Classroom Decor

I did make it on Monday…

August 15, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 5 Comments

I’m almost two days late. But that’s okay. We’ll pretend that I indeed posted this Monday morning.

I fully intended to post a few more items on my TPT store during the Back to School sale, but that never happened. My to-do list ran away from me, my nearly three year old decided that he didn’t need to listen to Mommy anymore, and I got a little carried away. With this.

I started out with the plan to make my “pick me” bucket. I thought that since my kiddos are my “lollipop guild” and lollipops are featured on my student data binder I should do lollipops. So I made the labels, and started to affix them to my trusty popsicle sticks.

I had this nagging feeling. Come on. You know you want to go all out.

My car drove itself to AC Moore. My debit card purchased cellophane, cookie sticks, and ribbon. And then my hands, independent of my brain, made these:

Your eyes aren’t seeing things. Those are lollipop numbers wrapped in cellophane and tied with a ribbon. Yes. I went there.

The metal pot is an antique, and unbreakable. It reminds me of something you might see in Dorothy’s house, which is why I chose it over a plastic pot from Walmart (which I might’ve hot-glued ribbon and a label to before I changed my mind). I’m on the fence about a label. What do you think?

As a mea-culpa for not posting anything new so you could enjoy 28% savings, I’ve uploaded the numbers in three sizes (4″, 3″, and 1.5″ diameter) to my TPT store. You can grab them by clicking on the image below — I hope you find them useful!

I’ll be back tomorrow night to share the first progress pictures of my classroom — I’m spending the whole day there tomorrow cleaning it out and arranging it (once or twice or five times) before I start decorating. Wish me luck… and not clumsiness!

What day is it? (Mondayyyyyyyy!)

July 30, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 48 Comments

Another Monday! On the upside, I get to spend a good chunk of my Internet time today looking at all of the amazing things bloggy friends have come up with. On the downside, this means I’m running out of time. Eeeeeeek! I know some of you are heading back into the classroom much sooner than I am, so I don’t feel too bad, but I’m starting to get a bit nervous. I even had my first school-related nightmare! (I showed up at the wrong school and wrong classroom on the first day and it. was. a. trainwreck!)

So: word walls. Let’s talk about them.

In some of my practicum experiences, they were just kind of there. They weren’t talked about or used, they just kind of took up space. In some of my practicum experiences, they weren’t there at all. There wasn’t really an alternative, either, so it was a constant struggle of students not being able to have the independence they craved during writing.

There were some awesome word walls I saw, however, and the ones that were awesome were used. Frequently. They weren’t just an “if you don’t know it” reference, either, they were a centerpiece of learning and kind of the pulse of the room. So that’s what I had in my head when I started on this project: something that is, above all, going to be supportive for my kiddos (especially my ELL’s), and something that made sense with what my goals are this year (see the trusty sidebar).

I need a dynamic word wall.

First, I made these:

*sigh* These colors make me happy.

These are my headers for my word wall, which is going to be placed above the windows, here:

I still can’t believe I have a classroom.

While that’s a readily accessible place from anywhere in the room and has plenty of space for lots of words, it doesn’t quite hit the mark for what I want to do alone. Enter this:

You knew it was going to be Oz-related, right?

The idea is this: my students need to experience independent success in their writing, and I want to remove as many obstacles to that as possible. At the same time, I want to support my ELL’s that may need some visual cues, while also encouraging my wordsmiths to expand their vocabulary. This is where my mobile word wall fits in!

Clear plastic pencil pouch, blank color-coded cards, A-Z dividers, and trading card protectors.

Smaller versions of the word wall headers are on each divider to create a visual link.

Students can have the independence they need and can contribute at their own pace, on their own time using this resource. They can encounter a word that they think should be added — perhaps a content area word or fabulous vocabulary word — and select the correct colored card, write the word, and then add a visual or other thought to make a more concrete connection.

Front of the cards; note the color-coding for content areas.

Back of the cards, with a visual or example.
This can be expanded to include a definition, a sentence, etc.

The color-coded cards open up a lot of possibilities; they can be used to denote spelling patterns, level of difficulty, or as I’ve used them — for content areas. I’ll be taking the lead from my content-area binders and using purple for science, green for math, blue for social studies, and then using red, orange, yellow, and black for the various parts of speech.

These are the blank mobile word wall cards for student use.
There are matching larger cards for the full-sized word wall.

I got through all of the words on my district’s list for second grade, and am now working on expanding it to include words that I know will come up during the year for the various units. The full-size words are more of an undertaking since I’m laminating them for durability.

The mobile word wall will not start out the year with us, but will slowly be introduced as we begin to use our word wall and I model a lot about how to use it to my students’ advantage. This will work well with my implementation of Daily 5 and CAFE, as I can see this hanging out in our word work or writing center!

Whew! That was a lot of post. If you’ve made it this far, thank you! I’ve packaged all of my materials and listed this Dynamic Word Wall pack (including editable PPTs for you to customize with your word lists) on my TPT store. Here’s what is included:

I would love to give this word wall set away to three people! Leave me a comment with your e-mail, and I’ll choose three random winners on Wednesday night!

(Speaking of winners, a big congrats to The Meek Moose for winning the Discovery poster — I look forward to seeing it in action in your school!)

The Post With the Most Bullet Points

July 20, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 1 Comment

I need to buy stock in:

printer ink
lamination pouches
cardstock
and raisinets (seriously, why are they so delicious?!)

I’ve been a busy-bee around these parts! I’m juggling about a dozen different projects all at once, including one that will be the freebie for all of those that entered my giveaway, as well as my Monday Made It for next week (what? you know you’re doing it too!).

Some of the decor-related items I’m working on:

cutting out all of the laminated bulletin board trim (It is taking f-o-r-e-v-e-r!)
mock-ups of bulletin boards (I’m using my empty classroom photos + photoshop!)
nameplates, labels, and other misc. organizational items

Some of the curriculum/management-related items I’m working on:

my teacher organizer (I opted to make my own, even though I *really* wanted an Erin Condren planner!)
long-rage thematic calendar (Themes! Oh, the themes!)
first day of school activities (I’m already nervous!)
classroom procedures + implementation w/modeling
positive behavior rewards
rough-planning of the first three weeks

Some of the books/websites I’m wading through:

Daily Five
CAFE
The Next Step in Guided Reading
Whole Brain Teaching

Whew. I’m totally beat just listing all of that! I’ve totally been neglecting Pinterest too, so I have to catch-up on all of my pinning and figure out what my next project is going to be!

I do have a few areas where I could use some support and advice, so:

If anyone could share some good morning meeting resources, or talk about their experience with morning meeting, I would love that! Same goes for experiences with whole brain teaching and how you began implementing that in your classroom!

I’ll leave you with the graduation portrait that just came in of Mr. Plum and I! This was taken within a minute after we were handed our (empty) diplomas; I’m still a bit in shock this moment happened!

It’s Monday (So Of Course I Made It)

July 16, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 39 Comments

… and I’ve been dying all weekend to show you. Really. I’ve been working on these off and on since I decided on my classroom theme. They’ve gone through a few different iterations, but I’m settled. Finally.

When I chose the Wizard of Oz as my theme, I did so because I felt like I could really use it to my advantage when it comes to classroom management — and starting off the year. I plan to read (an appropriate version of) the book to my kiddos on day one, and do some community-building and foundational activities surrounding it.

So, then, the first thing I have to do is decide what I want my kiddos to focus on. In Room 108, what are the most important things? This was the answer:

I want my students to embody the journey through Oz — I want them to use their hearts, their brains, and their courage each and every day, and I want them to do it together.

While I’m still working on more in-depth “first week” activities, I did fashion-up the anchor charts to go along with these “rules to live by” and vision statements. I’m going to project the color version on my SmartBoard to discuss and write about as a class, and distribute a reproducible version to each table group to complete together prior to our whole-group discussion.

Because I want these “rules to live by” to really stick with my students throughout the year, I also made some bookmarks that they can utilize during Daily 5 or at home, and plan on making sticker versions that they can put on their journals or whatever my team ends up utilizing.

If you think you could utilize my Oz-Inspired “Rules to Live By” in your classroom, head on over to my TPT store (or click the preview below) — it’s on sale for $2.50 until I remember to put it back to non-sale price sometime on Wednesday!

And don’t forget to enter my giveaway — it ends tonight, a minute after midnight! If you win (remember, FIVE winners!!!), you’ll not only get my Oz-Inspired Binder Set and “Rules to Live By,” but ALL future products in my TPT store! I’m excited to find out who I’ll be e-mailing attachments to until the end of my teaching career (and then some)!

(wo)Man Behind The Curtain + FREEBIE!

July 16, 2012 by Sarah Plum(itallo) 12 Comments

Let me start out by saying I am totally and completely floored by the amount of support and interest that’s been generated since I started out this little old blog. I’ve gotten such positive feedback, and cannot overstate how much useful advice has been dispensed to me (FOR FREE! Y’all know I love free!).

Part of that support has come in the support of these three awards:

From: Teresa @ Fun Games 4 Learning, Antonia @ Forkin Fourth, Julie @ Math is Elementary, Rachelle @ Teacher on the Loose, Mrs. Rios @ Mrs. Rios Teaches Second Grade, and Storie @ Stories by Storie. Thank you so much, ladies!!!

The rules are pretty much the same for all of them, but the Versatile Blogger Award requires that I give y’all 7 random facts about myself. So, without further delay:

My husband and I both completed the same five-year Bachelor/Master program… together. Yep, we even sat next to each other during our graduation ceremony (talk about emotional) and took our official picture together!
I’m gluten intolerant… which can be a real bummer sometimes! I’m trying to gauge how to deal with this in my own classroom — as far as treats for my kiddos — so we’ll see how it goes. Any fellow gluten-free teachers?
I’m a terrible dancer but I love to dance. It’s really the best, and something I came to love when it was the only thing that would calm my fussy baby-turned-toddler down.
I can trace my roots on my mother’s side back to the Mayflower, and on my father’s side back to Mary Queen of Scots. Pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.
I’m mildly obsessed with fonts. And by mildly, I mean I can pretty much identify any font by name in under 30 seconds. (Just ask Ginger!)
I’m probably the only elementary teacher that’s not a fan of Skippyjon Jones. At all. (I’m ducking all the rotten tomatoes right now!)
Shopping for school supplies and organizing things is my version of zen. Big-time.

SO — Instead of nominating individual blogs myself, I’d like to have everyone leave a comment linking back to your blog! I love finding new blogs, and I know others do too — so this is a perfect way to put yourself out there and to also find some new bloggers to follow!

I also wanted to share one piece of decor I finished for the classroom today:

This will hang in my classroom during the first week of school (and then outside our door after that). I am so excited to have it finished — it was actually super easy to do!

I know an Oz-themed room is pretty out-of-the-norm, but I know that many teachers utilize it as a book study, or party-theme, etc., and so I’m offering the pennant in my TPT store (in three sizes; the size I chose is the 7.5″ size) for FREE! So head on over and pick it up!

And just another reminder — if you haven’t already — my giveaway closes at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday! Make sure you are entered!