Diggin Into Next Year: Classroom Organization

I'm not on summer break yet, but I will be soon.  

That means more time for blogging!  

This summer I'm teaming up with Laura Graham from

Where the Magic Happens

and some other fabulous bloggers 

to share with you some tips and tricks 

we currently use in our classroom 

and others we want to change.   

Check out some of the topics we will be discussing in June. 

Organize my Classroom!

Here are some of my favorites:

DRAWS FOR EACH DAY OF THE WEEK

The drawers are labeled Monday - Friday
and the last one is for extra stuff.
I love being able to put things in the drawers
that I will need during the week.
It definitely keeps me organized.

SHOE BOXES FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES

I buy these for the class because not all sizes will fit into our desks.

CHECK OFF LIST FOR EACH ASSIGNMENT

Either you or the kids can check off the names as assignments are turned in.
I cut the lists into strips and place them with each assignment.

Yes, I already am starting my summer project list.  

My biggest mission is to redo my files.  

I'm bringing them all home, buying new folders and relabeling.  

I did this with my math last year and threw out a TON of papers. 

 I even nearly wrote each CC standard on each file.  

What's the problem?  

I don't know all the standards by heart.  

It shouldn't be too hard to relabel the folders.  

What are some of your organizational goals for the summer?

Be sure to head on over to Laura's blog
and check out some other organizational ideas

Classroom Shelving and Decor Projects

I'm officially starting to hit panic mode.

School starts in a little over three weeks

and so I need to get moving.

This is usually when I do my best work.

Today I'm going to start thinking about

some classroom décor changes.

 

The first thing I want is to get more shelving in my room.

These shelves are cheap and not very hard to make.

They are just crates that are tied together.

I could get them all in black to match my room. 

 These are also cute.

They are cheap crates from Michaels that were painted.

Again, I could paint them black.

I want to make some curtains for my room.

This set-up will make them easy to put up.

What projects are you currently working on?

Summer Bucket List

8 MORE DAYS!

Am I excited?  Yes!

The next few days are going to fly by

and so I need to start planning for summer.

This linky will give me a good start.

 

 

1.  Get My House Organized

This becomes a goal every summer,

but this is the year!

I need to go through closets and get them organized.

My plan is to get the small closets done first

and then move to the larger walk-in closet.

 

2.  Plan Ways to Rearrange My Classroom

I took some pictures of my room as inspiration.

These are the main areas I want to work on.

Any thoughts?

 

3.  Enjoy A Family Vacation

We are going to N.C. Outerbanks again!

I love this place.

We like to rent a house with other family members.

Each morning we visit the ocean and the afternoon is for the Pamlico Sound.

I can't wait for this trip.

 

4. Update TpT Items and Papers

I have a bunch of school papers in my home closet.

Many of them are ideas I have for TpT products.

I'm hoping to get through the all

and get some new items in my store.

 

5.  Relax and Spend Quality Time With My Two Girls!!

I don't think I need to explain this one.

 

Summer....Here we come!!!



Optimum Organization - Calendar and Desks

I love organizing and therefore I've been waiting all week for this linky party!

Please join Kristin and Elizabeth for

Calendar:

My calendar is one that is laminated and you can write directly on it.

I love it because I don't need to worry about finding small calendar numbers
figuring out patterns to use.

The kids enjoy filling in their birthdates and other special school events.

This calendar has been in my room for about 10 years now.

I'm going to change it next year by getting a smaller one because

I need more room for math vocabulary.

Shoe Boxes in Desks:

This is a little tip that has helped to keep our desks organized.
Each student is given a plastic shoe box.
All of their supplies go in it!
You will need to occasionally have a cleaning day
so the kids can clean out the box.

Also, make sure you get a size that fits in your classroom desks.
Not all sizes fit.


Be sure to link up and share your own ideas!

Five for Friday and a Freebie

I found this fun link-up called Five for Friday.

I get to list five random things that happened this week.  So here they are for you!

1. I started my new math centers.  I've posted about them earlier, but I am really excited about the results so far.

2. Some of the cabinets in my classroom got a good cleaning.  I donated a bunch of books to the teacher's lounge and now there is more space for me to fill up with new books.  Take a look at them now!

 

The Cabinets After

3.  I tried some new suffixes activities in my classroom and the kids actually cheered by the third day.  They were excited for the assignment.  Check out this product that I made for them.

4.  Here is a personal one - I watched with delight as my 3 year old, almost 4, learned how to hula hoop.  I laugh because I can't get that thing to go around once.  She stands there for about a minute and it just keeps going.  It really is super cute!

5.  I found the time to add a fun freebie to Tpt.  It's a St. Patrick's Day theme, but that is coming up so fast.  Maybe it is something that you can use.

Thanks for taking a look at my list.  I'm interested in taking a look at what everyone else was doing this week.

Have a nice weekend!

A Busy Week

It's Friday already?  This week went by so fast.  It helped that it was only four days and I was busy trying some new things in my classroom.

The first big change was my math rotations.  I talked about them earlier this week and I'm still happy with them.  The biggest difference in my new rotations was not having a whole class lesson.  I now teach the daily lesson in small groups and it is working out so much better.  I can slow the lesson down for some kids and speed it up for others.  Why didn't I ever think of this before?  The three rotations are: meet with teacher, paper/pencil and games/manipulatives.  I was inspired by some posts on another blog: www.3rdgradethoughts.com.

Another change was the space in some of my cabinets.  I posted last week that I was participating in The Clutter-Free Classroom Project.  This week the assignment was to streamline our teacher resources and create an organized place to store them.

I am so fortunate to have a bunch of cabinets in my room, but sometimes that can be a bad thing.  I end up holding on to books and papers because I have the room to store them.  This week I went through all my books and got rid of about half.

My philosophy was: If I haven't used it in the last two years, get rid of it.

I laughed because I put them all in the teacher's lounge at 8:00 A.M. and by lunchtime they were almost all gone.  I wonder how many of the teachers that took books will end up putting their new treasures in a closet and forgetting about them just like me?

Here are some before and after shots of the cabinets.  There are not big changes, but I can tell there is a lot more space available for new books!

The Cabinets Before

 

The Cabinets After

The cabinets and math rotations were different organizational changes, but both made me feel like a better teacher.  If you are interested in joining The Clutter-Free Challenge, click below and start organizing!

Hope you have a great weekend!