Back to School

Well I'm off to school tomorrow for my first day back.  We have two superintendent's days before the students arrive on Thursday.  The days will be filled with workshops and mandatory regulations.  

There is not much time to get classrooms ready during these two days so, like myself, most teachers have been furiously hard at work over the last few weeks.

One of my favorite organizing projects from my classroom is my pencil station...or "pencil central"!

Now that we have decided to departmentalize in fifth grade, I will have three classes of science to teach. There is no time to run back to a homeroom for supplies...and there is certainly no chance of sharpening a pencil while I am teaching a lesson. My way to avoid such interruptions is by providing numbered pencils that I will keep sharpened for students to "borrow" during class time if needed. Each child will be given a number which corresponds to the pencil.  If a number is missing...I will know who to look for!

I also added some Washi tape at the top of the pencil so the kids will hopefully realize if they take it by mistake where to return it.  The black and white theme I've created in my classroom runs throughout most of the supplies.

I've also been trying new ways to make the classroom library more user-friendly.  The books are arranged into numbered baskets.  Each basket contains a books of a specific topic or genre.  The chart on the window next to the baskets displays the topics to make book browsing easier for the students.  

The reading area or "literacy lounge" is decorated with the black and white theme with some added red for color.  I'm hoping to get some bean bags and other comfortable seating for students to read independently when school gets rolling.  My daughter painted a mural on the back of the bookshelf that looks fantastic...pics will follow!

The start of a new school year is always exciting and somewhat challenging. Getting supplies and curriculum materials organized makes life as a teacher a lot easier.  The classroom theme actually helped when planning some organizing strategies. Here's to a fabulous 2013-2014 year! 

Cheers! 

I get much of my inspiration from one of my favorite blogs...