back for me on all their vacations, so the collection is growing! I just think they are so bright and colorful, love them! 

Can't believe I only have two more weeks and then it is officially time for fourth grade round 2! 

Back to Fourth Grade

For the longest time, I thought blogs were for married couples to share pictures and stories with family and friends.  Although I am not married (maybe one day!), I decided it was time to share some pictures and stories with my family and friends as I head back to fourth grade! I am sure as I get used to the idea of blogging I will post more than just details regarding my classroom and my students!  so Yes, fourth grade! After my elementary days, dreaded middle school years, high school adventures, and late college nights, I am off to TEACH fourth grade in Mapleton, Utah! Since my family lives in California still, they aren't able to see my classroom and hear all the funny things that will happen inside the walls with 28 10 or 11 year olds.  This blog will help capture those experiences and remember the memories! I can't wait for the opportunity to teach children and I am nervous yet SO excited to head back to fourth grade! Because I am a BYU intern, I had to create a theme for my classroom... the theme that I chose for my first year teaching is a CARNIVAL! 

How I came up the carnival idea... I am not really sure.  I saw on a few blogs some pictures and it inspired me to create my classroom into a carnival.  We will see how it all turns out!

My classroom before I started working on creating the perfect [as close as I could get] fourth grade carnival! 

front of the class - the white board

center of room - a pile of desks, chairs, and bookcases [overwhelming!]

teacher's desk!

New arrangement of desks! - I couldn't decide how I wanted to set up the classroom, but I thought this could create a good start so my students could have a partner if we were going to be doing some group work.  I also may want to have them turn around and create a group of four.  Each column of desks will be a table so they will be able to work together and earn table points! 

I was told I would spend 40 plus hours in my classroom working to create a fun and safe environment for my future students.  I can honestly say that I think I have already spent more than 40 hours in this room! It has been a ton of work, but work I couldn't be more than happy to be doing! here is proof that my room is finally coming along and looking more like a carnival!

once I saw this I knew it was official and there was no turning back! :)

back of room - bulletin board - this is where I will display student work!

 window! - So lucky to have the classroom with a window! 

behind my desk! - not completely done yet, but improving! 

I was lucky enough to have a great mother who constantly bought us beanie babies since we were little.  Once we got a little bit older, she decided to pack them up and store them... and good thing we kept them because look how perfect they help to decorate my classroom! Thanks mom!

above the sink! - here I displayed a few special books that I hope to share with my students in the first couple of weeks of school! I will let you know if my students end up hitting the blue and green lanterns on the left of this picture.  They are high enough that most of their arms couldn't reach...but if they have a ruler in their hand, we may not be so lucky to have these last all year long! We shall see!

the back supply area - not really finished with the decorations on top of the cabinets yet! 

come one, come all!! The major theme of my classroom! Through this I want students to know that every student in our class [and every person outside of our classroom] are welcome whenever! Who doesn't love a carnival anyway?

Can't wait for the journey ahead as I teach my fourth graders this upcoming year! School starts the 21st! Time is almost running out to get things decorated and ready to go!!