Yesterday wrapped up our first week back to school. I still can’t believe that the new year is already here! I LOVE our classroom space so I wanted to share some pictures with you highlighting the place where the magic happens….room 505!
Last year, I painted the room and gave it a big facelift which you can check out here. This year, I only made a few minor changes because the space seemed to work so well for us last year. It is interesting to look back at my room setups over the years and see how I have grown as a teacher when establishing a space for my students. I have learned that calming, inviting, organized spaces that are centered around students and created 110% with them in mind are truly the spaces that my students have seemed to enjoy the most.
I do my best to leave things off of the walls, I don’t laminate decorations anymore(the glare can be distracting and make the items hard to see), I don’t spend a lot of time organizing our classroom library and I don’t worry about bulletin boards. I encourage my students to take ownership in our classroom and make it what they need it to be…not me. They are the ones that now decide what goes up on our boards, they organize the classroom library in a way that makes the most sense to them, and they help the classroom morph into what they need to help them be successful.
Now…on to the photos!!!
From the front of the room:
From the back of the room:
From the hallway door:
Flexible Seating Options
Classroom Library
Cameo project from 4 years ago…still holding strong!
Our reading graffiti wall is one of my favorite parts of the room!
My parents bought me this rocking chair my first year of teaching.
Teacher favorites that are being used in the classroom for teaching moments go in this basket by my rocking chair.
I jumped on the light box train. My kiddos have LOVED it, and look to see if there is a new message every day. After the first month or so of school, I am going to give the responsibility of updating this sign to a student. I can’t wait to see what positive messages they share with us.
Old chair, spray painted new!
The kiddos have gone crazy over these jobs!
I also posted a quick video of our room on Facebook Live the first morning of school. You can check it out below! 🙂
Looking for a specific product from a picture on this post? Check out the resources below! 🙂
Classroom Rug- Kid Carpet
Motivational Posters- Hope King
Classroom Crew(Jobs)- Primary Polka Dots
Cubby Labels- Target Dollar Spot
Welcome Banner- Teacher Created Resources
Lightbox- Heidi Swapp/Michael’s
Library Book Bin Labels- Upper Elementary Adventures
Book Labels- Lessons With Laughter/Molly Maloy
Teacher cart bin labels- Literacy for Big Kids
Inspiring Communication in the Elementary Classroom #ISTE2016
Back to School Bash
The Importance of Fostering a Love for Reading
Your room looks fantastic! The graffiti wall: can the kids write on it?
Absolutely LOVE the classroom library section.
I read an article about how it's better not to have things on your wall to decrease distractions.
Sarah!!! Your room looks amazing!!! Love your amazing reading graffiti wall and your reading corner!!! Hope you had an amazing first week back!!!
Room looks great, and I particularly love your reading graffiti wall! Did you do that top quote with chalk marker or vinyl?
Nice job! You decorate the classroom very well. Everything is designed to be in its perfect place. Like Feng Shui. There is also one good theory about how to increase learning abilities truth emotional stimulation. Read here to get the basic idea and learn a lot of practical examples. Good luck!