Sneak Peek At My Classroom

It's Friday!  LOVE the weekend.  I always think I have so much time to get a ton of stuff done but what usually happens is Sunday comes in a flash and I'm disappointed in myself for not getting anything done.  So I just came home from work.  Took a ton of pics of my classroom to show you what it really looks like in kinder land.  I like it bright, welcoming, and an environment that makes kinders want to learn and stay.  It's important that my students LOVE their classroom.  I am also the type of teacher that likes to change-it-up each year because I don't want to get bored with my environment with the same ol' thing every year.  I like change, trying out different color schemes, and making it a place where I WANT  to spend time.  So take a peek at my room and please tell me what you think!

Every kindergarten needs a dramatic play area.  This is our Surf Shack!  Here our Surfer of the week is highlighted and students visit the Surf Shack to take orders, write recipes, or play house.  The Surfer of the Week decorates their own surf board and we interview them and make a class book each week.

Right next to the Surf Shack is my Technology Zone.  There is the computer area where students visit Kidpix, Starfall, or PBS Kids.

The listening center is where students independently listen to the story of the week.  I post clear directions for the children so they know what to do when they get to that center.  

This is my classroom library.  Each student has a book box with individualized leveled reading books.  When we meet for guided reading, students bring their book boxes with them to read and exchange books.

I love the location of my guided reading/math table.  This is where I spend ALL MY TIME!  I never sit at my desk.  I sit here because it is in the center of the room.   I can see all areas from here.  I organize my reading groups by color and store the guided reading books in each colored bin.  On the right side of my reading table I store all my leveled Take Home Reading books.  I also have a set of easy access drawers where I store all my guided reading materials.  I also use this table for my guided math groups.  Each day I meet with one leveled math group to practice skills of the week.

 My class goes SURFING otherwise known as Plan Do Review.  Students pick which area they would like to visit like the writing center, building center, surf shack, listening center, puzzles and games, IPads, or computers.








My calendar is next to my whiteboard.  Here I have my classroom jobs posted, daily schedule, Literacy center and Math center boards.

This is my Discovery Science table.  The kiddos bring in all kinds of items to share and let other children explore.  I store my science journals on this table and display science books of our unit at that time.  What I love about this discovery table is our "I wonder" bulletin board.  Here students ask "I wonder" questions when we start a new unit of study.  Then we constantly refer back to these questions to make sure our learning is complete.  

 

This is our Poetry center.  During literacy centers students visit this center to read, highlight sight and rhyming words, and illustrate pictures in their Poetry journals.  All supplies are in the drawers for students to use and their journals are right there for them to find easily.  Each week I post a new poem and we highlight the rhyming words. Then students write rhyming words on sentence strips.  I always display our monthly art work surrounding the poem.  We are learning about insects and here students created the life cycle of the butterfly.  They used pastel crayons to illustrate beautiful flowers!

Here are some more pics of my Literacy centers.  Top left is our Writing center.  Students can write letters, mail postcards, use stencils to create stories you name it.  Markers, colored pencils, tape, glue, pens, scissors, stickers, and a crate of monthly thematic words are all there at their fingertips.  

Top right is our Tech Support.  Here is where I store our IPads and ITouch for students to grab on-the-go in easy carrying baskets.

Bottom left is our Art Center.  Each week I place all supplies for our weekly art project in the red tray.  When students visit here they grap the tray and find an empty table to create the project.  I also store more markers, dot markers, stamp pads, paper and foam scraps here as well.

Bottom right pic is our Word Work center.  Here I store all my sight word games and activities for students to find easily.  

My Math Center is right next to the Discovery table.  I have two wonderful display cabinets so that I can easily grap a basket of manipulative's at any time of the day.  I keep everything in sight so that kiddos explore and I don't have to go searching for something way deep in the back of a closet.  

 ...and finally the most important!  My coffee station.  I LOVE my Keurig one cup coffee maker.  I can't wait to make that first cup each day.  

Share with me your classroom pics.  I would love to hear your ideas or thoughts.

 Have a nice weekend!