Where it all goes down Wednesday

Everyone seems to be linking up with Blog Hoppin' for teacher week! Today's topic is where it all goes down - the classroom. I'm not finished setting up my rooms but I took pictures the last week of school. I'll be showing a mix of last years finished rooms and my current unfinished rooms.

This is my area. I know a lot of people say the teacher takes up too much space in the room but this is a huge room! A bookshelf sticks out separating my desk from the reading table. I put two student desks in front of my desk to layout student papers. On the shelves under the window I keep my student records crate (blue), teacher binders and books, and the picture books I use to teach. On top of those shelves I have my pink bin which stores my future work (the next picture shows the folders in it). There are also pillows on the windowsill but that is because I put them there as I was moving stuff in yesterday. I store my posters in between the two filing cabinets. It keeps them straight.

These are the folders in my pink future work crate. Each group gets 2 file folders. One is for activities I want to do next and the second one is for activities I want to do with them later. It gives me a place to stash half of my piles and it makes lesson planning easier!

This is a picture of my reading area. The lights are shut off in my room so sorry for the bad pictures. On the shelves behind the table I have my leveled library. I wasn't able to take a close-up picture of the baskets but each basket is labeled with the fountas and pinnell level. Most of the books are printed books from reading a to z. Those shelves also have my word work basket and art supplies. On top of the shelves I have a running record kit and student cubbies (magazine files - shown in the next picture).

Student work "cubbies" - Last year I had the students keep their work in folders. The groups folders went in the magazine file. This year I bought plastic flexible binders for each student. The folders didn't give them enough room so we will see how the binders work out.

This is one of the baskets on the bookshelf. I got them from the dollar store.

I don't have a lot of art supplies in my classroom (construction paper, colored pencils, crayons, markers, glue, scissors). I keep everything except the paper in this container I bought at Lowes. I love the colored pencil design on the side!

This is my smartboard/chalkboard area. I have the desks in a U shape. There are paper lanterns on the desks that need to be hung but I didn't have time to get to it yesterday. I keep a purple rolling cart by the smartboard. I keep all my math manipulatives in it. I always teach math on the smartboard/chalkboard so having the materials right there makes it easier to pass out manipulatives as needed.

Not-so-pretty cabinets. The first one is filled with rubber gloves for the cafeteria and the second one is storing extra science kits for teachers. They need to be decorated but I haven't come with an idea yet.