Classroom Set Up

It's a new school year, and as always the summer has refreshed me and left me excited and ready for the new school year. You might think I'd be sad about have to down-size my room space, but I'm actually thrilled about my new room! My former room was almost too much space - sounds strange, I know, how could there be too much space? But somehow it made it seem like I was farther away from my students and in that way made it more challenging to manage.

I absolutely love my classroom this year! I think it's my best room design yet. Here are some of the photos I shot before the kiddos arrived; it looks a little more "lived in" two weeks into school.



My classroom library with books arranged by genre/reading interest.



Make-up work wall, where students can get the hand-outs and information about the previous days' lessons.



Our student work books and some writer's notebooks - still waiting for the rest to come in!


Bookmarks for students.


Student writing folders.



Sticky note sentence strips. Students will write words for the word wall on these. Although I hadn't realized it when I set up my room, this has since become my "Is It Yours?" spot where students can reclaim lost materials or no-name papers.


"Take a Break" chair, where students go when they need to refocus. They can go of their own volition or when I ask them to, but it's not a punishment; just a place for them to re-center.


Reading Corner for when students finish classwork.


Quote of the week and the week's plan posted here.


Student desks are arranged in groups of four with one remainder group of two.




I post student jobs, the unit's essential questions, the date (and Happy Birthday messages), learning targets and the agenda here.


"Help Yourself" wall where students can take regular hand-outs or resources to help them improve their writing.


Place to display exceptional student work, a place where students can get resources on how to publish their work, and an "About You" wall where students will decorate the bulletin board with pictures that show us who they are - like a show and tell. I did the first one with pictures from my life and my eighth grade report card that my mom had stored in her basement. The kids always ask, "Ms. Yost, how could you get a C in gym?" *Sigh* Memories of falling off monkey bars and walking the mile...


My desk with pictures and artwork of former students behind me.


Word Wall: "Highfalutin Words" (or academic words that students may not be familiar with), "Spicy Words" (or precise words that could improve our writing), and "Bad Words" (or informal words and trendy spellings that students may use casually, but that aren't appropriate for formal writing.)