A Few New Things

Ok, so now on to the new stuff I am trying this year!  Reinventing and tweaking seem to be never ending for me.  How about you?  It is really important to me that "systems" in my room are quick and easy, and also meaningful.  I pay attention to student behaviors during independent seat work, group and partner work, transitions, and our whole group time at the carpet area.  I tune in to their voice level, how easy it is for them to gather and return classroom materials, their attentiveness, and the overall "flow" of the room.  Many times I like what I see (and hear), but sometimes I don't.  I spend some time over the next few days trying to target what it is that's "broken".  I've learned over the years to not rush in and "throw the baby out with the bathwater".  Sometimes students are just going to have off days due to exciting upcoming events like assemblies and field trips, holidays, and I SWEAR this is true...phases of the moon.  Have you noticed the "full moon" phenomenon?  If you have, PLEASE leave a comment.  The point is, I give myself to study them and pinpoint exactly what's wrong.  That's where some creative thinking, along with a little help from my blogging and Pinterest friends come in.

Problem:  Daily Five "Word Work" materials area is messy, bogged down, and unorganized.

Solution:  Create a color-coordinated basket system so students not only know which materials are most appropriate for their current goal, but also how to keep the area organized.

I absolutely love The Daily Five.  One of my kiddos' favorite choices is "Word Work".  As mentioned in one of my previous posts, "A Few of My Favorites", my students learn very quickly how to set goals for themselves in all academic areas, including phonics (and sometimes phonemic awareness) goals. 

My goals for Word Work:

1.  Students enjoy playing with fun and meaningful games and activities.

2.  Students choose games and activities that are appropriate for their own personal goals (not too easy/too hard...think Goldilocks here).

3.  Students know what to do when they are missing parts or pieces.

4.  Students can clean up quickly and quietly, and they know exactly how to put their materials away.

5.  Teacher gets 15-20 minutes of blissful, completely uninterrupted time to work with small groups because her students are so darn efficient and independent!

Here's what I came up with...

My word work area is now color coordinated.  The red baskets contain materials ranging from beginning and ending sounds to short vowels.  The blue baskets house blends and digraphs materials. The blue baskets are for long vowel activities.  The type of basket is a big deal in this system, too.  The baskets on the far left (with handles) house multiple materials.  The handle baskets are meant to be pulled out so the students can choose one or two baggies.  All of the other baskets are meant to be grabbed from the shelf, as they contain just one game or activity.  No more stuffing baggies where ever they might fit.  No more putting materials in the wrong spot!

*Tip:  Have a designated "Missing Pieces" spot in your room.  When kids find parts or pieces on the floor throughout the day, they simply put them in the Missing Pieces spot (and not in a random bag or basket that you won't find until they graduate).  This tip is a life saver!  You know what it's like when you've just settled in to start your small group during The Daily Five and some little...sweetie...comes up to you and whines, "Mrs. Mahaaaaaaaar, I can't find the diiiiiiiiice to this game."  Ugh!  With a Missing Pieces spot, the students know to just check there and move on.  If the piece is there...great! If it's not...well, I haven't seen it either, so either pick a new choice or decide if you can still do the activity without it!

Problem: Not enough bulletin board space for all my cool stuff!

Solution:  Make my own for less than $10!

My new classroom is UH-MAY-ZING (word misspelled for dramatic effect), but it is really short on bulletin boards.  I need one for math, spelling, our Cafe Menu, birthdays, and our weekly focus goals.  My new room only had 3 bulletin boards, so I had to be creative!

I moved my Cafe Menu to the cupboards.  I think I'm gonna like it!  I found cute Daily Five and Cafe signs here.

 With a home for all of the others, that left me with birthdays.  I decided to make my own using this cool stuff...

I bought mine at Walmart, but I think you can find it pretty much anywhere.

First, my little assistant helped me put a dab of hot glue in each corner.  The cork came with adhesive tabs, but they looked like the "These won't come off until you're collecting social security-Maintenance is going to black list you forever" kind of tabs, so I just stuck with hot glue.  If this board ever needs to come down it will only require a little bit of elbow grease.

Next, I just stuck them up on the wall!  Originally, I was going to make it bigger, but then I kind of liked its quaint lil presence.  

I covered it with a black vinyl tablecloth (Thanks, Dollar Tree for all of your lovely tablecloth colors). Do you do this?  I LOVE IT!  No more fading.

Last, a cute border.  It's as good as I can get it right now because I have to wait until the first day of school to take their cute little pictures.  I'll post all that cuteness later!

"Being organized isn't about getting rid of everything you own or trying to become a different person; it's about living the way you want to live, but better."

Andrew Mellen