Welcome to My Classroom

Welcome!  We are going to begin this journey together.  I have just recently become addicted to first grade blogs.  I LOVE them!!!! Each one has inspired me to become a better teacher!  Thus,  my endeavor into the blog world is just to inspire those who need a little inspiration.  This is my 17th year in the classroom and I love that I am still learning.  I think all teachers are truly lifelong learners.  My goal is to share the activities that my firsties and I do throughout the schoolyear.  To start us off I want to give you a little tour of my classroom.  It is always a work in progress. 

Above is my Word Work area and Writing Center. I used chalkboard paint on the wall and framed it.  The kids love it!  The centers on the counter focus on phonic skills and sight words.  At word work they make words on the "chalkboard," with foam letters, "fancy schmancy" writing, and their iPads.  In Writing Center each student has a journal.  The board provides ideas and reminders for writing. A lot of the posters I found on Pinterest!!! I also keep cards and envelopes in the center.  Firsties love to write and deliver mail to one another! 




For those of us who teach Reading Street these are my Amazing Words.  My firsties love learning these new words everyday.  We are keeping count of how many new "amazing" words we have learned.  So far we have 73 new words to add to our vocabulary. 

 


I dressed up my Smartboard with a frame!  It was quite simple.   The polka dots are vinyl circles I cut with my cricut.  My color scheme is pink and black with a little zebra.  However, my comfy reading chair that I have had forever is red.....thus the zebra throw you see thrown over it.  I can't get rid of my reading rocker!!! I just tried to dress it up a little. 




I don't have a lot of wall space in my classroom so I have to be creative!  I use my closet door to post my learning targets and birthdays. The titles are written in chalk on chalkboard vinyl.   That 57 in the middle is our Amazing Word count.  :0) 





This is our Listening Center.  My "stools"  are two milk crates zip tied together with a chair cushion on the top. My  Firsties love these and they were easy to make.  I give them a choice of five books or they may choose to go to tumblebooks.com on their iPad.