Bulletin boards are a great way to add color, personality, and student work to the hallway. But let's be honest, they take a lot of work too! To compromise on the work of it all, but not the other benefits, I set my board up for the year. I keep the background color and border the same all year long and just change what goes on it. Here, for the start of the school year, I made polaroid picture frames that housed each of their smiling faces from the first day of school. It had their name on each of the frames too! I cut the letters using my Cricut cutting machine, but you can print and cut at home with this file from my TPT store. I always laminate the letters in hopes of using them again in years going forward. Currently, I'm thinking of a June bulletin board that changes to "Picture yourself in second grade". We shall see! Now this one was a family time, at home, project. I set the plain turkey, copied on construction paper, home the last week of October. Families has 1-2 weeks to use whatever they had around the house to decorate a turkey. It's amazing how the themes and objects used represent the family themselves! It was a great project and bulletin board. Again, I used the Cricut to cut the letters and free fonts from websites online, for more details check out the Thanksgiving post! I must confess, this is a repeat. Yup, I laminate letters and any decorations to reuse in different years. The lightbulbs I made new to include each student's name on the board. To be honest, I'm not sure they know who Charlie Brown is but now that I'm thinking about it I'll ask them in class! Slightly before the end of January, I sent home a letter to parents asking them to fill our hearts with love. Parents took this task and did an out of this world job of collecting love from siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, AND pets! Messages about why they love that child or words describing them. When the students got to read each heart, their face light up. Priceless. For the parent letter template and bulletin board letters click this link to my TPT store. *This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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Organizing your classroom is something I do in the summer! It does take some time and presents its own challenges. This year I changed grade levels and districts; walking into an EMPTY classroom is great but also forces you to think about how you will set up the flow of your room, students, supplies, and materials. I had to figure out where things would fit, work, and be practical; therefore things moved many many times. Organizing Classroom Supplies
Small Group Learning Space
A carpet is a great meeting sport for partners or small groups to meet and collaborate. This great carpet came from Amazon! It matched everything so perfectly and was a great reference for beginning readers too!
Classroom LibraryColorful and bright is definitely what I have going on in the library! We also have some Book Buddies that both function as a friend to read to and a decoration in the room!
The bins will come with card stock labels that fit in that slot perfectly, I measured the card and created my own to continue the colors with Astrobrights card stock. Book Bin Labels Shared Space: Morning Meeting/LearningIf you aren't a teacher, I bet you didn't think a carpet needed to be organized! Telling students to simply sit on the carpet can be a mess of space and disagreements. These are also from www.ReallyGoodStuff.com and it is a velcro like backing that sticks to most carpets. They were much cheaper than their competitor, use letter sense, and assign a space to each student. WORTH IT! The vacuum can go right over without damage or getting stuck! Student Supplies
*This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
The school year is coming! I've spent the last couple weeks attending new teacher induction within my new district, followed by some professional development on technology. After weeks of information, I'm approaching the jump off from being a middle school teacher, straight into the primary teacher pool! I'm so nervous, anxious, and excited to start the school year! I've worked hard to create a space that would be warm, welcoming, but not too overwhelming for students! I realize a "Pinterest Worthy Classroom" does not make a better teacher or learning experience, but I also realize that classroom community is the foundation to the school year. The first person students see is me, but this room is also something to be excited about! They will be spending more time awake, moving, learning, and creating in this classroom then they will at their own home (plus I enjoy creating the space for them).
To welcome students back to school, I made this bulletin board for our hallway space! Each of the polaroid frames has a student's name on it, after we take some pictures on the first day students will really be able to 'picture themselves in the first grade'! It can be found in my Teachers Pay Teachers store for you! *This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
*This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites
What is Valentine's Day when it comes to the classroom? For me it is a community building opportunity to notice the things we love about our school and classroom and the people we share it with.
Bulletin boards are great way to encourage community and school spirit. They can be educational, motivational, or just pure decoration. Either way, when the kids see something new they get excited (especially when their name or face is on it)!
*This blog is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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AuthorCurrent 1st grade teacher and former middle school educator trying to be techy, Reading Specialist, life long learner, and avid reader Categories
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January 2021
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