I'm sure there are other teachers that feel the same way, so here are some pics of my classroom for your own viewing pleasure.
I have one entire wall of windows in my classroom with a ledge and shelving underneath. The windows are a great feature (my classroom faces a field), but they limit the amount of wall space I have to work with. You can see that I get thrifty with my mini blinds and use them to hang up posters. The posters are simply attached with 4 paperclips, 2 on top and 2 on bottom.
This is my reading focus wall. This photo was taken before our open house at the beginning of the year, so it doesn't really show what my focus wall looks like in full swing. The shelves underneath are our classroom library (revamping that is my summer project) and the colorful baskets on top are for the students reading work station materials. In the right corner I have a great tub organizer that's from the kid's furniture section at Target. That thing is great for storing lots of random odds and ends.
This is my computer table. I've converted my kidney table into a computer station. I really like this setup so that the students aren't right next to one another and able to look at each other's screens during tests and other activities. Behind it is our word wall which is a new / old thing for me to have in my classroom. Once again, this is a beginning of the year photo, so you can't really see it in use.
Here's the view from the door. Depending on my class sizes and the behavior of the students, I vary the seating arrangement throughout the year. I have a big group this year so we've been in clusters like this most of the year to help conserve space.
This is the front corner. You can see that with my limited wall space I use pretty much every open space to hang posters and materials. The pink thing on the closet doors is an awesome file organizer that I use to put out papers that the students need access to. I bought it online from Mardel last summer and it was one of the best purchases I made for this school year. The front white board is my math focus wall. I use my ELMO and screen most of the time, so I've designated a lot of my white board space to other uses.
This is my lunch choice chart. I've done this system for 2 or 3 years and it's really been nice. Each student has their own pocket. Every morning they put an idex card in their chart with their lunch choice facing up. The index cards are laminated and labeled "hot," "other," "milk" and "cold."
Here is another pocket chart in my classroom. For library our students have checkout cards and bookmarks that they are expected to keep track of. This chart provides the kids with a place to store these items. I like having it on the door to the classroom so that they have easy access as they go in and out. Above the pocket chart is our AR chart. As the students meet 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of their 9 week goals I write their name on the appropriate board. I prefer to go by percent of goal rather than points since the students' goals vary by their reading levels. I make updates every Monday, so the kids get excited to see if they'd moved into a new "club." In the past, when the kids reach 100% of their goal they get to enjoy a pizza party with me at the end of the quarter.
