New Floor Plan

Yesterday, I went into my classroom for the first time since I closed it up in June.  My goals for the day were to put the supplies away,  and to arrange the room.

Putting supplies away didn't take long, because there weren't many of them.  I did check in the office, and fortunately, I do have more coming.  The kids will bring in lots more.  Our students bring notebook and copy paper, dry erase markers, notebooks and composition books, pencils, pens, and glue.  Oh yes, and most important tissue!  Each grade level decides on their own supply list.  I ask for only the basics, but it is always enough to get us through the year.  The only thing I usually have to ask for during the year is tissue, because some years we go through a lot of that.

The trick this year is trying to figure out where to put 30 student desks.  That is five more kids than I had last year.  I have been in this same classroom for nine years.  For the first time last year, I moved my reading table to the center of the room and arranged all the student desks around it.  I really liked this set up, because it put me closer to everyone.  When I was working at the table with a small group, either for reading or math, I could much more easily monitor what was going on in the rest of the room.  I just didn't see how I could do that with 30 student desks.

I like the arrangement I came up with.  I still have room to walk between pods, that is when there is no one here.  We'll see how it works when the chairs are pulled out, and kids are sitting in them.

I kind of like setting up my classroom for fall.  Everything is clean and uncluttered.  Our newly polished hard wood floors gleam.  Our custodians are fantastic!  It is the opportunity to try out new ideas.  We will have open house before school begins, so my strategy is always do the surface stuff that makes it look like I know where everything is and am ready to begin.

Next step, create the cards I will send home to students welcoming them to 4th grade.  I want to get those mailed by the end of next week.  There are also lots of other creative jobs I do at home, like making name tags, desk tags, bulletin board design, and a display for the door.  I make them at home, and when I get to school, I can easily install them.

August 19th is our official back to school date for teachers, but we will all be in there lots of times before that.

The Class List is in the Mail

This week, I received my class list in the mail along with the welcome back letter from my principal.  That is a sure sign that the beginning of a new school year is just around the corner.

I have really enjoyed this summer.  Over the summer I have enjoyed reading, knitting, and spending time with family and friends. It is the first time in a few years that I did not work a second job, and therefore I feel rested, recharged, and just a little bored.  The extreme heat this summer has kept me inside more than I wanted to be, thus the boredom.  A little boredom is a good thing, because I feel excited and ready to head back to school.

I really love this time of year!  August is a time of year that I get a little crafty, making things for my classroom.  The classroom and the school year are a clean slate.  I can continue things I started the previous year or I can completely change them up, so it's time to reflect on things that worked well, and others that didn't.  It's the time when I begin putting together my 4th grade learning environment in a room that is so spanking clean that the floors literally gleam.

One of the things that worked well last year was the book shopping days in our classroom library. On their book shopping days, students browsed our collection to select three or four books that they wanted to read during the coming week.  Prior to last year, my classroom library tended to be a place where some people hung out and wasted lots of time, but did little reading.  This approach was suggested by people in my PLN and I was amazed by how well it worked.

Last year I made the light blue curtains. On book shopping days we open up the curtains so people can browse the books stored behind them.  I really liked the clean look that it gave our classroom, so I decided to curtain off the messy shelves where I house my teaching materials.  I didn't have more of the light blue doggy fabric, but I remade these denim curtains from curtains that used to hang in my son's bedroom.

My desks are arranged, and some of the books have been passed out.  I'm sure this floor plan will be the first of many.  I change desks around frequently.  I like to have students seated in groups, but I don't like them facing each other.  Some kids need more personal space than table groupings provide.  Once I meet the kids, I will know more about what works for them.

We have brand new reading books this year, so I am excited about that.

My new class rules poster is up, and the welcome sign is outside our door, but there is nothing on the bulletin boards, nor do I have any of my computers set up.  There is lots more to do, but I am excited about the progress I have made.  Teachers officially report on August 21st, but I will be going in for a few hours a day, at least twice a week.  School begins for us on August 22nd and by the time the kids arrive, I will be ready.