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It’s Day 2 of Blog Hoppin’s Back To School Week 2014. Today is all about where I teach my students each day. Keep in mind, I am teaching a new grade level in a new district this year, which means a fresh start with classroom decorating. This also means my classroom is not as complete as I would like it to be for the first day of school tomorrow.
I know it is definitely a well-stocked, well-organized learning environment that is ready for my students to walk in and begin their second grade journey. I also know there are a few things missing because they are on back order and it is making my inner OCD shine through hard core.
With that said, I will give you a quick overview and hold off until early September (when the rest of my classroom library bins arrive) to give you a detailed overview like I did with my previous classroom here.
I’ll get the incomplete area over with first. 🙂 The classroom library is my favorite corner of the room, as always. It was so hard to leave my old classroom library {featured in Scholastic Instructor Magazine} behind. It was definitely my pride and joy.
I am starting to overcome my separation anxiety and this classroom library already my new fave. I will give some deets on how I’ve organized it tomorrow. You can grab my Classroom Library Labeling Kit here.
I am obsessed with my resource cabinet because it is organized to a T and has room for growth. To start the year, I am using the same drawer labels as last year because they really kept me organized (more on that tomorrow). I remember thinking I needed more drawers at the end of the year but now I’ve forgotten why. I’m hoping once I get back into my weekly routine, this summer brain of mine will hit the road.
A teacher desk is something I haven’t had in years but they delivered this brand new desk along with all my other brand new furniture and I felt way too guilty to say I didn’t want it. Now that everything is set up and I have it tucked in the corner where it doesn’t take away from student workspace, I’m pretty stoked about having a germ-free work space to call my own.
This carpet area will be our designated area where the kids can bring their whiteboards or journals and participate in mini lessons during Daily 5 and Math Daily 3. When mini lessons aren’t in progress, this is a great space where kids can sprawl out during independent and collaborative work sessions.
These drawers house all our extra school supplies and in-progress projects that are too large to store in our Work In Progress folders.
I will probably have to add a small cart of shelf somewhere in this area to store supplies for group work. For now, I have them stashed in my resource cabinet at the front of the room.
This student workspace was a big hit in my previous classroom so I didn’t change a thing here. The kids love to stand up and spread out on the bright white work surface or set up camp under the table during Reader’s Workshop.
Although students spend the majority of their time up and around the room, their desks are configured in groups to encourage collaboration during work sessions. Each group has its own station where their shared supplies, Work In Progress folders and book bins are stored to minimize desk clutter.
If you are interested in a detailed explanation of the contents found in each area, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter so you are the first to know about my yearly classroom reveal posts.
Swing by tomorrow for Day 3 of Back To School Week 2014 when I will tell you WHY some of my classroom organization tricks work like a charm.
I’ve been an elementary teacher for ten years, and love sharing tips and resources that make differentiated learning more manageable for you. Thank you for visiting.
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19 Responses
I love all of your plants, they make the room look so calm! I'd love to have so many in my room, but I know I'd kill them off within a week!
Your room looks really lovely!
Dani
https://misslynchslearners.blogspot.co.uk
So would I!!! Mine are all fake (except for one). I got them at Ikea. 🙂
Oh. My. Gosh. I am in LOVE with your room! So sleek and organized!! Your colors are adorable (I have the same in my room) and your library is to die for! I love the leaves with the wall decor!
Emily
Munchkins Inc.
LOVE this classroom! Everything from the color scheme to those decorative accents in your classroom library. The collaboration station is a great idea that I might have to borrow.
Paige
Paiges of Learning
What a fun and beautiful room! It is great to blog hop and look at what everyone is doing to get ready for the new school year. Enjoy your new adventure!
Renee from The Science School Yard
Your classroom looks great. Colourful & organized! Where did you get that bench in your mini lesson zone? I love it!
Brittany
Lovely Literacy & More
Thanks Brittany! I got the shelf/bench from Ikea about two years ago. They no longer sell that exact model, but there is something similar they have here:
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90275844/#/00275848
Love your room, especially the library area. You did such a GREAT job! I bet your kiddos feel so calm and safe there. I wish I were as organized…
Sarah from Mrs. Jones Teaches :o)
Classroom design full time would be a dream come true! Thanks for the feedback Jena. 🙂
I realize this is an old post, but I just stumbled upon your blog somehow and that library is just GORG! The bulletin board is so beautiful!
Sarah
MissKinBK
I realize this is an old post, but I just stumbled upon your blog somehow and that library is just GORG! The bulletin board is so beautiful!
Sarah
MissKinBK
I love your classroom! It is so warm, inviting and organized. I just recently embarked on a journey to create my ideal, organized classroom. This fits the bill! Thank you for inspiring me to continue. I am grateful! I am curious as to where you purchased your leaves
Awesome! I’m so glad you are feeling inspired! The leaves are from IKEA.
Hi Laura! How have you attached your ikea leaves to the wall? I just love your classroom so much!! Parts of my classroom for this year are inspired by your lovely room.
Aloha from your fan in Hawaii!
-Mia
Hi Mia!
So happy to hear you are feeling inspired! I actually drilled them into my bulletin board. The design of the leaves gives you the ability to screw them into the wall at the base of the stem but they drooped down really low when I had them set up that way. Therefore, I added extra screws through the brighter green part of the leaf directly into the bulletin board. Thumb tacks probably would have done the job too but I didn’t want to risk having them fall out and onto that fuzzy carpet.
If you want to share pics of you room with me, I would love to see them!
You can tag me @coreinspiration on Instagram. 🙂
Have fun decorating!
Laura
Hi Laura,
I just came across your blog and love your library! How did you make the pom pom things on the wall?
Thanks!
Jena
Thank you Jena! To make the pom poms on the library wall, I folded tissue paper accordion style and the opened each end like a fan and stapled it the the other end to create a circle. Hope that makes sense…its a little hard to explain. 🙂
I love the student nook! Where did you purchase the carts with drawers for that area??
Thank you Tara! I got those drawer units from IKEA. They are part of the Alex collection.