(August 2014)
I have to admit - one of my favorite things about teaching is getting to decorate my classroom. My Mom is an interior designer and she passed on her talents to my sister and I. So all summer it's been in the back of my head: what's my color scheme? where can I find great wrapping paper deals? how much decor am I going to reuse and how much am I going to buy new? Ugh. Too much to think about.
Anyways, I'm trying to FOCUS on one thing at a time, which is hard when all of my stuff is packed away in boxes. Also, it's amazing how much my taste and purpose has changed. My first year, I just wanted everything to look "pretty." Now, everything has to have a function. So here's my list:
1. A "key" word wall that the students can reference at all times
2. An instagram picture wall with a hashtag attached that the students can use for extra credit
3. A student center with everything they'll need during class
4. A display of Proficiency Targets + Stamp Sheets (if you're unfamiliar with this, please visit the Creative Language Class blog).
On a side note, this year I'm starting at a new school. I loved my old school (middle - public), but I got an offer I couldn't refuse at my alma mater (9th-10th - private)! So I really am starting from scratch. The biggest change within the classroom (besides class sizes) will be moving from a brand new Smartboard to having an iPad with Apple TV (oh each kid has an iPad too - eek!). So once I figure that out, I'll write about it. But for now, I'm just focusing on decor and what I can use from the last three years and how to improve it.
Here's a before picture of my new classroom :)
Here are the after pictures!
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| My Instagram wall is in the center (photos were printed into 4x4s from Walgreens online) |
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| My High Frequency Word Wall! I LOVE IT |
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| These were a lot of hard work - about 40 words total! |
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| And here's my semi-clean desk area. You can see my rules above the white board, vowel sounds to the left, and my question words below. |
Hope you guys enjoyed my room! My kids loved it this year and it was my best, most enjoyable year of teaching yet!
