Clutter Free Classroom

Okay, now this struck a chord! As you know, I'm a crazy Pinterest girl. I was browsing today and found some cute Daily 5 posters. I click the link to navigate to the blog.
I read a little further down and see this teacher mention something about the Clutter Free Classroom project. Oh crappola!! That phrase alone should go on my "Resonating Words" board. Ugh… I had to read even further and see what that was all about.

What an idea! This teacher posted some pictures of her room (which aren't even in the same league as mine), but I was so striken by the bravery she showed in being transparent. I wondered if I could do the same. Heck no! My room needs HELP! I NEED HELP! I've struggled with this topic for years. I've worked with quite a few teammates over the years who are masters in this area! I've even picked their brains for ideas, but unfortunately, everyone's busy and it boils down to my clutter is my issue. I (weirdly) know where every single piece of paper and book are (98% of the time), but it's a little embarrassing when someone comes into my room because by others' standards, it looks like a pit!

Scared. Should I share? No; I can't.

I discovered that the is an on-going blog and went there to see what it was all about. LOVE LOVE LOVE! What a fantastic concept! I have known many teachers (and administrators) who struggle with the APPEARANCE of organization, but I just can't keep it going for more than a couple weeks at a time. AND… finding times throughout the year to come in and work on just that is just not reality for my crazy busy family.

I am hopeful that following this awesome blog (and going to read back-posts) will be a big help as I strive to improve in this area. Can you grow, though, if you don't get all of your cards on the table? It's so hard, but… okay… here goes…

Teacher Work Station-- gross

Guided Reading Groups/Writing Conferences

Please… I would love to hear your thoughts on getting to where I want my room to be. 17 years at it and I'm still a BIG TIME work in progress!

 I look forward to hearing your feedback and to follow each other for more rich experiences for our students.

Have a fantastic day!


desiree.r.schmidt@gmail.com

Literacy Needs

Here's a little pan I did of my classroom to show different elements of the literacy tools I use in my classroom-- hopefully you'll find an idea that is helpful for you. If you happen to use any of these elements and have ideas to share, please feel free!

Absent Folders

At the beginning of the year, I make 5 absent folders using a regular file folder (often recycling one from last year). I like to make stuff cutsie, so here's the cover…

On the inside cover, I placed the following letter…

 

I have the folders laminated and placed inside a desk near where students select their lunch for the day upon arrival. Each student in class has a bilingual partner and it is the partner's responsibility to be sure that any papers from the day are placed in the folder for the child who is absent. When the child returns, they talk about the papers from the folder with their partner, table mates, or with me so they know what to do with them and then return the folder to where it belongs so it's ready for someone else to get when needed. 

Have a good day!

Desirée

Recycle… long term

If you're anything like me, you just cannot get over some of the incredibly clever ideas you're seeing on Pinterest. Seriously!! I just love that site (find me-- Desirée Schmidt).

I have seen some super cute ways to reuse items and am bringing some of those ideas into my classroom-- aka "home away from home." I've used a large coffee can for many years for pencils in my classroom, but never had sharpened and unsharpened sorted. I had a container for editing utensils, but it didn't match the coffee can… in steps Pinterest! I washed out some soup cans and brought them into the classroom to sort different writing utensils.

Feel free to print & use

I look forward to hearing your feedback and to follow each other for more rich experiences for our students.




Have a fantastic day!


desiree.r.schmidt@gmail.com

Spell it out-- geoblock expectations

Some activities you THINK kids can do and others need explicit expectations. This group, in particular, due to maturity, needs a lot of direct instruction on expectations. When getting out geoblocks, this activity was an absolute MUST.

I put the title (Geoblock Sorting) and two headings on the top of the list (OK and NOT OK). I asked the students to talk in their groups for a couple minutes about what might go under each heading. Here's what they came up with.

Even though, behaviorally, this is a much more challenging group than most, I will continue to use this warm-up with my groups in the future. It was really empowering for students to have made the expectations. It was great for me to be able to refer to the board throughout this lesson and the next couple days.