Where I Teach Tuesday

I'm loving all of the new teachers/blogs I've discovered through this linky. I was able to participate in Teacher Week last year... and the where I teach segment was my favorite part.

Click to see my post from last year. 

New grade level, new position, new classroom... has meant new decor! My classroom isn't quite reveal ready, but I thought I'd share bits and pieces of my room. {For more about the district, check out last year's post above.}

I have a(n) addiction  love of children's literature. This is just a small fraction of the books I have in my room. The book labels are by the wonderful Kristen at Ladybug's Teacher Files... you'll see more of her pieces in my classroom :)

 One goal this year, is to focus more on theme. What it is. How it's different from a moral or main idea. These posters from Beth Newingham are one way, I hope to keep on track in referring to different books we read and some of the themes within those books.

I spent the bulk of the day just trying to hang stuff up, and I thought that the late afternoon light would lend itself to the pictures of my room. I was wrong, and way too tired to try to make the pictures look any better. {Sorry in advance for the glare and super dark spots!}

This is probably my favorite bulletin board so far. The pencil is a freebie from The Teacher Wife. The mentor text and student exemplar signs are from Ladybug Teacher Files, and the "work on writing" is from Amelia's Interactive Writing Kit!

If you've followed me for any chunk of time this spring, you know that I've been bitten by the mentor sentence bug. I cannot wait to utilize Jivey's mentor sentences and I think this board will be an interactive way to display what we are learning. I plan to have a picture of the book we are using, or at least the title posted at the top. Then when students write their own sentences, and we find a few really good ones, they will be posted from the middle of the board down.

 On the dividers between the windows I have more of The Ladybug's Teacher Files work. I love these acronyms for CRAFT & Voices for reading and writing!

 Last, but not least, my student writing goals. These are based on the 6+1 traits {I haven't posted the publishing one yet; I think the other traits are generally harder for most students}. I plan on having students move magnets around on to the goal they want to work on. Working on goals, reflecting on goals is something that I want students to work on. I want them to have ownership in their work.

That's a peek at my room, I'm hoping I'll get the last of the unwanted furniture moved out tomorrow, and the last of my posters and whatnot hung, labels made and printed, and a couple other odds and ends before the total reveal.